Overview
History helps us understand the individuals, groups, ideas, and institutions that have shaped our world. It encourages critical analysis and helps develop your communication and writing skills.
At a Glance
Curriculum
Why study history at Mount Allison?
At Mount Allison, History offers a rich variety of both subject matter and interpretive approaches through individualized programs designed to achieve both coherence and depth.
Students will study the human experience in all its rich diversity by examining subjects like:
- class and gender
- wealth and poverty
- faith and science
- self and social identity
- government and politics
- war and peace
History is available as:
- BA major (60 credits)
- BA honours (69 credits)
- Minor in any degree (24 credits)
Public History is available as an undergraduate certificate (18 credits).
Not sure about the difference between a major, a minor, an honours, and a certificate?
Program highlights
Experiential learning
History students at Mount Allison have many opportunities to extend their learning outside the classroom, including as research assistants and teaching assistants, as well as through paid internships and summer work with historic societies in the region.
Mount Allison Archives
The Mount Allison University Archives, located on the top floor of the R.P. Bell Library, is responsible for preserving records created by the University dating back to 1839 and making them accessible to the public.
Records include paper documents and photographs, artifacts, electronic records, maps, and films.
Awards and prizes
The Department of History is privileged to be endowed with four annual prizes presented to upper-year History majors or honours students, including the Dr. Graham Adams Jr. and Alice Graham Scholarship valued at $10,000.
Courses are regularly available at all levels in most major periods of:
- Canadian history
- American history
- European history
- Asian history
Unlike many programs, which begin with introductory courses, history offers courses on a diverse range of topics beginning in first year.
The number and variety of courses available increases each year, with the greatest selection in third year.
In fourth year there are also opportunities for independent studies, which permit you to pursue an interest in an area not covered by other courses.
The Department provides two paths to history honours:
- 9 credits in history 4000–level courses and an honours thesis
- 15 credits in history 4000–level courses
HIST 1601 — Old and New Nations in North America
This course examines themes in North American history from the sixteenth century to the 1860s, with a particular emphasis on the interaction of Indigenous, European, and West African peoples, and on the formation of the new states.
HIST 2021 — Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Era
This course examines the career of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic era that followed his conquest of the eastern Mediterranean. The main themes include the goals of Alexander, the new political climate of kingship and patronage that he helped create, the interaction of the Greeks with the civilizations of Egypt and the East, and the integration of new cultural ideas into Greek society.
HIST 2301 — Introduction to Environmental History
This course introduces students to the questions, concepts, themes, and tools of Environmental History. It does so by considering topics in Environmental History in Canadian and international contexts. At its core are matters of environmental justice and changing relations with land. The course emphasizes how to think about the environment as an important element of historical understanding and how to ask critical historical questions about contemporary environmental issues.
HIST 2801 — Indigenous Canada: a Historical Survey
This course explores the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada with a focus on the processes of colonialism, resistance, resurgence, and survivance.
HIST 3121 — The Renaissance in Italy and Beyond
This course treats the remarkable cultural flowering that began during the mid-thirteenth century in the politically and socially volatile city-states of northern Italy before spreading during the fifteenth century to the courts, city halls, print-shops, monasteries, and schools of northern Europe.
HIST 3761 — Japan and the Making of Modern Asia
This course examines the modern history of Asia, centering on Japan and its interactions with China, Korea, and the Euro-American powers. It considers particularly how the peoples of this region initiated and responded to radical social, political, and economic change.
HIST 4001 — History Through Film
This course provides thematic study of topics in modern history through the medium of film, both feature and documentary. It reads the films critically both as art forms and as historical documents. It places particular emphasis on what films tell us about the particular historical context in which they were created.
HIST 4901 — Archives and Research Methods
This course focuses on advanced historical methods, issues in archival studies, and the development of a research project using local archives.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Danielle Inkpen
Assistant Professor, History
» Dr. Danielle Inkpen, an environmental historian of science who specializes in mountain regions
What can I do with a history degree?
The skills and rigor which the study of history imparts make it an excellent preparation for many career paths. More than this, with its breadth and depth, it contributes to responsible global citizenship in a free and humane world.
Recognized by Maclean’s as Canada’s top undergraduate university, Mount Allison’s strong academic reputation helps graduates stand out as they pursue diverse career paths.
Many go on to graduate studies in education and law, while others move directly into careers in public administration, politics, and beyond.
Popular career paths for History graduates include:
- policy analyst
- public administrator
- archivist/librarian
- foreign service officer
- museum curator
- historic site information officer/site manager
- teacher/professor
- lawyer
- journalist
- conservation/restoration technician
- genealogical researcher
- arts administrator
Alumni Spotlight
The Honourable Justice David G. Near ('76)
Bachelor of Arts, History
Judge, The Federal Court of Appeal
» The paths of three Allisonians converge at Canada's Federal Court of Appeal
What is it like to study at Mount Allison?
The Mount Allison History department is full of caring professors who know the perfect balance of looking out for and challenging their students, and any of whom would happily give up their free time and energy to make for their students the best possible experience. The wide variety of courses and subject areas provides a solid foundation for those who seek to continue history study after MtA, and the honours and independent study options allow the development of research skills that served me well even in the most challenging post-graduate research environments.
There is no better place to study history than an institution that is built upon its own stories that have been passed down throughout generations. History is not only being taught in the classrooms at Mount Allison, it is also being made with each student that passes through its campus.
/current-students/department-history
What are my admission requirements?
What are other programs related to history?
Classical Studies
Classical Studies examines the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and their contributions to Western civilization.
Art History
Art History examines a broad range of visual, cultural, and critical studies providing valuable insight into history, philosophy, and the humanities in general.
Canadian Studies
Canadian Studies seeks to analyze and explain the Canadian experience and to explore Canada’s place in the world through Canadian-centred courses in a number of disciplines.