History is more than a list of dates and events. The major in History at Ahmedabad University will help students cultivate the habit of thinking historically, inviting them to participate actively in the rigours, pleasures and adventures of historical inquiry. In other words, students are enabled to make sense of the times they live in using history.
Students will not only be introduced to key historical concepts but will also gain valuable methodological and analytical skills. They will build a set of fluencies in spoken and written communication, critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. Crucially, they will learn how to deal with complexity in human affairs. The History curriculum, coupled with the overall programme structure at Ahmedabad University, will equip graduates not only with qualitative analytical skills but also a fair grounding in quantitative ways of thinking historically, which distinguishes our History Major from other reputed national and international programmes.
As with all programmes at Ahmedabad University, the major in History is characterised by a strong focus on interdisciplinarity. Core courses focusing on the fundamentals of History are offered alongside a wide range of electives, encouraging students to determine the foci of their study culminating in a research project. Students also have the option of learning classical and modern languages of their choice either based on their area of historical enquiry or to widen their career options in different sectors. The pedagogy integrates the best of traditional methods with the possibilities offered by new classroom technologies and innovative exercises in project-based learning.
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the undergraduate programme at Ahmedabad University, students will also take classes in other subject areas and thus have an opportunity to learn alternative theories and pedagogies. The programme will provide an early opportunity for students to learn to collaborate with peers. This is because during the Foundation Programme, and subsequently throughout the curriculum, there will be a strong emphasis on project-based learning.
The major in History is designed to equip students with a basic understanding of historical concepts and processes that have shaped the contemporary world.
Domain Knowledge and Application
On completion of the major, the student will be able to:
Engagement with Society
On completion of the major, the student will be able to:
Personal Skills
On completion of the major, the student will be able to:
We prepare our students, depending on their individual interests, for diverse career paths both within and outside academia. Students graduating in History at Ahmedabad University will gain competencies suitable for pursuing careers in teaching, research, museums, archives, libraries, law, the civil services, journalism, the publishing industry, advertising, the NGO sector, business and entrepreneurship, among other fields.
To learn more about the History programme at Ahmedabad University you may send an email to [email protected].
Offered by | School of Arts and Sciences |
Programme | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) |
Degree | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) |
Minimum Programme Credits | 120 |
Minimum Major Credits | 60 |
History is also offered as a MINOR |
All students entering the undergraduate programme complete our common core, The Foundation Programme, in the first year. The Foundation Programme is designed around four Studios, each of three credits. They are:
Democracy and Justice
Environment and Climate Change
Neighbourhoods
Water
The studios deliver interdisciplinary learning around six domains:
Data Science, Communication, Behaviour, Constitution & Civilisation, Materials, and Biology & Life.
Humanities and Languages GER |
Social Sciences GER |
Biological and Life Sciences GER |
Mathematical and Physical Sciences GER |
Performance and Visual Arts GER |
GER Elective 1: Communication I |
GER Elective 2: Communication II |
GER Elective 3: Any course at the university outside the major |
GER Elective 4: Any course at the university outside the major |
GER Elective 5: Any course at the university outside the major |
Major Requirements | Credits |
---|---|
Major Core | 30 |
Gateway Course | 3 |
Ahmedabad as a Gateway to the World | |
India Cluster | 9 |
History of India I: The Birth of Civilisations in the Subcontinent | |
History of India II: Legacies of Empire: From the Mauryas to the Mughals | |
Nations and Nationalisms in India | |
Global Cluster | 9 |
Trade and Religion in the Indian Ocean World | |
Science, Technology and the Making of the Modern World | |
South Asians in the World: A History of Travel, Migration and Diaspora | |
Methods Cluster | 9 |
Methods of Humanistic Enquiry (South Asian Humanisms) | |
Introduction to Intellectual History | |
What is History? | Required |
Major Electives | 24 |
Introduction to World Religions | |
Industrialisation: Perspectives from World History | |
South Asians in the World | |
Global History Lab: A History of the World since 1300 (Princeton) | |
Global History Dialogues (Princeton) | |
Public Culture in Modern India | |
Introduction to Islamic Philosophy | |
Ideas of India: Gandhi, Savarkar and Ambedkar | |
Is Philosophy Dead? Great Ideas Across Space and Time | |
History of Modern Philosophy: Metaphysics and Epistemology | |
History of Economic Thought | |
Gender and Work | |
Foundation Seminar | |
Political Philosophy | |
Undergraduate Thesis or Capstone Project | 6 |
Free Electives provide flexibility to students to customise their education at the University.
All students will complete 30 hours of engagement with society to develop a sense of engagement, concern, build problem solving skills, and understand the role of an engaged member of a society. This will be done through a mandatory course, Engagement with Society, that would be a graduation requirement. This course can be taken anytime during the stay at the University but it is advised that the student engage with the courses during the first two years at the University. The 30 hours of volunteer work may be completed during one semester or during the Winter or Summer Break.