The History Major at Ahmedabad University goes beyond dates and events to cultivate the habit of historical thinking, enabling students to make sense of the world they inhabit. Students are introduced to key historical concepts while developing analytical and methodological skills, fluency in written and oral communication, critical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning.

A distinguishing feature of the programme is its integration of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to historical inquiry, setting it apart from comparable national and international programmes. The curriculum pairs core courses in historical fundamentals with a wide range of electives, culminating in an independent research project.

The Major equips graduates with the conceptual and analytical tools to understand the historical forces shaping the contemporary world, and prepares them for diverse careers both within and beyond academia,  including teaching, research, museums, archives, libraries, law, civil services, journalism, publishing, advertising, the NGO sector, and business and entrepreneurship.

The History Major 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 project-based learning exercises. 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, the student will be able to:

• Form an overview of key historical developments in India and the world across a range of temporal and geographical contexts
• Compare and contrast processes across different regions and periods; assess the applicability of established interpretive/explanatory frameworks and theories in the discipline; and identify interconnections, intersections, and broad thematic patterns linking historical processes
• Determine what historical “facts” are, identify and gather suitable evidence for historical analysis, and understand how facts are constituted by power relations
• “Think historically” by seeing society as formed by multi-causal, long-ranging developments as well as specific conjunctures of economic, environmental, social, cultural, and political change; conceptualise possible trajectories of historical development in the present and the future based on understanding the past

Engagement with Society

On completion, the student will be able to:

• Connect their personal, family, and local histories with broader historical processes
• Add dimensions to their understanding of contemporary events (in diverse domains of life) by examining them in a historical context

Personal Skills

On completion, the student will be able to:

• Engage in academic reasoning and argumentation (differentiating between information and argument, identifying the structure of an argument, writing an argument in proper format, evaluating arguments)
• Employ methods of historical analysis (archival study, reading primary sources and secondary scholarship, conducting interviews, gathering, classifying, and assessing quantitative and qualitative evidence).
• Produce COM106 Academic Writing for short research projects as well as longer independent theses

To learn more about the History programme at Ahmedabad University, you may send an email to [email protected].

To know more about admission procedures, including lateral admission and about fees and financial aid​​​​​​, please visit our undergraduate admissions page or contact [email protected]​​​​​​.