Joint Concentrations

The Department welcomes joint concentrators. The Undergraduate Office can help you design a personalized joint concentration, which must first be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies from both departments. Select examples of personalized joint concentrations include, History and History of Art and Architecture; History and Statistics; History and the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality; History and Computer Science; History and Math; History and Philosophy; History and Romance Languages and Literatures; History and Germanic Languages and Literatures; etc. Click here for guidelines for personalized joint concentrations, including course credit requirements. History also offers five formal joint honors concentrations: in Ancient History (Greek and Roman), East Asian History, Near Eastern History, African or African-American History, and Anthropology and History.

All joint concentrations are honors concentrations and require a senior thesis which integrates methodologies and research questions from both concentrations. Joint thesis writers will work with an advisor from each department, and the thesis will be evaluated by readers from both programs.

African Studies & History, African-American Studies & History, and Afro-Latin American & Caribbean Studies & History.
Students interest in African, African American, or Afro-Latin American and Caribbean history should consider our joint concentration with AAAS. The joint is an honors concentration (senior thesis required) in which students choose between three tracks: one in African history; another in African American history; and a third option in Afro-Latin American and Caribbean history. The joint program aims to take advantage of the strengths of both concentrations, though students will need to decide at the beginning of their senior year which of the two concentrations will be the lead concentration.

For more information on the Joint Concentration, students should contact the DUS in AAAS or the Undergraduate Office in History. Please see the joint requirements below.
Requirements for Joint Concentration in History and AAAS (African American Studies Track)
Requirements for Joint Concentration in History and AAAS (African Studies track)
Requirements for Joint Concentration in History and AAAS (Afro-Latin American and Caribbean Studies track)

Ancient History.
Students whose interest in the Classics is primarily historical in character should consider concentrating in Ancient History (Greek and Roman). Ancient History (Greek and Roman) is a joint honors concentration co-sponsored by the History Department and the Department of the Classics.
The joint concentration aims to take advantage of the strengths of both concentrations in a balanced way; but the department in which the student chooses to take the senior tutorial will be responsible for making the final determination of honors. The goal of the program is to introduce students to the craft of historical study—the ways historians make sense of the past, and the skills of historical analysis, writing, and research—as well as to promote a critical understanding of the historical experience of ancient societies. In addition to in-depth language study and substantial course work in the history of antiquity, students enrolling in this concentration will do one-half of their tutorial work in the History Department and the other half in the Department of the Classics.
History 97 introduces students to historical analysis and writing on various themes, while Classical Studies 97 introduces the history, literature and intellectual traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. By taking a History Seminar in the sophomore or junior year, students are introduced to methods of historical research and writing and have the opportunity to conduct in-depth research projects. In the senior year, joint concentrators write an honors thesis, an original work in some aspect of ancient history. Please consult the details of the joint in the linked document below.
Requirements for Joint Concentration in Ancient History (Greek and Roman).

Anthropology and History.
The discipline of anthropology has had a long relationship with the discipline of history. For example, social anthropology has inspired micro-history and “thick description.” And Archeology is a crucial component of some kinds of historical research which are especially vibrant among the medievalists in the Harvard History Department. Concentrators in this joint concentration will choose from one of these two tracks in anthropology and compose a thesis that integrates them with history. The joint with Anthropology aims to take advantage of the strengths of both concentrations, though students will need to decide by the beginning of their senior year which of the two concentrations will be the lead concentration.

For more information on the Joint Concentration, students should contact the DUS in Anthropology or the Undergraduate Office in History. Please see the course requirements in the linked document below.
Requirements for Joint Concentration History and Anthropology

East Asian History.
Students whose interest in East Asian civilization is primarily historical in character should consider concentrating in East Asian History. East Asian History is a joint honors concentration co-sponsored by the History Department and the Department of East Asian Studies Languages and Civilizations. The goal of the program is to introduce students to the craft of historical study—the ways historians make sense of the past, and the skills of historical analysis, writing, and research—as well as to promote a critical understanding of the historical experience of East Asian societies. In addition to in-depth language study and substantial course work in the history of East Asia, students enrolling in this concentration will do one-half of their tutorial work in the History Department and the other half in the East Asian Studies concentration. The sophomore tutorial in History introduces students to the analysis of historical writing in various genres, while the EAS sophomore tutorial introduces the history, literature and intellectual traditions of China, Japan, and Korea. By taking a History Seminar in the sophomore or junior year, students are introduced to methods of historical research and writing and have the opportunity to conduct in-depth research projects. In senior year, joint concentrators write an honors thesis, an original work on some aspect of East Asian history. The joint program aims to take advantage of the strengths of both concentrations, though students will need to decide by the beginning of their senior year which of the two concentrations will be the lead concentration. Please consult the linked document below to learn more about the coursework for the joint concentration.
Requirements for Joint Concentration in East Asian History

Near Eastern History.
Students whose interest in Near Eastern civilization is primarily historical in character should consider concentrating in Near Eastern History, a joint honors concentration co-sponsored by the History Department and the Near Eastern Languages and Civilzations concentration (NELC).
The goal of the program is to introduce students to the craft of historical study—the ways historians make sense of the past, and the skills of historical analysis, writing, and research—as well as to promote a critical understanding of the historical experience of Near Eastern societies. In addition to in-depth language study and substantial course work in the history of the Near East, students enrolling in this concentration will do one-half of their tutorial work in the History Department and the other half in the NELC concentration. The sophomore tutorial in History introduces students to the analysis of historical writing in various genres, while the NELC sophomore tutorial introduces the history, literature and intellectual traditions of Near Eastern civilizations. By taking a History Seminar in the sophomore or junior year, students are introduced to methods of historical research and writing and have the opportunity to conduct in-depth research projects. In the senior year, joint concentrators write an honors thesis, an original work in some aspect of Near Eastern history. For more information about the coursework required for the joint between History and NELC, please consult the linked document below.
Requirements for Joint Concentration in Near Eastern History