Undergraduate
The GW Department of History’s undergraduate curriculum delves into a variety of regions, periods, topics and approaches to history. Unique classes bring students to the National Churchill Library and Center to see Winston Churchill’s wartime diaries, to Ellis Island to understand immigration and the American experience, to the Folger Shakespeare Library to handle Renaissance-era books and even to France to walk the beaches of Normandy.
Our creative and dedicated faculty members have helped make history one of GW’s most popular undergraduate programs. Students build strong writing and critical thinking skills to prepare them for the workplace, and they develop the open-mindedness to a variety of beliefs and practices that the study of history requires. The majority of undergraduate alumni find employment within six months of graduation, and about one-quarter go on to pursue higher degrees in fields including museum studies, business administration and art history.
Programs
Alexandria Cannon
BA' 20
“In most history classes, you are in a discussion room talking about [the topic], but with "George Washington and His World," we get to take the class on his estate and relive what he did.”
Learning on Location
George Washington up Close
Every fall, undergraduate students travel to the Mount Vernon estate to better understand George Washington and his role in history. The class includes multiple trips to Washington’s onetime home to learn more about the inner workings of the estate’s mansion, mill, distillery, farms and gardens.
On the Beaches of Normandy, Understanding the Price of Freedom
The Price of Freedom course immerses students in the life-history of a soldier from their hometown who died in the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Students visit Normandy, France, during spring break, where they tour the campaign’s major battle sites and participate in a eulogy ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery.
