Join us at Laurier

Becoming a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.

Steps to Apply

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Steps to Apply

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History (BA)

brantford

Study history to understand events and issues in their proper historical and cultural contexts, as well as their effects on modern day. Experience the benefits of small class sizes and many hands-on learning opportunities; you could even become certified to collect oral history interviews. In our People Make History lecture series, you will meet participants of historic events and deepen your understanding of those events and their effects felt by humanity.

Looking ahead to a career in education? Apply to the History with Teaching Option program.

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Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you’ll have access to in the History program:

  • As part of the course HI323: Memory, Monuments, and Museums, you'll participate in a placement with a local heritage organization. You'll work alongside professionals and volunteers in the heritage community and develop public history skills and networks.
  • Travel to Belgium and France on a two-week battlefield tour. You'll visit memorials, cemeteries, museums, and battlefields important to Canada’s experiences in the World Wars, including Vimy Ridge, Ypres, Dieppe, and Normandy.
  • This program hosts a biannual People Make History lecture series, which brings the participant of a major historic event to campus to share their story. You are invited to meet with the speaker in small groups and learn from their experiences.

Check out the History Experience Guide.

 

2020 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2019/20

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time or part time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term) or May (spring term)    
OUAC codes: UVS (History); UVW (History with Teaching Option)

Your Next Steps

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Program Details

Why History?

More than ever, we need to be connected to the past to understand our present and future. The history program at our Brantford campus will introduce you to the people, events and ideas that have shaped our reality. More than we realize, the current challenges facing humanity – and how we approach these challenges – are grounded in historical events.

History students develop exceptional writing, research, and critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to understand events and issues in their proper historical and cultural contexts.

History at Laurier Brantford

Laurier’s History program is designed with multiple opportunities for students to enhance their acquirement of historic knowledge and skills through a rigorous curriculum which includes traditional classroom learning through lectures and seminar discussions and hands-on training to be a historian.

  • Go behind the scenes of museums and historic sites in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Hamilton, and Toronto to learn how historic artefacts and documents are collected, preserved, and displayed.
  • Get certified to collect oral history interviews and tell the stories of your ancestors and local community members.
  • Discover and analyze historic records and objects in archives, libraries, and private collections.
  • Communicate the results of your research and learning in essays, podcasts, local and digital exhibits, theatre and film, blogs, conference presentations, and reports.

Program Options and Courses

Teaching Option

Are you interested in a direct pathway to a Bachelor of Education?  

Laurier’s History with Teaching Option consists of 4.0 credits: five core half-credit courses offered through the Faculty of Education, plus three elective half-credit courses from an approved list. The option is designed to provide students with a foundational course of study focusing on teaching.  

Students admitted into the Teaching Option pathway who successfully complete the option’s requirements have a chance at a guaranteed spot in Laurier’s Bachelor of Education (BEd) program.  

Criteria for guaranteed admission to the BEd program of choice include:  

  • Meet all requirements of associated undergraduate program.  
  • Achieve a 10.5 GPA on the ten final full credits completed at Laurier.  
  • Complete all requirements of the Teaching Option.  
  • Satisfy all application requirements of the BEd program. 

Specializations

Honours History majors can opt to specialize in Public History, which includes a Community Service-Learning placement in a local heritage site, archive, or museum.

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

Sample First-Year Courses

  • Crime, Sex and Scandal in 19th-Century Britain
  • History Detectives
  • Memory, Monuments and Museums
  • The Two Koreas: Modern Korean History
  • 3.0 elective credits

Sample First-Year Electives

  • Cross-Media Storytelling
  • Introduction to Forensic Science
  • Leadership Foundations

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Military Revolutions
  • Ottomans, Armenians and Genocide
  • The Ancient World in Contemporary Culture

Similar Programs

Community Service-Learning

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Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

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"My experience in History at the Brantford campus can be summarized as thought-provoking and engaging. The program sets itself apart from many other universities by encouraging students to study historical insights through an interdisciplinary lens and fostering a sense of connection between the past and present."

Anthony Lerno, History graduate

"The critical thinking and writing skills I developed in History at the Brantford campus prepared me for my current work in higher education marketing and recruitment. I honed superior communication skills and built a toolkit full of transferable skills that set me apart."

Catherine Brunskill, History graduate

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • advertising and promotions manager
  • archaeologist
  • communications specialist
  • curator
  • immigration officer
  • journalist
  • lawyer
  • management consultant
  • political aide
  • project manager
  • social policy researcher
  • teacher/tutor

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Brantford Campus

The Brantford campus is woven into the downtown core of the City of Brantford and is home to more than 3,000 students. Close to great walking and biking trails, you get the best of both worlds.

There are many ways to tour our Brantford campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.

"History courses were my favourite part of my time at Laurier. Classes were small in size, which allows students to get to know each other and professors. There were so many opportunities to further my learning by taking class field trips, attending speaker series and working as a research assistant."

Wendi Winter, History graduate

Interested in More Info?

Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 519.884.0710 x3385 or see all contact information.

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