History
Develop your research and analytical skills. Analyze various interpretations and debates on controversial issues. Learn methods used by historians to study and interpret the past. Engage in discussions with nationally and internationally known scholars. Study a second language. Understand how Canada and the world became as they are today. These opportunities and more are available when you choose History at the University of Saskatchewan.
What is History?
Historians and history students study the past to understand how and why change happens to individuals, societies and countries. Students engage the world through history and make sense of it, finding meaningful connections between the past, present and future. These connections embrace geography, culture, politics, society and the dynamics of change. Understanding what lies beyond many recent local, national and international events such as the global thirst for oil, arctic sovereignty, the politics of medical experiementation, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission, the war in Afghanistan, and the changing roles of women all require history.
At the University of Saskatchewan, students learn how Canada and the world became as they are today through analyzing written texts, oral histories, primary documents, artifacts and material culture. From the ancient world to the present day, students can examine a range of subjects and periods, while also exploring a variety of thematic approaches to the study of history, social history, medical history, science history, environmental history, political history and the history of sexualities.
History opens our minds to the diversity of ways that humans in past cultures have organized their relationships with each other, the natural worlds and what they hold sacred. In that sense, History is the study of the humanly possible.—Mark Meyers, Assistant Professor
A Stepping Stone...
A degree in History prepares students for careers in education, federal and civil service, law, federal and provincial archives, diplomatic service, international organizations, historical writings, museum studies, journalism, publishing, library science and theology.
Career Opportunities
History graduates have the skills necessary to succeed in business, industry, government and professions such as education, law, library and archives, and the academic world of university teaching and research. History students learn to write with clarity, to analyze trends and events, to make oral presentations, to read critically and to work independently. It all amounts to a highly flexible and adaptable skills that enable our students to follow any number of paths into the "knowledge economy" of the twenty-first century.
Not surprisingly, our graduates are everywhere! University of Sasaktchewan History alumni are employed across the labour market in the Canadian oil and gas industry, education, law, archives and libraries, federal and provincial governments (both as civil servants and politicians), the RCMP, farming as well as various other large and small businesses.
Studying history has been a challenging, enlightening, fun and, most of all, relevant endeavour. Because I chose to specialize in History, I am knowledgeable in a broad range of interesting and important subjects, while having definite and applicable skills that make me employable in a wide variety of positions.—Wendy Gillis,
Double Honours, BA History/English,
Editor-in-Cheif of "The Sheaf"
The U of S Advantage
The Department of History values diversity in approaches to the discipline, excellence, innovation in teaching and research, interdisciplinarity, and collegiality. It offers a vibrant community of scholars who are passionate about what they do and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for history with others.
The Department of History prides itself on our ability to offer small-scale discussion groups (tutorials) in our first-year classes, mid-sized second- year lecture classes, and small class sizes (seminars) in the third and fourth years of our program.
Our honours students have the opportunity to participate in the annual Michael Swan Colloquium, a one-day conference where they present their work to an audience of faculty and their peers.
Faculty and instructors are approachable, available for student questions and concerns, and fully engaged in their undergraduate teaching. Our faculty members have won a series of teaching awards for their innovative and enthusiastic approaches to teaching.
- Dr. Jim Handy and Dr. Ann Devito both won USSU Teaching Awards
- Dr. John Porter, Dr. John MacCannon, Dr. Sharon Wright and Dr. Gordon BesBrisay have all won USSU Achievement of Excellence Awards for teaching
Choose Your Program!
The breadth of course content in the History program at the U of S gives undergraduates a variety of opportunities to make connections in, and become inspired by, their chosen fields of study. The undergraduate program offers many avenues and entryways into understanding the present through the study of the past. Whether it is through Canadian history, European and British history, the history of the Americas, the history of colonization, Native-Newcomer Relations, African history, Medical history, or Classical, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, the undergraduate program offers many topical approaches, providing students with fresh and critical insights into the past. Interdisciplinary connections with other fields in the humanities, as well as the sciences, are encouraged. A history degree signifies that a student has a well-rounded education, because it includes courses from different regions and time periods.
A Major in History
Students majoring in History can choose from one of the following degrees:
- B.A. Three-year
- B.A. Four-year
- B.A. Honour
- B.A. Double Honours
Students with good academic standing are encouraged to enter the Honours or Double Honours programs, which involve increased specialization and more intensive study. A Major in History offers a strong liberal arts foundation for the teaching and legal professions and for those seeking careers in the public service at the federal, provincial or municipal level. Students seeking graduate studies in history or in archival and library science, with the intention of entering one of the historical professions, are advised to take the Honours program.
Minor in History
A Minor in History is available to all Arts & Science students who choose to major in an area other than History. Please check with the Department of History for further details.
Research Facilities
The Museum of Antiquities on the U of S campus offers a rare opportunity for anyone interested in art or antiques. The museum features a full-scale replica collection of Greek and Roman sculptures, panels from the frieze of the Parthenon and other famous works, as well as original Roman coinage.
The U of S is home to the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, a dynamic cultural, educational and historical attraction featuring the life and times of Canada’s thirteenth Prime Minister, John G. Diefenbaker. The Centre combines a museum, archives and research centre.
Students also may undertake research at the Saskatoon Branch of the Saskatchewan Archives Board located on campus
Getting Involved!
Join the History Undergraduate Students' Association, an active club of past-seeking and forward-looking students who find creative ways to promote, enhance, celebrate and enjoy the close community spirit of the Department of History.
Get to know us and keep current with our
"What's Up?" blog of coming events, hot topics and news for and about U of S History students and faculty.
Outstanding Individuals
- Professor Jim Miller, holder of a prestigious Canada Research Chair in Native-Newcomer Histories, helped make history when he provided commentary for the live CBC Newsworld coverage of the federal government's 2008 apology to First Nations people for the residential schools. Professor Miller's contributions have played a significant role in historicizing the residential schools issue that ultimately played a role in driving public policy on these matters.
- A number of History faculty are actively involved in providing opportunities for student exchange and study abroad programming. These include Professor Jim Handy's Guatemalan term abroad; Professor Keith Carlson's Sto:lo graduate field school in British Columbia; and the most recently developed, Professor Angela Kalinowski's newly created Rome Summer Program.
- Professor Larry Stewart continues to play a lead role on the international academic team compiled for the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada mega-project entitled "Situating Science," which brings together leading Canadian and international scholars in the humanities and social sciences with scientists, journalists, and policy makers interested in the social and cultural significance of science and technology.
- Professor Simonne Horwitz, a recent post-doctoral fellow at the U of S and graduate of Oxford University, is our newly appointed African historian. A specialist in South African medical and gender history, Professor Horwitz will take our course offerings in a bold new direction. Her lecture class titled Africans on the Move is the first comprehensive survey of African history offered at the U of S.
- Professor Gary Zellar, our American expert on Native-Newcomer history, is the author of "African Creeks: Estelvste & the Creek Nation," published by the University of Oklahoma Press. This innovative and noteworthy book tells the unique history of the African Creeks, people of African heritage whose economies, families and political affiliations bound them to their Native American neighbours, the Creek Nation, and thus to their self-identification as African Creeks.
- Professor Bill Waiser, our oft-celebrated historian of the Canadian West, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and also awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. Both award citations note Professor Waiser's significant publications on the Canadian West and his public outreach, via talks, lectures and media work, combining to reach his goal of making history more accessible to all Canadians.
- Kudos to Professor Mark Meyes, whose paper "Your brain is no longer your own!: Mass Media, Secular Religion & Cultural Crisis in Third Republic, France" won a Journal of Canadian Historical Association award for best article.
Admission Requirements
The following is a list of high school subjects required for admission. Please select the province/territory where you completed high school.
Additional Information
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