History in DU is different from school

If one is considering pursuing History honours in DU, one must know that it is unrecognizably different from the History taught in school.

Anyone who has passed Class 12 examination, irrespective of the stream, is eligible to apply. Usually, those with a penchant for informed arguments, literary nuances, social issues and hard work tend to excel in History.

The History (Honours) course under the present CBCS Programme is only slightly different from the old Semester course of DU. It still consists of about eight papers on Indian history, four papers on European history and two papers on ancient societies of the world – all of which are compulsory. Among the optional ones, every student is supposed to choose from papers on history of USSR or history of USA (one or two colleges might offer options on ‘Gender in Indian History’ or on modern Africa and Latin America) and history of China or South-east Asia (again very few colleges offer the option of ‘Global Perspectives on Environment’ instead).

One also has the choice of doing a paper on the ‘Making of Contemporary India’. Apart from these, however, one has to do a couple of ‘Skill Enhancement Papers’ plus four papers from other subject(s).

History graduates might look forward to a fulfilling career in diverse fields. Apart from Civil Services and management, one might consider media, NGOs, law, academics, social work, tourism, museology, etc. Many History students have the option of working immediately after graduation. The more lucrative and fulfilling jobs await those who continue to pursue further studies within or outside the discipline.