BA MAJOR & MINOR

Our Philosophy

History and political science are disciplines based on informed argument. So we emphasize critical reading and thinking, careful and thorough research, and effective writing. Besides preparing you to be an engaged citizen, your academic training will ready you for careers in teaching, law, government service, journalism, archival and museum work, research, and writing.

It will also serve as a critical lens through which to view our current political environment.

What You’ll Study

With the goal of providing exceptional flexibility, you’ll have the option of adding a concentration in either History or Political Science to your History & Political Science major. This allows you to deep-dive into a primary area of interest while maintaining a strong foundation in both disciplines.

Relevant Knowledge

Within the History & Political Science department, you will learn from historians and political scientists that are well-trained in applying their knowledge in relevant ways. With these kinds of faculty leading the way, our History & Political Science program looks backward to help you understand and solve tomorrow’s problems.

This was a place I could be myself and feel loved and nurtured to grow and explore as a person. I learned to critically think and was introduced to ideas that expanded my world and changed my perspective. I also learned how to balance my time and to value work.

Jessica Culpepper, '04, History/Political Science major

Student to Teacher

History & Political Science major Esther Wangari ’77, following her graduation from Warren Wilson, went on to receive her Ph.D. in International Economic Development and Political Economy. The student is now the teacher as Dr. Wangari teaches courses like The Diversity of Women as an Associate Professor at Towson University.

Explore Classes in This Program

HIS 2510

Appalachian History

Reflecting Warren Wilson’s location in Western North Carolina, this course concentrates on central and southern Appalachia from the point of earliest contact between Native Americans and Europeans to the turn of the twenty-first century, providing a cohesive narrative overview of Appalachian history. You’ll explore the social and cultural implications of Appalachia’s economic development, impacting your understanding of the community you live in.

PSC 3500

Political Parties and Interest Groups

In this course, you’ll focus on the roots of organized political power in American government, exploring the role and influence of interest groups and political parties in the electoral process and in government. Historical and theoretical perspectives will be used to analyze topics such as money in politics, lobbying and corporate power, social movements, political coalitions, third parties, and political polarization.

HIS 3380

Grassroots Politics in Twentieth Century America

Through this seminar course, you’ll explore grassroots political movements in the twentieth century, focusing on the methods employed by grassroots groups to spread their message and influence party politics and the relationship between grassroots and national politics. You’ll also examine the relationship between popular culture and grassroots politics and consider the uses of culture to spread grassroots political ideas.

Still curious? See the Curriculum
Meet Our Faculty

I like Warren Wilson students because they have a strong sense of social justice. They care about the environment, about what is going on in the world, and want to make our world a better place.

Dongping Han, Ph.D.
Meet Dongping Han See all Humanities Faculty
Dongping Han
Dongping Han, Ph.D.
Dr. Robert Miller stands smiling in front of Orr Cottage.

Warren Wilson College is a wonderful place to co-teach with students. By empowering students, I have found that they are not only more engaged in the material but more likely to create spaces where respect, trust, and imaginative empathy can be cultivated.

Robert Miller, Ph.D.
Meet Robert Miller See all Humanities Faculty
Dr. Robert Miller stands smiling in front of Orr Cottage.
Robert Miller, Ph.D.
David Abernathy

Warren Wilson students crave a challenge. I am continually amazed at the enthusiasm with which our students throw themselves into an endeavor, whether it be a physically exhausting service trip or an intellectually stimulating research question. Wilson students tend to say “bring it.”

David Abernathy, Ph.D.
Meet David Abernathy See all Humanities Faculty
David Abernathy
David Abernathy, Ph.D.
Jay Miller

We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.

John Dewey
Meet Jay Miller See all Humanities Faculty
Jay Miller
Jay Miller, Ph.D.
Dongping Han

Hands-on, All-in

Warren Wilson integrates your academics with work and community engagement. Engaging all your passions and interests results in an education with meaning and real professional experience.
Garth Bailey China
Faculty-led Course 
Garth Bailey ’17 smiles with friends during the History & Political Science faculty-led course to China
Christian Diaz
Changing Perspective 
Christian Diaz ’12 registered over 1200 new Latino voters, recruited and trained over 300 volunteers and ultimately increased voter turnout in ten precincts
The Echo Newspaper Crew 
Develop your journalism skills on the Echo Newspaper Crew
Dig Site
Changing History 
History-changing archaeology site
Jessica Culpepper
Meet Our Students

A History Major Makes History

There are big court decisions, and even bigger court decisions – those that are clearly landmark rulings. Just a decade or so after graduating, Jessica Culpepper ’04, History & Political Science major, is a lead attorney in one such landmark decision. In a case involving a large industrial dairy in Washington state’s Yakima Valley, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled that manure from livestock facilities can be regulated as solid waste – the long-sought outcome that plaintiffs represented by Jessica were seeking in their legal action.

Like this program? You might like these too.

Archaeology English Global Studies