Secondary Field in European History, Politics, and Societies (EHPS)

The Secondary Field in European History, Politics, and Societies (EHPS) offers students the opportunity to pursue an interdisciplinary course of study focused on modern Europe, in particular its politics, economics, history, and social and cultural developments.

Spencer Ma received his A.B. in economics with a secondary in EHPS in 2019.

While the EHPS rests mainly on courses from the social science disciplines, it also includes those considering Europe in a comparative context as well as courses covering a specific period or region of Europe. In addition, it provides for a humanistic inquiry of Europe reflecting its diverse cultural and linguistic heritage through a broad array of courses from the humanities departments. This interdisciplinary structure allows for multiple paths of research and specialization, and accommodates a variety of approaches in a study of Europe.

The secondary field is based at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES), the locus of innovative research on European history and contemporary affairs. For more information, contact Vassilis Coutifaris.

Program Overview

6 courses (24 credits)

  • A minimum of three courses must be in social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, government, history, sociology or social studies).
  • The six courses must come from at least two different departments/disciplines.
  • A minimum of three courses must be regular departmental courses (i.e., not General Education courses, Freshman Seminars, or House Seminars).
  • One course of relevant language study on intermediate or advanced level may count towards the secondary field.
  • Students considering this specialization should consult with CES to discuss a selection of courses and interests, and to connect with the relevant faculty members.
  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a grade of B- or above, with the exception of Freshman Seminars, which may be applied toward the secondary field with a grade of SAT.
  • Students may petition the EHPS Coordinator to potentially receive credit for courses which may be relevant to the program of study but are not listed as part of the approved courses, including one course of credit taken through Harvard’s Summer Study Abroad Program.

Explore the EHPS Course Catalogue.

List of EHPS Concentrators

Pablo Rasmussen, Government, 2020

Ben Roy, Classics, 2020

Mason Sands, Government, 2020

Spencer Ma, Economics, 2019

Marko Kostich, Statistics, 2018

Alexander Stevenson, Economics, 2018

Luka Kordic, Statistics, 2017

Camelia Valldejuly, Government, 2017

Akshay Verma, Economics, 2017