The mission of the History Department is to provide students with the analytical tools and scholarly perspective that will enable them to interpret historical processes and understand the complexity of the past. In support of this mission, we foster intellectual curiosity and critical thinking by teaching students how to analyze texts and documents; how to frame research questions and conduct independent inquiries; and how to organize and write historical analyses that are engaging and persuasive. Coursework in History cultivates an awareness of the legacy that each present has inherited from its past, along with the many perspectives one can have on that legacy, and it provides students with an ability to understand the increasingly interconnected, culturally diverse world in which we live today.
Career Opportunities: Studying history builds critical and widely applicable skills that employers in fields from business to government to education to law are looking for—history majors develop strong research, analytical, writing, and communication skills.
Explore Your Interests: College history is not designed around state-mandated textbooks, standardized tests, and the simple memorization of names and dates. Rather, college history focuses on human experiences and explaining why the world is the way that it is. Therefore, history offers a unique opportunity to explore your personal interests because everything has a history: nations, wars, ethnic groups, sexuality, music, gambling, sports, art, science, medicine, law, business, economics, education, and so on.
Cultural Literacy: Students of history learn to consider multiple viewpoints and changing global contexts. Doing so increases cultural literacy and cultural sensitivity, both of which are increasingly important in today’s globalized world.
Important Skills: Studying History offers you access, skills, and opportunity. Studying History provides access to the whole world—not just to the past, but to the present that grew out of the past. Studying History teaches you vital, widely applicable skills—interdisciplinary research, analysis, writing, and oral communication. Studying History will help you build a career—anything from business to government to education to the law, and beyond.