“History is more alive than I thought it was — and it’s still an ongoing argument.” — History major Jarod Luedecker
The study of history is vital to an understanding of our contemporary world, for we can hardly understand the present moment if we don’t develop an awareness of how it came to be.
Historians pursue every place, period, population, and process under the sun, from antiquity to the near present, and on these journeys to the past, they explore the connections that make up the complexity of human society — from individuals to institutions, from economics to religion to recreation, and from formal politics to family life.
As they learn to recognize the fundamental importance of context, perspective, and contingency to the changes and continuities that occur within and between individual lives, communities, countries, and continents, students of history acquire not just a firm knowledge of the past; they also develop an invaluable way to approach and analyze the world.
In short, the study of history not only opens a window into the past. It also provides a framework for understanding the present and charting the future.
“History classes make me feel like I’m a traveler in a strange land. When I read about how past thinkers and communities understand their experience, I learn that ideas that we think are common sense today were unrecognizably different in the past. History helps me see that the way things are today need not be the way that things will be.”
Requirements for both the major and minor build a firm foundation in historical skills. Our program fosters an awareness of the diversity of the global human past, and encourages a specialization tailored to your individual intellectual interests.
Learning opportunities across a variety of eras and fields are abundant. History majors take a variety of courses emphasizing different geographical areas, chronological periods, and thematic approaches to studying the past.
Undergraduate students take advantage of a number of opportunities to supplement and enrich their education and prepare themselves for lasting success long after graduation.
