Mission and Goals

The History Department seeks to acquaint students not only with facts and narratives about the past and change over time, but also with the methods and tools historians use when constructing narratives. Focus on both fact and method gives students better ability to critically analyze the problems that have faced human population across history and how humans have addressed those problems. Coursework should stimulate discussion and consideration of questions of historical identity, such as the role of the nation state in history, the uses and abuses of history as well as specific narratives or “stories” about events and people from the past. Our goal is the production of students with sophisticated critical thinking skills directed not only at the past but potentially any field of academic inquiry.