The Department of History offers an undergraduate degree, an undergraduate minor, and a graduate degree. Undergraduate majors may select one of three concentrations: Standard, Pre-Law, or Public History. The following pages describe in detail each program of study.
The department has established learning goals for its major curriculum.
Learning Outcomes of the History Major
(adopted Feb. 19, 2010)
Students can:
- describe and discuss historical facts, themes, and ideas;
- identify, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize primary and secondary source evidence;
- identify and explain how the past is different from the present;
- express knowledge of the history of individuals and groups who are different from themselves;
- analyze an event, source, idea or person within its historical context;
- critically evaluate change over time (the idea that the relationship between events over time suggests meanings that might be overlooked if the events were examined in isolation);
- identify different perspectives on the past, whether those be historical, interpretive, or methodological in nature;
- conduct research independently using primary and secondary source evidence; and
- express knowledge and reason effectively in writing.
