History is a top-ranked department that has built an outstanding reputation for undergraduate teaching over the past century. As our majors quickly learn, history is not about memorizing facts and dates. It is a foundational discipline within the humanities that provides analytic frameworks for understanding institutions, cultures, economic systems, and political structures. 

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Our undergraduate program emphasizes a global and cross-boundary approach to history. Each semester, students embark on a journey back in time to different parts of the world. They engage a diverse range of topics, from capitalism, warfare, and witchcraft, to piracy, technology, and tourism. As they study different themes, students learn how to evaluate evidence, to make persuasive arguments, and to communicate clearly and effectively. These skills are embedded in all history courses, preparing majors for life after graduation. At the same time, the history major offers far more than a professional degree. For many students, developing historical awareness is a transformative experience. History sparks a lifelong intellectual curiosity, teaches thoughtfulness and empathy, and helps us better understand the world we live in today.