The last four or five hundred years have marked the evolution of historical consciousness. In that time, history has not only become a form of thinking and knowing, it has become the essential condition of thought and knowledge. As the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga put it: "Historical thinking has entered our very blood." This means that today we describe and understand every human experience and endeavor not through their material, spiritual, or psychic characteristics but through their history.

In the midst of a society undergoing change, there is a need for responsible citizens to understand the process of change. In analyzing the transformations of societies of other times, history students acquire the analytical tools for better comprehending their own social environment. In addition, the study of history provides a vocabulary of examples of human activity, which brings greater awareness to the study of other intellectual disciplines. Shakespeare's plays, for example, take a deeper resonance when seen against a background of economic, political, and social change in the Tudor and Stuart dynasties.

The history major and minor aim at more than guiding students toward learning about the past. They also train students to think critically, research effectively, and write lucidly. Students learn, through classroom experience and examinations, as well as through individual research projects, how to analyze both the form and content of source material; how to discern historical trends and patterns; how to postulate theses and support them with evidence; and how to present conclusions in a compelling, well-organized fashion. Courses also train students to communicate effectively in a public setting. The history major can also include a study-abroad and/or an internship experience. The particular point of view of this department is that history can best be learned when there is close collaboration between teacher and student. To that end, classes are kept small, even at the introductory level, and thereby considerable personal attention can be given to a student's work by the professor.

HIST 300 Historical Methods; Historiography is a prerequisite for history internships and capstones and must be completed by majors prior to their senior year.