History not only refers to the past, but also means the study and interpretation of the past to explain changes in human societies, politics, ideas, and culture. Alongside change, historians also examine continuities—the ongoing ramifications of the past in the present.
The department offers courses that cover a variety of periods and areas of study. Rather than focusing on specific coverage of conventional fields, however, the program exposes students to the diversity of approaches to studying the past, including social, intellectual, economic, cultural, gender, legal, and imperial, with the aim of developing students’ abilities to conduct independent inquiry and craft their own analytical and critical interpretations of the past.
Faculty areas of research and teaching reach across historical periods, from the early modern era to the present. Geographically, faculty focus on the histories of the United States, Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and also connections across areas of the world.
Through their coursework, students develop a variety of skills—including the close analysis and careful interpretation of textual, visual, aural, and other sources; the capacity to develop and critique interpretations and arguments; and effective reading, writing, and speaking skills. These skills prepare students not only to think critically about the past and the ways the past shapes the present, but also to pursue a variety of career paths.
Related Fields
At the heart of a liberal arts education, courses offered in the history department have close ties with other fields in the social sciences as well as environmental sciences, law, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies. The history department collaborates with interdisciplinary programs to offer majors in American Studies, Comparative Race and Ethnicity Studies (CRES), Environmental Studies, History–Literature, and International Affairs & Public Policy.
What Do Alumni Do?
Graduates of the history department go on to pursue a variety of careers. Recent graduates have completed PhDs in history and allied fields, as well as taken up jobs in public interest law, libraries and archives, journalism, tech, and urban policy and planning.
- Archives Technician, United States National Archives and Records Administration — Laurel Gray ’24
- Host and Reporter, Planet Money — Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi ’14
- Development Manager, National Indian Child Welfare Association — April Ybarra Black ’09
- Director of Community Engagement and Training, Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania — Erica Briant ’07
- Humanitarian Practitioner and Policy Expert — Sam Vigersky ’02
- Associate Professor, Urban Affairs, University of Louisville — Lisa Björkman ’00