History

About the History Area of Concentration

The AOC in History includes in-depth attention to particular historical moments as well as geographical and chronological breadth, helping students to understand the past on its own terms as well as how past events have formed the world today. Students learn to recognize multiple perspectives, to analyze historical patterns such as continuity and change, and to accept that all historical understanding is provisional. They pursue independent research and archival work in areas as diverse as Miami, Alabama, California, New York, Iceland, Germany, Italy, and China; many present and/or publish their work publicly. History students also take advantage of a variety of academic and professional internships in fields like archival preservation, digital mapping, teaching, heritage studies, and non-profit fundraising.

As a core part of a liberal-arts curriculum, the History program embraces the interdisciplinarity of historical study; students frequently combine History with AOCs like Gender Studies, International Studies, Political Science, and Urban Studies. The skills developed studying history—such as critical thinking, information literacy, global perspectives, written & oral communication—prepare students for a wide variety of professional careers and lives of global citizenship.