Students who complete the major in History will be able to
- Think critically about the relationship between historical evidence and arguments.
- Challenge and revise existing narratives of the past, both to comprehend the events they describe and to shed light on society’s evolving needs and concerns.
- Question their own ideas and assumptions, and reflect on the often hidden relationships between ideas and social institutions, and between individuals and their cultures.
- Analyze texts, documents, and oral historical materials, and assess the uses made of these materials by other historians.
- Frame research questions, conduct independent research, and write persuasively.
The requirements for the history major encourage students to develop these capacities by studying the history of a particular region or historical topic in depth and by ranging more widely so as to fulfill geographical and chronological breadth requirements.
