History is a liberal art major. The point of a degree of history is not for professors to tell you what you should think but for you to develop the skills that allow you to comprehend things and articulate convincing interpretations of your own. Its approach to learning -- from rigorous quantitative analysis to close textual reading; from encouraging students to work with primary materials to help them better acquaint themselves with some of the important cultures of the world; from insistence on excellence in communication to mastery of research methods -- prepares students for the challenges of a rapidly-changing world.