Students research and write in seminar settings as well as individually under the guidance of a faculty committee. The program seeks to expand students' intellectual horizons and expose students to the variety of roles played by historians in academic and public life through seminar discussions, classroom instruction, teaching assistantships, and internships. The department offers concentrated training in three particular areas: the history of science, technology and society; environmental history; and history of the American West. While the degrees offered by the Department are grounded in American history, the faculty is committed to familiarizing students with critical theoretical concerns, the history of women in a multicultural context, and to encouraging students to think about the history of the United States in a global context.