To contribute a range of courses for the General Education program;
To provide a curriculum for the study of history as a major discipline;
To produce a range of courses contributing to the curricula of interdisciplinary programs, such as International Studies, American Studies, Women’s Studies, Greek & Roman Studies, and Environmental Studies.
II. FOR OUR MAJORS:
To explore the breadth and depth of history by
studying the key historical processes of at least three geographical areas at the 100-level;
examining pre-1800 history in at least one course;
engaging in the in-depth study of historical subjects or periods in at least four upper-level courses;
To foster the development of critical thinking through such skills as
appreciating both the objective and the subjective elements of historical inquiry;
reading, understanding, analyzing, and evaluating texts, particularly within their own historical contexts;
discerning causes and effects of events, thoughts and activities;
honing the ability to approach a myriad of facts, and to prioritize and structure those facts through the identification and application of various historical themes. (Here themes/categories would include, for example, thought/ideology, gender, class, race, global relationships of domination/subjugation, culture, politics, and economics);
To gain the practical skill of research:
identifying an appropriate research question;
locating appropriate written texts, both primary and secondary;
learning to interrogate one’s sources;
knowing how to borrow ideas from others in shaping and refining one’s own;
To communicate the findings of historical inquiry orally and, most particularly, through scholarly writing;
To critique responsibly the scholarly work of others.