History

Tom Taylor, PhD, Chair

Objectives

Defying classification as belonging to either the humanities or the social sciences, history functions as both. It focuses on the values, as well as the ideas, personalities, and institutions that existed in the past and shaped the present. As concerned with perceptions of reality as with historic reality itself, it attempts to exploit all forms of information concerning the past—myth, folklore, legend, and works of art, as well as conventional manuscript and published sources. And, while the department attempts to assist all students in acquiring that knowledge of the past that is essential to the educated person in the modern world, it is especially concerned with developing the methods and techniques unique to historical inquiry. By consistently raising questions regarding “how we know” as well as “what we know,” the department aims at the development of fundamental intellectual skills that will be of lifelong utility.

Policy for University Honors Program Students

University Honors Program students who have completed all four of the honors history courses (HONR 121 , 123 , 221 , 222 ) may earn a history major by taking an additional 40 credits in history. These credits include HIST 201 , HIST 202 , ten credits of 300-level non-European history courses, and a 400-level history research seminar course.

Those wishing to complete the history major with departmental honors will, in addition, complete HIST 479 .

University Honors Program students who have successfully completed all four University Honors history courses may earn a minor in history by completing 15 or more history credits at the 300-400 level, and one 400-level history research seminar course.