History is the core of a liberal arts education, the place where most other disciplines intersect. Essential for humanists and social scientists alike, historical knowledge situates our understanding of past and present human societies in their temporal and spatial context. It is also increasingly necessary for becoming an informed citizen. History provides students with an intellectual compass for understanding the varying roles of men and women as agents of change and for navigating the rapidly globalizing world around them.

Studying history prepares students to make intelligent decisions, to appreciate the character of the common human experience, and to avoid the limitations of provinciality. Courses give students a sense of the past, an acquaintance with the social, cultural, and institutional developments that have produced the world of today, and an understanding of the nature of history as a discipline. A student of history learns to think critically, analyze sources, find and impose order on data and develop interpretations from them. These skills, central to the study of history, are also transferable to a wide range of human activities.