Convinced that the study of history is an essential component of a superior education in the liberal arts and sciences, the Department of History offers a strong academic program in a number of areas within the discipline of history. Students who study history develop and sharpen their minds as they learn to think, to evaluate, to communicate, and ultimately to judge. They gain a fundamental understanding of the world in which they live and of the diverse forces that have shaped both past and present. Their work in history helps them to know themselves and to appreciate societies that are different from their own, and they discover how to place contemporary issues and problems within a broad historical perspective.