As historians we look for and examine what women and men of the past have left behind, what they have created, and what marks they have left on the world. We listen to the stories others have told, look at the pictures others have painted of those pasts.
We shape and articulate our own narratives and understandings of historical evidence. We discern and analyze varieties of and connections among human experiences. Through departmental course offerings, the major, and participation in interdisciplinary studies, we teach students to join us in exploring the world's past. We encourage off-campus study and foreign language study, sponsor diverse speakers, and arrange formal and informal gatherings to encourage students to reflect on the human past as a way to understand their world.