Why Study History
"Because the world didn't begin this morning with your breakfast" is not as flippant an answer as it might seem. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in Query XIV in his 1782 Notes on the State of Virginia, "“History, by apprising [us] of the past, will enable [us] to judge the future; it will avail [us] of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify [us] as judges of the actions and designs of men.
Although a firm grasp on the past does not guarantee avoidance of its failures and mistakes, understanding the past and its patterns enhances one's ability to analyze the present and the future. Few human activites are devoid of historical analysis. Doctors cannot make a good diagnosis without first taking a medical history. Coaches cannot develop "game plans" without analyzing the tendencies (i.e., historical behavior) of their opponents. U.S. judges and lawyers cannot draft a judgment or write a brief without grasping precedent. CEOs cannot reposition their companies without understanding market and sales history. Banks cannot loan to borrowers without taking credit history, and college admission officers cannot make a decision on an application until they feel comfortable that a student's academic performance history predicts a trajectory of good future performance.
Isn't History irrelevant in a world of rapid technological and social change?
No. Historians are specialists in change. The study of history teaches us to appreciate how complex most situations really are. The historian comes to see how individual motives and perspectives combine with multiple influences in shaping the future. They appreciate how unpredictable the future may be, given unexpected and unintended consequences. In a changing world, the understanding of change is ever more relevant. History sharpens our hindsight, which must be clear if we expect to wisely judge current challenges and issues.
Are there jobs?
Yes. Most History majors won't become historians, but will take their sophisticated skills of analysis and judgment into a global marketplace. Employers know that History majors acquire the skills needed in a complex world. Our graduates know how to find information, how to organize many pieces of evidence, how to see the play of causes and interactions in events. Employers value their skills as writers. The best job education is not always in a narrow specialty, or even in an undergraduate business degree. Employers know that History majors have honed their critical thinking skills. Those skills are adaptable to a variety of contexts. That is the value of a broad education, and it is well-suited to an ever-changing world of business and technology. Our History graduates work in a huge variety of occupations. Here's what one of our graduates, the sales director for a European technology company, wrote us:
I am ever more aware, after a few years of work experience, that the History degree has played a strong role in all of the opportunities I have pursued to date. The disciplined application of research and communication skills (writing, discussion, and presentation) applied to big ideas, trends and events to formulate logical arguments is precisely the type of education that is needed to perform effectively in the workplace, particularly in new or rapidly evolving markets.
We do offer specialized education to become a high-school Social Studies teacher. For those who do wish to go on in the historical profession, we offer an excellent preparation for the best graduate schools.
Our graduates are lawyers, business-owners, museum directors, doctors, archivists, politicians, political consultants, judges, farmers, chefs,military officers, and of course teachers and professors of history. Whether or not they became historians they use their training in historical thinking as they ask: why a relationship worked, a merger failed, a disease spread, an idea or faith took hold, or two communities or peoples could not co-exist.
