The study of history promotes better understanding of how societies work, the factors that brings them together and set them apart, and the events that have shaped their development. It helps to explain how different political and legal systems came into being and how economic and geographic conditions have driven the growth of nations.Faculty in our department focus on a truly astounding array of questions.They study human interaction with the environment in pre-colonial India, early modern India and 20th century India they tell us about shifting notions of death, debt and darkness; and they investigate the emergence and evolution of racism, inequality, and imperialism in the United States and across the globe. Our undergraduate students have gone on to amazing careers, as educators, lawyers, entrepreneurs, activists,journalists, and a host of other occupations. All of our students gain impressive skills in locating and analyzing complex documents and in expressing their ideas with eloquence and conviction. They become the engaged and informed citizens so vital to our future.The department cultivates critical understanding of the past while developing your intellectual, analytical, writing, and rhetorical abilities. We believe that the study of history enables you to acquire broadly informed perspectives and to master critical thinking and communication skills that will serve you outside the classroom and well beyond your college years.