About the DepartmentDepartment of History
The Department of History helps students develop the capacity for historical thinking.
Historical thinking is a set of skills through which students learn how to evaluate source material to construct a worthwhile account of the past. To do so, students learn how to ask good questions, use evidence to evaluate change and continuity over time, analyze cause and effect and put information in context, condense data into a logical argument, and apply relevant information to understand the relationship between the past and the present. In addition to historical thinking, students learn to articulate historical questions in written form, research persuasive answers through analysis of primary and secondary sources, and present those answers or interpretations in thesis-driven, evidence-based writing.
Gustavus prepares students to live and work in a global community. In alignment with that goal, our major includes a global requirement that introduces students to comparative histories across national boundaries. It also includes courses that explore how race, gender, class, and nationality intersect and affect national and international historical events.
History is an essential discipline to the liberal arts and prepares students for a host of careers in the public and private sectors, including business, law, government, and public service. The major also prepares students well for advanced study in the discipline and related professional fields such as law, museum studies, library science, political science, and international relations. The ability for students to identify and apply relevant information will serve them in all that they do. We are honored to be a part of their educational journey.
Course Catalog Faculty and Staff Guide to Major
Guide to the Major and Minor
LEARN MORE about the required courses to earn a history major and minor.