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As a discipline encompassing every aspect of the human
experience, the study of History is essential to a liberal arts
education. This study both imparts information
critical to a mature understanding of the past and involves students
with their teachers in a rigorous process of investigation,
discovery, and mutual endeavor.
The discipline of History powerfully instills the practices that
structure the arts of inquiry. Persistent questioning of texts,
convincing analytical reasoning, research skills, effective oral and
written communication: these skills teach students to think
constructively about the present by making connections to the past,
and they enable students to sustain a fertile life of the mind
beyond graduation. A History degree, then, is not only for those who
want to anchor their opinions in the deepest understandings of human
behavior; it is also for those who desire an expansive range of
mind, and for those with the courage to approach even exceptionally
entangled problems.
Curriculum
The History major features core courses and either breadth or
concentration options in an array of subjects and periods. In
addition to American and European studies, the curriculum embraces
the non-western histories of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Courses in global topics, such as the twentieth century’s world wars
and genocides, are available as well.
Professional Training
Those who believe that one can’t “do anything” with a History
degree quite mistake the matter! History’s insistence on clean
argumentation, persuasive analytical prose, excellence in oral
disputation, and a carefully calibrated understanding of ideas,
society, culture, and politics makes a History major the ideal
preparation for success in any field of professional endeavor.
Download our
History brochure.
For more information contact
Dr. Darlene Rivas
History Department Chair
(310) 506-4025
darlene.rivas@pepperdine.edu |
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