Welcome to the History Department
Consciously or not, all of us operate as historians. We make judgments and decisions based on our knowledge, however inadequate, of what has gone before. Formal study of history -- the critical examination of human accomplishments and failures -- greatly enhances our ability to judge and decide about private matters as well as public issues. In the study of history we seek the origins of modern institutions, attitudes, and problems. We may not discover solutions to our problems, but at least we find out what has not worked in the past Studying civilizations more remote in time and space, we also gain perspective on our society and ourselves.
At Lawrence, history comes vibrantly alive. From the very first course in our introductory sequence to the most advanced work in seminars and independent studies, Lawrence students and faculty can be found "doing history." That is, we examine and assess original documents and other artifacts of the past, and from such materials we build a picture of earlier times and places.
To draw meaning from an ancient law code, or from a map of medieval Muscovy, or from a photograph taken during the Great Depression is an exercise in discovery, an exercise that hones our ability to ask probing questions, to make associations among evidence from a variety of sources, to organize our findings logically, and to express them clearly. Working in this fashion to a reasoned interpretation of the past is an active, exciting, and personally satisfying undertaking. And it is a far cry from the mere memorizing of dates and facts!
The fruits of historical study, however, reach beyond the intrinsic enjoyment we derive from it and the skills it develops. At Lawrence, we strongly believe that our knowledge of the past also deepens our understanding of the present and even points us toward the future.
For that reason, we have shaped a curriculum that, in addition to providing solid coverage in American and European history, reaches out to embrace other areas of the world. Our introductory courses explore the historical interactions of societies on a truly global scale; and our intermediate-level offerings include courses on Asia, Latin America, and Russia, as well as courses that compare different societies at given times. Opportunities abound in Lawrence's history curriculum to think globally, and in so doing to decipher the messages and warnings the past has left for the present and the future.