History

What Is History?

LMU's History major helps students arrive at a fuller awareness and understanding of the many vital problems of existence for without a knowledge of the past, one cannot claim to be an educated individual or hope to establish perspective and meaning in a course of study for life.

The History major introduces students to the back stories of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Latin America. History students may also learn about, for example, contemporary history and women's history. Students may choose to concentrate in the history of one geographical area.

The History major learns to examine evidence, select relevant materials, search for causes and effects, and formulate conclusions. With knowledge of historical setting, students can understand and appreciate their own heritage and culture, as well as the cultural experience of others.

What Do History Majors Do?

History majors develop analytical thinking and an understanding of events, processes, and patterns in the human experience. Students gain understanding of how their lives relate to a larger historical process.

History majors analyze historical texts and learn methods used in interpreting the past, such as criticism of sources, the definition of historical questions, comparative analysis, and the diverse perspectives of participants in history. Students craft arguments about historical change, and analyze the factors that cause such change on local, national, and global scales.

LMU's location in historically rich Los Angeles offers a further advantage through research opportunities in local archives, film collections, and presidential libraries. History majors and faculty also participate in Study Abroad programs.

Is This Major Right For You?

You might be a History major if you:

Are curious about the past
Regard yourself as a detective
Enjoy researching, reading, and writing
Like historical novels and films
Have diverse intellectual interests

About Our Faculty

Our faculty members reflect the international diversity of Southern California, with cultural roots in East Asia, North America, the Middle East, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Faculty members are widely traveled and productive scholars who serve on boards, and earn honors and prizes.

Faculty publications include recent books such as, Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America, and A New History of the Peloponnesian War.

About Our Students and Graduates

Our students earn membership in the LMU chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. LMU students majoring or minoring in History go on to work as lawyers and diplomats, state department officers, teachers, university professors and administrators, bankers, screenwriters and government workers, and in a variety of other businesses and professions. An increasing number of History students pursue graduate studies in fields such as business and international affairs.

Representative Courses

Our courses have included:

Foundations of Western Civilization
Ancient Rome
From Viking to Crusader
The French Revolution
History as Detective
The British Empire
Victorians to Moderns
Health and Disease in American Culture
Hollywood and History
Modern Asia
Modern Middle East
Modern Latin America
Founding Fathers
Contemporary Africa
Independent Studies