历史科学学士

小说家威廉·福克纳（William Faulkner）怀念美国南方的历史，著名地宣称：过去永远不会死。还没过去 了解过去与现在的关系就是历史的全部。过去确实不是过去：它以复杂而有力的方式塑造着我们现在生活的世界。然而，过去可能与现在完全不同。研究历史可以使我们掌握跨时间，地域和文化的大量人类经验，深入了解人们对自己所处的社会的理解方式，并与当代问题进行批判性接触。鼓励在华盛顿大学攻读历史专业的学生建立对全球主题的广泛了解，同时也可以灵活地专注于特别感兴趣的领域。我们的讲师强调分析技能的发展，这些技能不仅对
Meditating on the history of the American South, novelist William Faulkner famously proclaimed, The past is never dead. It's not even past. Learning about the relationship of past to present is what history is all about. The past is indeed not past: it shapes, in complex and powerful ways, the world we live in now. Yet the past can be radically different from the present. Studying history allows us to grasp the immense variety of human experience across time, place and culture, to develop insight into the ways that people understand themselves in relation to the societies in which they live, and to engage critically with contemporary issues. Students who major in history at Washington University are encouraged to cultivate a broad understanding of global themes while also having the flexibility to focus on areas of special interest. Our instructors emphasize the development of analytic skills that are useful not only in history courses, but in a range of occupations and professions including law, business, communications, education, and public policy. These skills include the ability to organize and interpret data, to develop logical and convincing arguments, to do research and sift the significant from the insignificant, to read with comprehension, and to write with precision and clarity. Whether students pursue a major, a minor, or simply sample our courses, studying history will help them to develop the knowledge and critical skills that are essential for life in an increasingly complex and contentious world.