History Department
About the History Major at Cal Poly
Historians study the past in its variety and complexity. With such an analysis, students of history gain multiple perspectives on the present and an aptitude to plan intelligently for the future. Although the lessons to be learned from the past are rarely simple, solutions to present-day problems rest on comprehension of historical forces and events.
History deepens our understanding of other peoples and cultures. All courses offered in the History Department seek to examine the issues of race, gender, class, and cultural diversity. A degree in history is excellent preparation for students interested in a teaching career, the legal profession, or advanced work in the discipline. Students wishing to become business executives, administrators, and public servants profit immensely by gaining the methodological skills of the historian. Historians learn to gather, synthesize, analyze, and interpret evidence; they become skilled in presenting their conclusions to a general audience in a lucid and logical manner.
The study of history and its method prepares students for a wide range of careers while also sensitizing them to the complexity and diversity of the past and present. History is an excellent foundation for a broadly based education in the liberal arts.
The History Department also offers:
M.A. in History
Minor in History
Minor in Asian Studies
History-Social Science Credential
Department News
Student-Produced Journal The Forum Wins Another National Award
We are very pleased to announce that Volume 3 of The Forum, our student-produced historical journal, has won another national award. It has been awarded 2nd prize (print category) in the 2011 Gerald D. Nash History Journal Award given by the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society national headquarters, which represents 860 chapters nationwide.
Phi Alpha Theta Executive Director, Dr. Graydon A. Tunstall, University of Southern Florida, in the letter of notification to Dr. Tom Trice, co-advisor (with Dr. Molly Loberg) of The Forum, praised the "time and effort your chapter devotes to produce such an outstanding historical journal. The continued high quality of your publication clearly exemplifies the dedication of you and your peers to the study of history."
The History Department is very proud of our students and their excellent work, which is just one example of how the Cal Poly philosophy of "Learn By Doing" works in the study of history.
The contents of The Forum, Volumes 1-3 are available at the Digital Commons @ Cal Poly website:
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/forum/
This makes two award-winning volumes in a row for The Forum; in 2010, Volume 2 was awarded 1st prize in the electronic journal category and 3rd prize in the print journal category of the Nash History Journal Award.
Congratulations again to all the students who worked so hard on this volume of The Forum!