Why study history?
The study of history begins with questions, not answers. We seek to know what happened in the past, and we also seek to understand why.
As our present-day context raises new challenges for our communities, historians are inspired to ask new questions about the past, seeking understanding of a broad variety of human experiences. Historians explore questions about past politics and economics, intellectual developments, social concerns shaped by race, gender and class, and facets of culture ranging from arts and languages to human spaces and emotions. As a result, the study of history is dynamic, rather than static, and those trained in this discipline develop valuable skills in gathering, evaluating, connecting and interpreting factual information, and in the use of evidence to argue persuasively for their conclusions.
Learn more about what historians do and why employers value these skills.
News
April 18, 2024
National Endowment for the Humanities awards two grants to VCU projects
One will establish a health humanities minor, while the other supports a professor’s book project on visual images of African Americans in leisure contexts from slavery through the Jim Crow era.
April 11, 2024
God and the Search for Happiness Blake Lecture Recap
History Spotlight
Meet Mel
Mel Sheehan has a passion for history and wants to inspire others by making history fun. Visit our 'Meet a Student' page to read more about why this California native selected VCU, and what she plans to do with her bachelor's degree in history.
