

Develop analytical and writing skills necessary for research and for presenting findings effectively.Acquire experience in supervised and independent research.Be familiar with major interpretative frameworks in the discipline of history and understand theoretical and methodological issues in historical debate.Distinguish between primary and secondary sources and read them closely and critically.

Students majoring in History are expected to: These goals are achieved through developing knowledge and skills specific to the historical profession and humanistic scholarship. Place such analyses in the context of historical and interdisciplinary scholarship.Locate, analyze, and craft their own understandings of the past from a wide range of primary sources.The study of history at Smith thus aims to prepare students to: By offering our students the opportunity to discover historical inquiry as a meaningful part of their humanistic formation, history contributes directly to the highest intellectual mission of the college. The Department of History at Smith College endeavors to cultivate a critical understanding of past and present human societies that will help students to become informed, thoughtful and engaged participants in the world.
