Everybody has a history. You and your family. Your community and your state. The nation - and the world - that you live in. From childhood, most people absorb history through family stories and in school. We come to think that history is just a collection of stories, or the names and dates we memorize for tests. And if history is only a collection of stories, or a bunch of names and dates, why study it?
The truth is that there is much more to the study of history than the stories we cherish or the facts we memorize. Studying history opens doors to exciting destinations: the novelist Lesley Hartley observed, "The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." As you travel through the landscape that is history, you will not only learn about the past. You will learn to think and read critically, gather and analyze data, interpret and evaluate sources, and write persuasively and clearly. You will develop the knowledge and skills that will help you to succeed in today's complex workplace.
A Degree in History
The GSU History Department offers two majors: the Bachelor of Arts in History and, by invitation to outstanding students, the Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in History. The department also supports future social studies teachers.
Students begin their studies with a class that teaches the complex skills of historical interpretation and research, whether in libraries, archives, oral interviews, or in electronic databases. Later, they can demonstrate the development of those skills in a Senior Seminar.
In addition to their courses, students have opportunities to present the fruits of their research at history conferences and to join the campus chapter of the national history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta. The department also invites world-renowned historians to speak in the distinguished Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Lecture Series. Outstanding students are eligible for several departmental scholarships.
A Faculty of Teaching Scholars
History majors at Georgia Southern study under award-winning professors who share their passion for teaching, learning, and scholarship. The department's faculty is large and diverse, offering courses to satisfy every interest.
"The past is not dead, it is not even past." Southern novelist William Faulkner understood why we study history. We look to it for stability in a rapidly changing world, but new scholarship constantly challenges our assumptions and long-held beliefs about the past. History is a living subject. More than just dates and events, history gives us a broader view of our world. By understanding how people across the ages, in all different parts of the world, thought and acted, we can better understand today and how we can influence tomorrow. Come explore the past with us at Georgia Southern University. We'll introduce you to the living subject that is history.
For more information: You can reach us by telephone at 912.478.5586. You are always welcome to stop by the main office in Room 1105, Forest Drive Building. Write for information to: History Department, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8054, Statesboro, GA 30460-8054.
