Much more than an accumulation of dates, famous people, and facts, the discipline of history brings new perspectives to old problems. For historians the real excitement begins when we get past the “what” and “when” and begin to probe the “how” and “ why” of past events. This dynamic field of study constantly questions the story of the past as told by previous generations. Modern historians often seek and analyze the stories that earlier scholars have missed or overlooked.

At Wooster, we believe that the best way to understand history is to do history. We encourage our students to pose the kinds of questions that historians pose and to explore those questions and historical sources with their own skills of critical reasoning and interpretation.