As one of the oldest of academic disciplines, history occupies a central position in a liberal arts education. Such education equips individuals to understand and appreciate the world and to meet its challenges. The study of history contributes much to these ends. History maintains that people and society are, in important respects, the products of their past; therefore, an understanding of the past provides insight necessary for both personal and social development.

History stands at the core of a liberal arts education since one aim of that education is to integrate the various disciplines. Taking as its subject the whole of humanity and society in the past, history draws upon all disciplines to reconstruct that past. It provides a framework for the study of other disciplines and helps the advanced student integrate various academic experiences.