The goal of the Department of History at Case Western Reserve University is to enable students to grapple with the complexities of the present by equipping them with a deeper understanding of the past. In addition, the members of the Department seek to convey to students the exhilaration and fun of learning more about the past. Historical study is central to a liberal arts education and provides career and skills preparation for a great variety of fields including law, government, journalism, teaching, business, public administration, the foreign service, editing, archival administration, museum administration, historical restoration and preservation.

The Department of History offers courses in United States, European, East Asian, Latin American, and African history. In addition to traditional historical emphases, our faculty possesses skills and interests in the history of technology and science, women’s studies, legal history, the use of computers in historical studies, social and economic history, and cultural studies. The History Department cooperates with other departments in interdisciplinary programs and sponsors an array of student activities. It encourages students to make use of other area institutions, including Western Reserve Historical Society and the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as encouraging participation in the Junior Year Abroad program or the semester in absentia in Washington DC.