History

At Southern Virginia University, students in the history major learn how to conduct historical inquiry and to distinguish between historical evidence, reasoned argument, opinion, and speculation. Deepening their knowledge of the past and its relevance for the present, students hone their skills in analyzing historical changes and continuities, creating and pursuing relevant research questions, and conducting thorough research and creating well-reasoned arguments. This allows students to analyze professional historiography and how their inquiry fits within scholarly conversation and communicate their research effectively and convincingly to a broad audience.

With many prominent historical sites and museums less than a day away, Southern Virginia students are able to study, explore, and immerse themselves in what they study, and small class sizes allow professors to focus on individuals and their interests. History majors have opportunities to attend history conferences, present their work, and compete in state-wide conferences, where many Southern Virginia University students have won awards. With this background, history majors at Southern Virginia are well prepared to succeed in graduate school and their future lives and careers to create positive change as thoughtful and empathetic members of the global community.