HISTORY seeks to find out what human
                                                                                    beings have done in the past. By sifting and
                                                                                   interpreting surviving evidence, historians
                                                                      create accounts of earlier civilizations, institutions,
                                                                    economies, and individuals, along with their ideas. In
                                                                  addition to satisfying our natural curiosity about our 
                                                                origins, historians have convincingly demonstrated that
                                                          their investigations of the past — whether they concern the
                                                    the causes of war, the affairs of a fur-trading company or the grim realities of peasant life — have direct bearing on the present. For example, history has a vital role to play in the debate on the reform of Canadian Confederation.

Historical studies offer additional benefits to you as a student. Many of the topics addressed in other disciplines have historical dimensions which, when comprehended, make for a fuller understanding of those disciplines. In terms of UFV’s offerings, one might mention the obvious compatibility in studying B.C. history along with B.C. geography or English history in conjunction with English literature and geography.

Historical understanding is achieved through the clash of different opinions which are usually the products of historians writing in different generations according to different methods and values. It is no wonder, therefore, that student investigations of past events may yield different yet plausible accounts.

UFV’s History program is designed in large part to explore these differences through lectures and seminars in European, British, North American, Asian, and Latin American history with a view to reaching a more complete understanding of past realities and their relationship to your society.

Of obvious concern to students are the practical career applications of historical studies. History has long been an appropriate academic preliminary to careers in law, the social services, and public administration. History is also a prerequisite to careers in public school teaching, in the restoration and maintenance of Canada’s historical monuments, and in the museum and archival field. Finally, there is the career of historian, as a university or college teacher or as a researcher for various public and private agencies.

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