History at PSU

COVID-19 Update:

Our physical office is closed, but we are still here to serve you.
You can contact faculty and staff directly: email us at hist@pdx.edu, or leave a voicemail at 503-725-3917

For information and resources concerning COVID-19 protocols on campus,
consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences page: A New Way Forward for Students

The study of History cultivates appreciation for the diversity of human experience and fosters empathy for the stories, traditions, cultures, and world views of historical groups and individuals. It also provides the foundation for informed participation in the local and the global community, by teaching its students how to apply critical thinking skills to solving problems.

Studying the past helps us better understand not only where we’ve been, but where we may be going. Historical knowledge has the power to be both individually and collectively transformative, and there is no better place in the Pacific Northwest to gain a critical understanding of the past than the PSU History Department. Our award-winning and internationally recognized faculty offer courses that span the globe and cover chronological periods from Antiquity to the Present, with concentrations in U.S. history since 1800; modern Europe and East Asia; Latin America, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East; ancient Rome and medieval Europe, environmental history, public history, and more.