College of the Pacific
Welcome to the Department of History
Images provided by the 
Holt-Atherton collection
“I would like students to see that history is full of unexpected surprises that fundamentally challenge our assumptions about the world.”
—Tomomi Kinukawa
History Professor
The History Department offers a wide variety of classes that cover broad themes. Just as diverse is the array of specialties our faculty members draw from to illuminate historical topics. You'll get a flavor of the breadth of themes offered from this sampling of our courses:
- A Global History of Food focuses on the role food has had in shaping culture and history.
- History of Science and Technology examines the ideological and social factors that have shaped scientific thought.
- History of Warfare studies the social, political and cultural factors that change the face of battle.
Some classes focus on specific time periods such as Europe in Turmoil, 1900-1945, which encompasses World War I and II; and Modern Chinese History, a political, social and cultural history of China from 1840 to the present day.
Other classes take a regional approach. Some examples include A People's History of Mexico and John Muir's World: Origins of the Conservation Movement, which draws on the rich resources of our library and the John Muir Center.
Beyond the classroom, our majors have many opportunities for student research in our own and nearby research libraries. We also help facilitate internships in local museums.
