On Sept. 21, Weber State University’s Department of History hosted an open house event in the Lindquist Hall for current and prospective students to discuss the benefits and opportunities that come with an education in history.

WSU’s history department offers bachelors programs alongside several minors. The department even has its own student cohort, Phi Alpha Theta. With the goal of broadening the school’s history curriculum, the department is offering multiple courses focused on multicultural history this year.

Sara Dant, chair of the history department and an active history professor, explained how a degree in history can be more flexible and valuable than one may expect.

“Critical thinking, writing, analysis, public presentation and research,” Dant said. “It’s a skillset that is transferable to any job you’re looking to get into.”

Students who have obtained a degree in history have gone on to participate in an array of career paths. Among other things, students have also gone on to work in museums as historians and work in digital humanities — the practice of putting historical data and information into easily understandable infographics.

Additionally, students who have graduated from WSU’s history department have gone on to be placed in graduate programs and even private schools, such as Harvard, to further their education.

Dant said one of the department’s most valuable assets is their staff, explaining how the professors who teach at Weber State are really passionate about what they teach and how that creates an effective, enjoyable experience for students.

“I like how collegial it is, how we each care about our students,” Nathan Rives, an instructor of United States history, said.

Branden Little, a professor of history with a specialty in American naval and military history, said his passion for history is partly owed to how history can be interpreted in multiple ways and then further interpreted differently as time goes on.

Little explained how an education in history is valuable in the modern world and how having knowledge of the past can help give you insight on modern day events.

“History helps us understand who we are, so that we can effectively engage in societal debate,” Little said.

Students interested in what the department of history has to offer can find more information on the WSU website’s “Deparment of History” page.