Welcome to UPEI’s Department of History and Classics!

History is our collective memory. History shapes our identity, informing who we are as individuals, communities and nations. In our modern complex and diverse world, the study of history has never been more relevant. Understanding the origins and developments of institutions and ideas, tensions and conflicts, societies and civilizations improves our social awareness and provides insight into the perspectives of others, allowing us to make informed decisions about future courses of action.

Studying history provides students with a tool box of transferable skills that will serve them well in today’s evolving job market. History students are trained to be excellent researchers, tracking down information and communicating their analysis with clarity and confidence. A History degree at UPEI will hone students’ abilities to weigh and assess evidence and expert opinion, to evaluate causes and consequences, and provide them with a foundation from which to develop practical solutions to contemporary problems. Our History graduates are pursuing successful careers in heritage and conservation, law, journalism, education, medicine, social services, policy analysis, business, communications, and digital information management.

History professors at UPEI are award-winning educators and researchers with a wide variety of historical interests. Our course offerings include studies ranging from the local history of PEI to the history of global exploration; from Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the present; and themes encompassing the impact of wars and revolutions on past societies, the history of science and medicine, and the history of gender relations. Our Public History course provides students with an opportunity to gain valuable internship experience in government, heritage and cultural workplaces.

UPEI History professors work closely with individual students, mentoring them to help them achieve their goals. The History Student Society thrives at UPEI, providing history students with a supportive, socially active university community.