The study of history allows one to wonder "How do we know what we know?" To understand how historians "connect the dots" using reason the course will start with an in-depth study of historical methods. • Is knowledge of the past ever certain? • Why do accounts of the same historical event differ? • Whose history do we study? • What determines how historians select evidence and describe/interpret or analyze events? We prioritize depth of understanding rather than breadth; the goal is expertise rather than familiarity. We teach history as an active process of analysis rather than as a set of knowledge to be passively memorized and regurgitated. Students learn and practice the skills of historians. You desire to learn as much as possible about the past, but you don’t want to be limited to listening to stories and analyses. We teach our students in their first year to search for information independently and to evaluate critically. While analyzing the past can be thrilling, it is important that your story is well-defined and presented professionally. For this reason, you must understand the importance of improving your writing skills and be willing to give presentations to small groups. The globalization of the world also has consequences for science, which is why much of the literature you will be reading is sourced from international academic publications. Hence, you will be abreast of the latest scientific data and views. Furthermore, our outlook goes beyond the UK: the history of Europe and the world is our point of reference since that is the only way to correctly evaluate the history of your region or country.