Why Study History at Judson College

Amanda Aucoin, associate professor of history, has taught at Judson since 2004. She has seen students graduate from the program and enter a wide variety of fields, equipped with a deeper understanding of not only the past but also the present.

“We have seen a number of students go into the marketplace, particularly into law school. That seems to be a very natural pathway for people who are interested in the reading, writing, and analytical thinking of a history major,” said Aucoin.

“A lot of alumni become teachers. There are plenty who go into the pastorate and go into the mission field, and there are also those who go into business. Because,” she explained, “when you learn that how people have thought over time is how they still think — human nature hasn’t really changed — you have a window into how people think today, and that helps you a lot.”

When you learn that how people have thought over time is how they still think — human nature hasn’t really changed — you have a window into how people think today, and that helps you a lot.

Charlotte Martin is a history major at Judson entering her junior year of college. She currently works in the Southeastern library archives as a digitization assistant.

From a young age, Charlotte developed a love for history. When it came time to choose a college to attend, she realized that, not only would Judson grow her understanding and knowledge of the past, but also it would strengthen her faith.

In addition to the required major and core classes, each degree at Judson also includes a Christian studies minor. While every history class is taught from a biblical perspective, students are also equipped with classes in hermeneutics, Christian theology, evangelism, and more.

Judson offers three degrees within its history program: a Bachelor of Arts in history, a Bachelor of Arts in history (pre-law), and a Bachelor of Science in history (with a teaching licensure track).

For both Dr. Aucoin and Charlotte, history plays an instrumental role in instructing people on how to live today.

“No matter what major you are, you need to take history in some capacity,” Charlotte expressed. “It’s important for us to study history because, like Dr. Aucoin said, learning what came before can help us operate in the now.”

It’s important for us to study history because, like Dr. Aucoin said, learning what came before can help us operate in the now.

For Charlotte, her work in the Denny Library archives has given her many opportunities to experience history in an incredibly tangible way.

“Archives allows me to experience history hands-on,” she explained, “because no matter how much you read in a textbook, it doesn’t compare to reading the actual words of people the textbook talks about — on the paper that they actually wrote it on. You also can’t just deal with the documents on their own. You have to learn a good bit of the context surrounding when they were written, and that prompted me to develop a good research method when it comes history.”

For Christians, history plays a concrete role in our ministry to others, our involvement in society, and our relationship with God. Throughout Scripture, God’s people are consistently reminded to trust his faithfulness in the present by recalling his faithfulness in the past, his steadfast love upon thousands of generations.

Today, students at Judson College are being equipped to comprehend and critically evaluate the present through a biblically-informed understanding of the past as they make disciples of the faithful God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

To learn more about how you can be equipped to study history at Judson, visit judsoncollege.com/degrees.