Welcome to the UC Merced Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies!

The unit of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) brings together two dynamic majors. Studying both the past and the present, our faculty produces critical knowledge that explores, analyzes, and interprets the lives of people, communities, and institutions around the world. We are particularly attentive to questions of power: how does it create different and unequal lived experiences? How does it shape the stories we tell about ourselves? How does it shape what we know and how we work?

Through our research and teaching, we are attentive to connections between historical acts of resistance and present day struggles for social and political justice. When we teach, conduct research, and write, we keep in sight of our home here in Merced. We emphasize the parallels between Merced/the Central Valley and our research periods/places as crossroads in the global, transhistorical flow of people, goods, and ideas.

Students in both History and CRES have opportunities to work closely with faculty to engage primary and scholarly sources critically, to conduct original research, and to complete a capstone project. In our teaching, we work to provide students with the skills necessary to succeed in a broad array of careers. Given our focus on research, writing, and persuasive argumentation, B.A. degrees in History and CRES are widely recognized as excellent preparation for graduate school in academic disciplines or professional fields such as law, public policy, social welfare, and education. More broadly, the ability to evaluate and analyze information, draw appropriate conclusions, and write persuasively are applicable to a range of job opportunities in the governmental, non-profit, and business worlds.

We have conscientiously created a diverse unit reflective of our student body and we offer courses that allow students to consider and challenge their place in the world.

We encourage you to learn more about our faculty and courses of study.