The study of history is essential in developing citizens who understand contemporary issues with a depth and wisdom drawn from the experience of the past.  Through the study of history, which integrates the humanities (such as art and literature) and the social sciences (political science, economics, and geography), students will better understand their own society as well as others. Students also will see how people in other times and places have grappled with the fundamental questions of truth, justice, and personal responsibility, understand that ideas have real consequences, and realize that events are shaped both by ideas and the actions of individuals.