"The study of History provides an exciting, open-ended path to knowledge about other people, our past, and our own time. Historical insights and perspectives create an all-important framework for understanding the complex experiences of our own lives as well as the events and conflicts of the contemporary world. History is therefore an essential component of a liberal arts education. The history departments of the University of North Carolina and Duke University have formed a collaborative program for graduate studies in the history of science, medicine, and technology."