This combined major fosters a historically contingent awareness of global affairs and international policy issues since the early 20th century through diverse and cross-disciplinary theories of interstate relations, state-society relations, the future of democracy, the nature of citizenship and rights, the origins and conduct of war, the foundations of racial and ethnic conflict and tolerance, and poverty and prosperity. This combined major highlights the importance of understanding the intersection between global issues and local traditions and is designed to prepare students to be politically, culturally, historically, and linguistically sensitive to their interaction. History at Northeastern University emphasizes the study of local and regional histories as well as of the global exchanges between nations, regions, and cultures. Knowledge of the past is also about building the future. In a world marked by increasing exchange between peoples, cultures, and societies, history is key to understanding contemporary issues such as the future of democracy, the nature of citizenship and rights, the origins and conduct of war, the foundations of racial and ethnic conflict and tolerance, and poverty and prosperity. At the same time, history teaches crucial skills in analytical thinking, research processes, writing, oral expression, and multimedia presentation.