Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History


As a disciplined study of the past, History focuses on change and continuity over time. Our department challenges students to read, think, and write about questions societies face in every generation-the tension between freedom and authority, reason and faith, individual agency and powerful structures. The ultimate goal: to become imaginative and resourceful human beings engaged with the world.

Our faculty cultivates understanding, not memorization. The history student becomes immersed in the study of the past and develops the skill and ability to read critically and write elegantly. The faculty welcomes budding historians who love history, as well as students from other disciplines seeking a broad view of the world, and students who might simply be curious about a specific time, country, or topic.

Our curriculum is organized in clusters of courses that allow for global or regional comparisons. Among these are: the history of women (Europe, Latin America, the United States); environmental history (Latin America, Asia, the United States); and revolutionary movements (China, the United States, Europe, and Latin America).

As an active collaborator in the larger College community, the department regularly offers classes in the following interdisciplinary majors and minors: Women’s and Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, Environmental Studies, and Global and Regional Studies.

Faculty

Elena Songster, PhD, Associate Professor, Department Chair
Carl J. Guarneri, PhD, Professor
Brother Charles Hilken, FSC, PhD, Professor
Myrna Santiago, PhD, Professor
Aeleah Soine, PhD, Associate Professor
Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, PhD, Professor
Ronald Isetti, PhD, Professor Emeritus
Katherine S. Roper, PhD, Professor Emerita

Learning Outcomes

History majors develop a unique set of skills designed for research and analytical thinking in a diverse and increasingly globalized world. Upon completion of the History program, students will be able to:

THINK historically, read critically, write coherently, speak persuasively, and communicate effectively.
SITUATE major historical events within their proper chronological, geographical, thematic, and comparative context.
CONNECT and integrate historical knowledge, grasp the ethical and moral dimensions of history, and appreciate the complex, multi-causal origins of past events.
IDENTIFY and INTERPRET a wide variety of historical sources, both primary and secondary.
EXPLAIN the value and application of historiography and various historical methods, approaches and theories.
EVALUATE and critically assess the validity of historical evidence and interpretations.
USE and APPLY primary and secondary sources to construct sophisticated, persuasive, and logical interpretations of historical problems and events.

Prerequisite Grade

All prerequisites must be passed with a grade of C- or better.

Programs

    Bachelor of ArtsMinor

    Courses

      History - Lower DivisionHistory - Upper Division

      Students must have sophomore standing to enroll in upper-division courses.