History

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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, 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

• History, BA

• History Minor

Courses

• HIST 001 - World History to 1500
• HIST 002 - World History since 1500
• HIST 004 - Western Society and Cultures to 1500
• HIST 005 - Western Society and Cultures since 1500
• HIST 017 - History of the United States to the Civil War
• HIST 018 - History of the United States since Reconstruction

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

• HIST 100 - Topics in World History
• HIST 101 - Historical Methods and Practices
• HIST 104 - Historical Interpretation
• HIST 105 - Modern Approaches to History
• HIST 106 - Seminar in Historical Research
• HIST 110 - Topics in Ancient and Medieval European History
• HIST 111 - The Birth of Europe
• HIST 112 - Europe in the High and Later Middle Ages
• HIST 113 - The Age of the Renaissance
• HIST 114 - Warfare in Medieval Europe
• HIST 120 - Topics in Modern European History
• HIST 121 - Revolt and Revolution in Early Modern Europe
• HIST 122 - 19th Century Europe
• HIST 123 - 20th-Century Europe
• HIST 124 - Transnational Origins of the Welfare State
• HIST 125 - Women in European History, 1500-Present
• HIST 126 - Nations, Nationalism, and Citizenship
• HIST 127 - The Victorian Empire
• HIST 128 - German History
• HIST 130 - Topics in American History
• HIST 131 - Colonial History of the United States
• HIST 132 - The American Revolution and the Early Republic
• HIST 133 - Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction
• HIST 134 - Recent History of the United States
• HIST 135 - America in the World: The History of U.S. Foreign Relations
• HIST 136 - Immigration and Ethnic Relations in American History
• HIST 137 - United States History in Comparative and Transnational Perspective
• HIST 138 - The Development of Modern American Culture
• HIST 139 - History of Women in America
• HIST 140 - African-American History: 1619 to 1865
• HIST 141 - African-American History: 1865 to the Present
• HIST 142 - History of California
• HIST 150 - Topics in Latin American History
• HIST 151 - Women in Latin American History
• HIST 152 - Revolution in Latin America
• HIST 153 - The African Diaspora in Latin America
• HIST 154 - Latin America, the United States, and the Drug Trade
• HIST 155 - Latin American Environmental History
• HIST 160 - Topics in Asian History
• HIST 161 - Modern Japan
• HIST 162 - Modern China
• HIST 163 - Ethnic Identity and Conflict in China
• HIST 170 - Topics in African History
• HIST 171 - African History to 1850
• HIST 172 - African History Since 1850
• HIST 181 - Public History
• HIST 195 - Internship
• HIST 197 - Special Study
• HIST 199 - Special Study - Honors

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