History

History: Major

The study of history at Holy Cross not only seeks to understand the past; it also offers deep personal enrichment for a thoughtful, even passionate, engagement in the challenges of the present. Among the most encompassing academic disciplines, history is informed by economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, the arts and literature.

Working with innovative faculty experts, students explore a diverse range of interests and a broad selection of topics from “Traditional” East Asia to Modern Latin America, Gilded Age America to Imperial Russia. Students learn how politics, social and economic developments, and cultural life interact.

Students of all interests, passions, and goals study history at Holy Cross. Graduates use their training to pursue careers in law, medicine, government service, business, teaching and a host of other vocations. 

Program Highlights

Students enrolled in history at Holy Cross explore their major and gain depth in a particular aspect of history through a global concentration. Spanning geographic locations and time, students select from the following themes:

  • Colonialism and Empire
  • Gender in Public and Private Life
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Resistance, Revolution, and Reaction
  • Knowledge and Belief
  • War and Memory
Image
Faculty

With 18 full-time professors, the department is one of the largest history departments among liberal arts colleges.

Image
Opportunities

Students can augment their studies through honors programs and hands-on experiences.

Image
After Graduation

Find out what students can do with a history major, and check out the careers of some recent alumni.

History News

Stephanie Yuhl, professor of history. Photo by Tom Rettig
Holy Cross Professor Stephanie Yuhl Speaks to WGBH About the Miss America Protests of 1968
Fifty years ago today, protesters took on the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, sparking the feminist revolution, with hundreds of women protesting the pageant’s ideal of femininity. Just a few blocks away another protest was taking place: the first-ever …
Lorelle Semley stands in front of the O'Kane doors
Holy Cross History Professor Wins Prestigious National Book Award
Lorelle Semley, associate professor of history, has been named a co-winner of the World History Association’s prestigious Bentley Book Prize for her recent book, “To be Free and French: Citizenship in France’s Atlantic Empire” (Cambridge University Press, 2017). The prize …
Anne Blaschke, visiting assistant professor of history
‘9 to 5’ Sequel Still Relevant in #MeToo America, Holy Cross Professor Writes in Washington Post
Almost four decades after the 1980 workplace comedy “9 to 5” opened, telling the story of three secretaries who get even with their sexist boss, it was revealed that a sequel is in the works. In an op-ed published by …