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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

Faculty

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

Opportunities

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

After Graduation

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

History News

Nate Chung '18 from the Nate Chung Project performs with his band as a part of Academic Conference.

Academic Conference 2018 Showcases Creativity, Independent Research of Over 470 Students

Over the course of four days, more than 470 students spanning all class years presented the results of their independent, creative and intellectual endeavors during the 2018 Academic Conference. The celebration of academic life at the College of the Holy …

Luke Lapean '19 in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Luke Lapean ’19 Reflects on Impact of a Summer Ministry Internship

I was reading the countless daily emails Holy Cross students receive when I stumbled across one inviting me to apply for a Summer Ministry Internship through the Chaplains’ Office. Then in my sophomore year, I hadn’t given any thought to …

Students gather at the one of the few remaining sections of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall that was erected to seal off the Warsaw Ghetto, the largest ghetto in Poland, on a Maymester trip through central Europe.

Honoring the Past: Students Seek Opportunities to Learn About the Holocaust

“Never forget” is a phrase that’s long been used to remind people, Jews and non-Jews alike, to remember the pain of the Holocaust, which is being commemorated — on campus and around the world — as A Day of Remembrance …