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
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Faculty

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

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Opportunities

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

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After Graduation

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

History News

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‘How Does an Authoritarian Government Celebrate a Revolution?’
On November 7, 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin led the Bolsheviks on a successful revolution and created what would become the USSR, but as this 100th anniversary arrives, Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin are silent, even dismissive of its significance. Cynthia …
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Washington Semester Award Winner to Discuss Oral History’s Portrayal of the 1964 Freedom Summer
The Center for Liberal Arts in the World at the College of the Holy Cross has selected Catherine Tarantino ’18, a history major with a concentration in peace and conflict studies, as the Maurizio Vannicelli Washington Semester Program award recipient for the Spring 2017 …
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Holy Cross Welcomes Ten New Tenure-Track Faculty Members in 2017-18 Academic Year
At the start of the 2017-18 academic year, the College of the Holy Cross welcomed ten new tenure-track faculty members joining the following departments: psychology, economics and accounting, political science, mathematics and computer science, history, and English. Their expertise runs …