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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Holy Cross History Professor Provides Insight on Purchase of Alaska
Gwenn Miller, associate professor of history, was called upon by The New York Times for her expertise on early American history — specifically of Alaska — in an article exploring Russia’s sale of Alaska to the United States 150 years …
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Holy Cross History Professor Comments on How President Trump’s Language Could Change Citizens’ Understanding of ‘Democracy’
Cynthia Hooper, associate professor of history and director of Russian and Eastern European Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, is back in the news again with an op-ed published in Fortune. In her latest piece, Hooper argues how …
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Holy Cross Conference to Reframe History of Science in Middle East and North Africa Region
Carla Nappi, associate professor of history and Canada Research Chair of Early Modern Studies at the University of British Columbia, will offer the keynote address at a conference titled “Globalization of Science in the Middle East and North Africa, 18th-20th …