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 Rev. Thomas W. Worcester, S.J., Named President of Regis College
Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross, will become the 11th president of Regis College, the Jesuit Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto (UofT), and one of North America’s Roman Catholic …
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Alumna Reflects on Summer Spent Working with Refugees in Greece
As the European refugee crisis intensified, Mattea Cumoletti ’12, a history major and anthropology minor at the College, spent 10 weeks working at the Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR) in Athens, Greece, through The Advocacy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nongovernmental …
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Pioneering Judge James Carroll ’69 Establishes Drug Recovery Court in New Hampshire
In response to the growing drug abuse epidemic affecting communities across the country, Judge James Carroll ’69, a history major at the College, developed a recovery court program in New Hampshire to help drug offenders get back on their feet …