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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‘In the company of a saint: Catholics gear up for a rare double canonization’
Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross, and Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies at the College, recently spoke with media about the canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II on …
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Holy Cross Senior Football Player to Compete in Selective Business Competition
John Macomber ’14,  a member of the College Honors Program and a varsity football player at the College of the Holy Cross, will participate in a selective business pitch competition at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., titled “California Dreamin’ Investor …
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‘Is the Only Solution to the Crisis in Ukraine an Appalling One?’
Cynthia V. Hooper, an associate professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross and an affiliate of Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, was the author of a recent article for the History News Network …