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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Papal Experts Available to Comment on the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II
The following papal scholars from the College of the Holy Cross are available to comment on issues related to the canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27, 2014. Both have studied John and John Paul’s papacies …
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‘Crimea: Power on Display’
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, is the author of a History News Network blog called “Post-Soviet Futures.” …
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‘Presidential Preparations’
The recent announcement that President Barack Obama will be speaking at the commencement exercises for Worcester Technical High School on June 11 reminded the College community of another presidential commencement address: Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 at Fitton Field. “7,500 …