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 Faculty Offer Perspectives on Pope Francis
As Pope Francis completes his first year of papacy this month, the College Committee on Mission and Identity will host a panel titled “Who are we to judge? Perspectives on Pope Francis,” featuring commentary by Alice Laffey, associate professor of …
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Fmr. Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman Calls for End to Ideological Partisanship
Approximately 400 people filled the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom to hear former Utah governor and ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman Jr., deliver the 48th annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture on Nov. 13. The Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 election primaries …
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28 Holy Cross Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
Twenty-eighty students from the class of 2014 at the College of the Holy Cross were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, on October 27. Alpha Sigma Nu seeks out students at Jesuit institutions of higher learning who …