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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Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Gamini Keerawella to Address Campus
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Gamini Keerawella will give a talk titled “War and Peace in Sri Lanka: Lessons Beyond the Borders” on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The talk is free …
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‘Pope Francis calls on church to change focus’
In a recent interview with Rev. Antonio Spadaro, editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal, Pope Francis offered insight into his papacy, and his direction as pope. While many criticized the Pope’s comments, Rev. Thomas Worcester, …
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Holy Cross Professors Introduce Entrepreneurship Lessons to Classroom
For the second year in a row, Holy Cross faculty and staff got a crash course in entrepreneurship. From Aug. 12 to 15, David Chu, director of the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies, organized a multi-day outing to Cambridge, Mass., …