
Studying history at Saint Vincent College will go beyond the scope of reading textbooks. Students in the history program have the opportunity to make video documentaries, travel to historic sites, reenact famous trials, do research in archives across America and the world, visit museums, and create gallery exhibits. The faculty in the History Department specialize in American, British, European, East Asian, and Latin American history.
In the history program, students analyze events of the past, actions people have taken, and cultures that have shaped the world in which we live today. In addition to choosing a major in history, students also have the opportunity to add a compliment double major or minor in many degrees. The public history major and digital humanities major are compliments to the history major. Students can cater to their passion for history at Saint Vincent College by crafting their own history.
Obtaining a degree in history from Saint Vincent College will provide graduates with a variety of opportunities. Recent History majors have gone on to do the following careers after graduation:
The history major consists of 36 credits. The remaining credits needed can be filled with enjoyment classes. In addition to many history majors choose to add a second major and/or minors.
Major Requirements (37 Credits)
All history majors do a capstone project that is scaffolded through a freshman introductory course, a sophomore seminar, a junior research seminar, and a senior writing seminar to craft one’s thesis. In addition to these major’s only courses, students have the opportunity to focus their interests by taking three area related courses at the introductory (100) level all of which can be found below. All history majors are also required to take one non-western history course which are also listed below area study courses.
History majors are required to pick three areas of study within the major for a total of 18 credits at the introductory (100) level:
Area Studies
HI-102 Ancient Greece and RomeMost non-western courses are offered on a two-to-four-year rotation and availability for these courses vary depending on the academic year. For an updated list of non-western courses, students should consult with their advisor or the updated course bulletin.
Requirements for Certification in Secondary Social Studies (Grades 7-12)
Students who wish to pursue a second major in education must satisfy the requirements of the Education Department of Saint Vincent College in addition to the major in history and fulfillment of Core Curriculum.
Interdisciplinary Courses
Public History
Students with an interest in museum studies as a career in history should discuss the career path with their academic advisor in the History Department.
Digital Humanities
The digital humanities major applies interests in the humanities and digital arts to digital and informative technology. Students who wish to pursue a career in applying the humanities to digital culture should reach out to their academic advisor in the History Department.
Pre-Law
History majors interested in pursuing law as a career should converse with their academic advisor in the History Department. In addition, history majors are eligible to participate in a cooperative program between Saint Vincent College and Duquesne Law School that allows them bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctorate degree in six years. In this program, qualified students who complete their first three years of study at Saint Vincent, fulfilling the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements for the major, may transfer into the Law Program and complete the requirements for the Juris Doctor in three years. For details, see the explanation of this program in the Pre-Law section of the updated Saint Vincent College Bulletin.
Co-Taught Classes
AN-235 History and Culture of Peru is a class offered some years is co-taught between history and anthropology
Students at Saint Vincent get valuable knowledge from completing internships through applying classroom knowledge to the professional world. History majors at Saint Vincent College have completed internships at a wide range of places such as:
Obtaining a degree in history from Saint Vincent College will provide graduates with a variety of opportunities.
By participating in internships, along with completing in-depth class work, history students are prepared for a career in a variety of historical fields. Graduates of Saint Vincent College currently hold the following careers:
Jill E. Kelly, Ph.D.
The education I received with the history department has shaped my life in so many ways—laying the foundation for my career in history and connecting me to people and a place that I love. My professors encouraged my interest in studying abroad in South Africa and enabled research for what would become my senior thesis on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Dr. Bogner’s primary source analysis assignments helped prepare me for the in-depth research I undertook on that trip—and in my work since then. Dr. Sommers’ Modern Intellectual History course enabled me to explore some of the ideas that would greatly influence South Africa’s liberation heroes and Dr. Kelly’s (no relation—everyone asked!) exciting in-class discussions and mock trials inspire my teaching pedagogy. I had a wonderful summer internship with the Monastery Run Improvement Project that equipped me with the oral history skills I use in my research and classrooms. And I met some of my best friends in history classrooms!
Jill Kelly is Associate Professor of History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and author of To Swim with Crocodiles: Land, Violence, and Belonging in South Africa.
Catherine E. Votovich
It was important to me when choosing the right college of history that I find a school of history that would challenge me, bring forth my potential, and teach me the skills, strategies, and techniques needed to be a life-long learner, and that is exactly what the history department of Saint Vincent College did! The preparation and nurturing I received allowed me to enter the teaching profession within a month of graduation; I attribute my success to the higher level thinking skills, problem solving, and knowledge that was imparted to me in my four years by highly qualified professors and small class sizes. The history department demands, and expects, a level of academic rigor and excellence that I now expect of my learners at Greater Latrobe. Furthermore, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Sommers empowered me as a woman to become the leader I am; their help with my senior thesis on the Martha P. Falconer and the Segregation of Delinquent Women was invaluable.”
Catherine E. Votovich is a social studies teacher in the Greater Latrobe Area School District of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.