History
- Bachelor of Arts
- Minor
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In This Section
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.
Undergraduate Programs
What Can I Do With a Major in 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:
- Graduates of Saint Vincent College have gone on to continue their education at prestigious schools such as Villanova University, George Washington University, Michigan State University, Kings College (London), University of Leeds (England), North Carolina State University, Lehigh University, West Virginia University, Duquesne University, University of Washington, American University, and Drexel University /// Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, Boston College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Baylor University.
- Some have attended law at schools like Indiana University, Bloomington, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Penn State University, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Dayton /// Washington and Lee University Law School, and Duquesne University Law School.
- Some graduates went on to teach social studies at high schools around the country in California, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, as well as local high schools throughout western Pennsylvania like Latrobe, Seneca Valley, Peters Township, Derry, Jefferson Hills, Norwin, and Butler.
- Worked in government agencies such as the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Social Security Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Central Intelligence Agency;
- Other graduates have gone into a myriad of successful careers in a variety of fields which include museum and archival work, working at the federal, state, and local level, banking, and manufacturing
Curriculum Requirements
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Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in History
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 Rome
HI-103 Medieval Europe c. 500-1500
HI-104 Contemporary Europe I
HI-105 Contemporary Europe II
HI-106 Topics in U.S. History to 1865
HI-107 Topics in U.S. History since 1865
HI-108 Traditional East Asian Societies
HI-109 Modern East Asian Societies
HI-110 English History to 1485
HI-111 English History 1485 to Present
HI-123 Global History I
HI-124 Global History II
Upper Division History Classes
History majors must take three courses (9 credits) from the 200 level class offerings. These classes change every semester and vary from all different topics.
Non-Western Course Requirement
Students majoring in history are required to take one course that is designated non-western:
HI-108 Traditional East Asian Societies
HI-109 Modern East Asian Societies
HI-123 Global History I
HI-124 Global History II
HI-208 Modern China
HI-209 Issues in Contemporary East Asia
HI-224 Native American History/Culture
HI-232 Race and Ethnicity Historical Perspective
HI-233 History of Latin America
HI-245 Colonies and Empire: Europe/World
HI-270 Rise of Chinese Civilization
HI-280 Islamic Civilization I
HI-281 Islamic Civilization IIMost 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
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Requirements for a Minor in History
A minor in history consists of 18 credit hours. Six of these credit hours are in fulfillment of the Core Curriculum requirements. The remaining 12 credit hours may be taken from any of the 100 (introductory) or 200 (intermediate) level courses that the History Department offers. The History Department requires that one class (three credits) be at the 200 (intermediate) level.
Program Highlights
History Internships
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:
- the Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Historic Deerfield (Western MA)
- the Holocaust Museum (Washington D.C.)
- the Merchant’s House Museum (New York, NY)
- Gettysburg National Battlefield Park (Gettysburg, PA)
- Fort Necessity (Western PA)
- a variety of locations in Westmoreland County such as the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, the Westmoreland County Historical Society, and Historic Hanna’s Town; and,
- locations on campus like the Fred Roger’s Archive.
Outcome
Obtaining a degree in history from Saint Vincent College will provide graduates with a variety of opportunities.
- Graduates of Saint Vincent College have gone on to continue their education at prestigious schools such as Villanova University, George Washington University, Michigan State University, Kings College (London), University of Leeds (England), North Carolina State University, Lehigh University, West Virginia University, Duquesne University, University of Washington, American University, and Drexel University /// Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, Boston College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Baylor University.
- Some have attended law at schools like Indiana University, Bloomington, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Penn State University, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Dayton /// Washington and Lee University Law School, and Duquesne University Law School.
- Some graduates went on to teach social studies at high schools around the country in California, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, as well as local high schools throughout western Pennsylvania like Latrobe, Seneca Valley, Peters Township, Derry, Jefferson Hills, Norwin, and Butler.
- Other graduates have gone into a myriad of successful careers in a variety of fields which include museum and archival work, working at the federal, state, and local level, banking, and manufacturing.
Careers
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:
- Professors of History at Clemson University, Southern Methodist University, Lafayette University, Purdue University, and Rider University;
- Museum Facilitator at Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Bushy Run Battlefield, the Smithsonian Institution, the Compass Inn, and many others;
- Attorneys with a wide variety of firms; and
- Teaching education and school administration at Latrobe High School, Peters Township High School, Seneca Valley Middle School, Maryland’s Charles County Public Schools, and many other districts.
Scholarships
Charles G. and Anita L. Manoli Scholarship Fund
The late Charles G. Manoli Sr., Emeritus Professor of History, was a much beloved professor and colleague throughout his 43 years of teaching at Saint Vincent College. He was a graduate of the Saint Vincent Preparatory School (1945) and Saint Vincent College (1951) and his work was recognized by the college with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in 2005. Mrs. Anita L. Manoli was a treasured Spanish language educator at area high schools and both Charles (Chuck) and Anita were dedicated supporters of higher education in Westmoreland County. They and their family established the Charles G. and Anita L. Manoli Scholarship Fund to continue their support of Saint Vincent College students.
Professor Chuck Manoli’s legacy is carried on through the work of the students who had the privilege of studying with him, many of whom serve on the Manoli Scholarship Committee, which raises funds for this scholarship and works with the College to organizes an annual Manoli dinner and lecture.
The Manoli scholarship is awarded each year to a history major identified by History Department faculty. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years contingent on the awardees’ continued merit and satisfactory progress in their history major. Awardees are recognized at the annual Manoli Scholarship Event.
History Alumni Biographies
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.