Department Chair: Colleen Seguin , Ph.D.
Huegli Hall 318 | 219-464-6962
Colleen.Seguin@valpo.edu
Majors
offered:
History, B.A., M.A.L.S.
Links to Web sites:
Catalog: Department of
History
Department of History(department
maintained)
VALPO HISTORY MAJORS know that the analytical thinking skills and contextual understanding they develop through their studies will allow them to succeed in any field. These students analyze both the great and forgotten events of world history and explore topics as diverse as witchcraft and China's Cultural Revolution.
What Is Distinctive About Valpo's Program?
Location:
Valpo's proximity to Chicago provides an added bonus
to History students, offering some of the world's most famous
museums; the Art Institute; the Field Museum; the Museum of Science and
Industry; and the Oriental
Institute.
Just 15 minutes from campus lies the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore which features a living history museum of Northwest Indiana's early settlements, Chellberg Farm and the Bailly Homestead.
Research:
Valpo undergraduates have considerable opportunities
to do research in their field. For example, History major Andrew Malone
(VU '01) completed a year-long senior honors project on Jackie Robinson
and the integration of major league
baseball.
What Can You Do with a History Major?
Degree, Skills or Experience Needed for
Beginning a Job in This Field:
A
bachelor's degree is often sufficient for
entry-level openings in management training
programs, paralegal work, teaching, and some government
and business jobs. A History major is considererd
highly desirable for further study in law, history,
library science, archival and museum work, public
administration, public management, urban
planning, political science, theology, international
studies, and similar fields. Employment as a
professional historian in teaching, publishing,
or government usually demands education beyond
the Master's degree.
Kinds of Work Available
to Graduates in this Major:
The
nature of training in History may help
you to do better in any and every field.
It has specific relevance to work as a historical
writer/researcher in government and business;
as a museum curator or archivist; as a teacher
or professor; as a government official or worker
at the local, regional, state, national, or international
level (in archives, embassies, consulates, or
information offices). Many graduates today choose further education in
law or international studies to pursue
their history-based careers.
Potential Hiring Institutions:
Businesses, corporations, museums, libraries,
archives, cultural foundations, governmental and public agencies,
colleges, law firms, television, radio, newspapers, magazine and
book publishers, international organizations, travel agencies,
primary and secondary schools, education, agencies and foundations,
research institutions, historical associations and
societies.
Extracurricular Groups:
Valpo History students participate in the Phi Alpha Theta --
History Honors Society -- and Phi Gamma Mu -- Social Sciences Honor Society. Honor society members gather together for activities like junk
food and film nights and for field trips to Chicago for things like the
Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Field Museum and the Vietnam War and
Beatles exhibits at the Chicago Historical Society. Noted historians are
often invited to campus for public lectures and to meet informally with
History majors.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Internships:
Study Abroad:
Notable Alumni: Craig Anderson
(VU '63), Dean and President, General Theological
Seminary of the Episcopal Church, New York City Frederick Barton (VU
'70), Dean of Liberal Arts, University of New Orleans, winner
of the Faulkner Society Creative
Writing Competition Rebecca Pallmeyer (VU '76),
Federal Court Judge, Chicago
Valpo History
majors intern at a variety of interesting sites. For example, Jason Stoehr
won a Historical Deerfield Summer Fellowship for summer 2001 and
participated in an intensive museum studies program in colonial American
history at Historic Deerfield, Inc., Deerfield, Massachusetts. Beth Benda was an intern with Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT.
Students are encouraged to expand their historical
perspective by participating in one of Valpo’s 14 international studies
programs in countries such as Mexico, England, Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Namibia, China,
or Japan. Students may also take advantage of semester-long programs in New York, Washington, D.C.,
and Chicago.
Graduates with majors in
History include:
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