history faculty with student
Undergraduate

History

Explore the course of history from across the globe through engaging coursework and independent research opportunities.

Why Study History?

Studying history does more than tell us who we were; it tells us who we are today. When you study history at Assumption, you’ll be immersed in the political, social, and economic trends and traditions that shaped the past—and our own lives. Through rigorous study of primary resources, spirited discussion with your classmates and our dedicated faculty, and access to renowned libraries, museums, and study abroad programs, your time at Assumption will prepare you for a career in a field you love—and to make history.

Why Study History at Assumption?

As a history major you will:

  • study the past in different ways than you experienced in high school, including forming your own interpretations of original sources created decades, centuries, and even millennia ago. You’ll decipher the meanings of letters, newspapers, maps, paintings, advertisements, architecture, movies, and many, many more kinds of primary sources.
  • take courses that treat the greater Worcester area as your classroom. Your professors will lead visits to the Worcester Art Museum, the American Antiquarian Society, the Museum of Russian Icons, the Hanover Theater, Mechanics Hall, local churches, synagogues, and mosques … and even Assumption’s campus in Rome.
  • complete a major research project under the guidance of a history professor. You’ll finish this project by the end of the fall semester of your senior year so you can include it in your portfolio when you apply for jobs, internships, or graduate programs.
  • learn how to recognize biased opinions and “fake news” through careful consideration of all kinds of evidence. In the process, you’ll further develop your ability to express your own views in a convincing manner, backing up your ideas with facts and evidence.
  • be prepared to enter a career in just about any field, including law, business, education, government, and nonprofits. Your professors will help you cultivate skills that employers value, including thinking contextually, managing information responsibly, expressing ideas clearly, and working independently.
Program Contact
Carl Robert Keyes, Ph.D

Carl Robert Keyes, Ph.D

Professor of History, Department Chair, History, Pre-Law Advisor
508-767-7324 Founders Hall - Room 114

Program Curriculum

  • The major in history consists of 11 courses including a capstone research seminar in your junior or senior year. You’ll enroll in a pro-seminar (a course that provides background and context for the research seminar) at the same time as the capstone research seminar.

    REQUIRED COURSES (11)

    HIS 400 Research Methods

    • This course introduces the skills, theories, and methods of historical scholarship to acquaint you with the historian’s craft and prepare you for the research seminar. The topic changes each semester to match the expertise of the professor teaching the course. Recent topics have included Baroque and Enlightenment Europe, Race and Gender in Antebellum America, and Stalinist Terror.

    HIS 401 Pro-Seminar

    • This course offers a broad survey of a historical subject or period so you gain important knowledge to use as you pursue a project in the capstone research seminar the same semester. The topic changes each semester to match the expertise of the professor teaching the course. Recent topics have included From Gorbachev to Putin, Pacifism and Non-Violence, and Revolutionary America.

    HIS 402  Capstone Research Seminar

    • In this course you will complete a major research project under the mentorship of the professor. The research topics change each semester according to the expertise of the professor teaching the course.  Recently, research projects have focused on the Fall of Communism, Nonviolence in U.S. History, and Stories of the American Revolution.

    One European History Course (200- or 300-level)

    These are some of the courses that fulfill this requirement:

    • HIS 202 Ancient Rome, 509 BCE-565 CE
    • HIS 235 France since 1789
    • HIS 242 Russia since 1917
    • HIS 272 Germany since 1890
    • HIS 306 Rise and Decline of European Primacy, 1870 to present
    • HIS 309 Diplomatic History of Europe in the 19th Century
    • HIS 310 Diplomatic History of Europe in the 20th Century
    • HIS 340 Hitler’s Vienna

    One North American History Course (200- or 300-level)

    These are some of the courses that fulfill this requirement:

    • HIS 257 History of Canada
    • HIS 258 Colonial America
    • HIS 269 The African American Dream
    • HIS 270 Immigration and Ethnicity in American History
    • HIS 359 Revolutionary America, 1763-1815
    • HIS 360 Advertising and Consumer Culture in Early America
    • HIS 362 The Civil War and Reconstruction
    • HIS 369 September 11 in History and Memory

    One World History Course (200- or 300-level)

    These are some of the courses that fulfill this requirement:

    • HIS 241 Russia in the Pre-Revolutionary Period
    • HIS 255 From Contact to Casinos: Interactions with Indians in North America
    • HIS 281 Asia since 1800
    • HIS 290 The Islamic Middle East to 1800
    • HIS 291 The Islamic Middle East since 1800
    • HIS 363 The Vietnam War
    • HIS 385 Women of the World
    • HIS 393 From Jesus to Muhammad: The Near East in Transition

    Five More History Courses of Your Choice

    Two of those courses may come from these introductory courses:

    • HIS 114 World History I
    • HIS 115 World History II
    • HIS 115 European History I
    • HIS 116 European History II
    • HIS 150 Civilization in Rome (taught at Assumption’s Rome Campus)
    • HIS 180 United States History I
    • HIS 181 United States History II

    While history majors may take up to 14 courses in history, they are urged to take courses in other disciplines in order to broaden their liberal arts backgrounds. If you’re intending to pursue graduate work you should note that a reading knowledge of French, German, Spanish, or other foreign languages is often required of doctoral candidates and in some cases of master’s candidates.

    Course Descriptions

    Academic Catalog & Advising Guide

  • The minor in history consists of 6 courses, including a research methods course in which you will write a major essay about how historians have engaged in a significant historical debate. 

    Required Courses

    HIS 400 Research Methods

    • This course introduces the skills, theories, and methods of historical scholarship to acquaint you with the historian’s craft and prepare you for the research seminar. The topic changes each semester to match the expertise of the professor teaching the course. Recent topics have included Baroque and Enlightenment Europe, Race and Gender in Antebellum America, and Stalinist Terror.

    One European History Course (200- or 300- level)

    (see the list of European History courses in the History major section) 

    One North American History Course (200- or 300-level)

    (see the list of American History courses in the History major section) 

    One World History Course (200- or 300-level)

    (see the list of World History courses in the History major section) 

    Two More History Courses of Your Choice

    Course Descriptions

    Academic Catalog & Advising Guide

  • For students interested in teaching in elementary schools, Assumption University offers a streamlined track for completing a major in history along with a major in education. The History: Elementary Education Track consists of 10 courses.

    Required Courses

    One Introductory Course

    Choose one of these courses:

    • HIS 115 World History II
    • HIS 117 European History I
    • HIS 181 United States History II

    A Second Introductory Course

    Choose one of these courses:

    • HIS 114 World History I
    • HIS 115 World History II
    • HIS 116 European History I
    • HIS 117 European History II
    • HIS 150 Civilization in Rome (taught at Assumption’s Rome Campus)
    • HIS 181 United States History II
    • Any 200- or 300-level History Course

    HIS 180 United States History I

    One European History Course (200- or 300-level)

    (see the list of European History courses in the History major section)

    One North American History Course (200- or 300-level)

    (see the list of American History courses in the History major section)

    One World History Course (200- or 300-level)

    (see the list of World History courses in the History major section)

    EDU 323 History and Social Science in the Elementary Curriculum

    HIS 400 Research Methods

    • This course introduces the skills, theories, and methods of historical scholarship to acquaint you with the historian’s craft and prepare you for the research seminar. The topic changes each semester to match the expertise of the professor teaching the course. Recent topics have included Baroque and Enlightenment Europe, Race and Gender in Antebellum America, and Stalinist Terror.

    Two More History Courses of Your Choice

    Students who are interested in obtaining a teaching license in history should meet with the education program coordinator by their second semester to acquire information about applying to the education program.

    Course Descriptions

    Academic Catalog & Advising Guide

  • For students interested in becoming history teachers at the middle or high school level, Assumption University offers a state-approved teacher preparation program for history in grades 5–8 or 8–12. Such students should double major in history and middle (grades 5–8)/secondary (grades 8–12) education.

    Students who are interested in obtaining a teaching license in history should meet with the education program coordinator by their second semester to acquire information about applying to the education concentration.

    Course Descriptions

    Academic Catalog & Advising Guide

  • AMERICAN STUDIES SEMINAR AT THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

    Each fall, the American Antiquarian Society (AAS), one of the nation’s oldest research libraries and learned societies, and five Worcester colleges and universities sponsor an interdisciplinary seminar. Classes take place in the reading room and the learning lab at the AAS.  A preeminent scholar familiar with the AAS’s internationally-renowned collections in early American history, literature, and culture teaches the seminar and mentors students through independent research projects utilizing original documents from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Student projects are cataloged and added to the AAS’s collections at the end of the semester.

    The topic for the American Studies Seminar changes each fall. Recent topics include:

    • Living in New England in the Age of Revolutions
    • Water, Land, and Ecology: Doing Environmental History in Early America
    • We Protect Us: Early American Histories of Mutual Aid and Community Care

     

    ANNA-MARIA MOGGIO ESSAY PRIZES

    The Anna-Maria Moggio Essay Prizes, one for Outstanding Short Essay and one for Outstanding Research Essay, are awarded to the Assumption students who, in the opinion of a committee of the history faculty, write the most impressive essays in each category during that academic year. The awards are presented each spring during the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society induction ceremony.

    Dr. Moggio was a historian of France who taught at Assumption from 1974 to 1979 while also serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She was an avid researcher and a firm advocate of academic excellence. She was active in many scholarly organizations, including Phi Alpha Theta. In recognition of a bequest she left to the History Department, the Essay Prizes are named in her honor.

     

    RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS

    Funding may be available for research assistantships for advanced students engaging in collaborative research with an Assumption faculty member. Topics and responsibilities may vary according to the research program. For an example, follow the student blog.

     

    ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

    Each spring, history majors present projects from their capstone research seminars, internships, faculty-student collaborative research, advanced history courses, and the American Studies Seminar at the Undergraduate Symposium. They gain valuable experience with public speaking through sharing their work in a public forum.

    Recent Undergraduate Symposium presentations include:

    • Kendra Apicella (Class of 2024): “The Paradis Family’s Road Trip: Tourism and the Immigrant Experience”
    • Tyler Berube (Class of 2024): “Cataloguing Ephemera from the Colonel Henshaw Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution”
    • Caroline Branch (Class of 2024): “Collections Management at Research Libraries”
    • Adam Ide (Class of 2024): “Historiography in Early America: How the Revolutionary Generation Understood History and Told the Story of the Revolution”
    • Madison Kenney (Class of 2024): “Too Often Overlooked Stories: Native American Women in the Revolutionary Era”

  • Each year the History Department presents several awards to outstanding students. In their own way, these students make history at Assumption University.

     

    ANNA-MARIA MOGGIO ESSAY PRIZES

    The Anna-Maria Moggio Essay Prizes, one for Outstanding Short Essay and one for Outstanding Research Essay, are awarded to the Assumption students who, in the opinion of a committee of the history faculty, write the most impressive essays in each category during that academic year. The awards are presented each spring during the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society induction ceremony.

    Dr. Moggio was a historian of France who taught at Assumption from 1974 to 1979 while also serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She was an avid researcher and a firm advocate of academic excellence. She was active in many scholarly organizations, including Phi Alpha Theta. In recognition of a bequest she left to the History Department, the Essay Prizes are named in her honor.

     

    HONORS CONVOCATION

    Each year the department presents several awards at the Honors Convocation in the spring semester.

    Departmental Award for Excellence in History

    This award is bestowed on the student who achieves mastery across the discipline, in European, American, and World history courses, in the research methods and historiography seminar, and in the capstone research seminar. In their written work and in conversations about history with faculty and their peers, the recipient of this award demonstrates the strong analytic and communication skills, deepened perspective, and breadth of vision that comes from the study of the past.

    Paul Ziegler Award for Excellence in European History

    This award is named in memory of Paul R. Ziegler, who taught at Assumption for more than four decades. Prof. Ziegler specialized in modern European history, especially Britain and Germany, and Holocaust Studies. He published two books, Joseph Hume: The People’s M.P. in 1985 and Lord Palmerston in 2000. Prof. Ziegler was an elected member of the Royal Historical Society.

    Ken Moynihan Award for Excellence in American History

    This award is named in memory of Kenneth Moynihan, a specialist in early American history. Prof. Moynihan’s books focused on local history: Assumption College: A Centennial History, 1904-2004, and A History of Worcester, 1674-1848. Prof. Moynihan served as department chair for more than twenty years. He also relocated ducks from his farm to Assumption’s campus, initiating the annual Duck Day tradition.

    Ray Marion Award for Excellence in World History

    This award is named in memory of Raymond J. Marion.  Prof. Marion earned his Ph.D. in French history and international relations, following his service in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Asian-Pacific theater during World War II. In 1990, he received the d’Alzon Medal from the Augustinians of the Assumption for his lifetime contributions to Assumption, as a teacher for forty-four years, a coach, and a dean.

    Award for Excellence in Public History

    This award is bestowed on a student who demonstrates laudable proficiency in the theory and methodologies for presenting the past to audiences beyond the traditional classroom. Through their coursework, a fellowship, or an internship at a museum, archive, research library, or other public history site, the recipient of this award has made significant contributions to projects that engage and educate the general public.

    History and Citizenship Award

    This award is bestowed on a student who demonstrates excellence in the study of history and who, through their coursework, campus activities, and community engagement, demonstrates how studying the histories of diverse peoples, periods, and places informs and fulfills Assumption’s mission of cultivating thoughtful citizenship and devotion to the common good.

     

    PHI ALPHA THETA NATIONAL HISTORY HONOR SOCIETY

    Each year the History Department inducts stellar students into the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society at a ceremony in the spring semester. Inductees receive a Phi Alpha Theta pin. Graduating seniors are also presented with honor cords to wear at commencement. Inductees and their families and friends are invited to the ceremony and a reception that follows.

    Acceptance into this national history honor society exposes students to the continuing study of history through shared research, discussion, and guest lectures. There are also opportunities to participate in local and national honor society conferences.

Faculty

Carl Robert Keyes, Ph.D
Carl Robert Keyes, Ph.D
Professor of History Department Chair, History Pre-Law Advisor
John Frederick Bell, Ph.D.
John Frederick Bell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History
Stuart J. Borsch, Ph.D
Stuart J. Borsch, Ph.D
Associate Professor of History
Leslie P. Choquette, Ph.D
Leslie P. Choquette, Ph.D
Professor of History Côté Professor of French Studies Director of the French Institute
Deborah L. Kisatsky, Ph.D
Deborah L. Kisatsky, Ph.D
Associate Professor of History Director of Peace Studies
Irina Mukhina, Ph.D
Irina Mukhina, Ph.D
Professor of History
Thomas Wheatland, Ph.D
Thomas Wheatland, Ph.D
Associate Professor of History

Experiential Learning

Assumption's Rome Campus

At Assumption's campus in Rome, Italy, the city and the country become your classroom through daily and weekend-long excursions throughout "the eternal city" and the Italian countryside. This unique study abroad experience will enrich your academic and cultural pursuits as you walk in the footsteps of emperors and gladiators then enjoy delectable Italian cuisine or perhaps a cappuccino after class in a local cafe. (Did you know that your financial aid follows you to Rome?)

Explore the Rome Campus

Learn the Skills Employers Seek

Research Assistants and Faculty Mentors

Assumption offers opportunities for students to gain practical experience and develop a deeper understanding of their field of study by participating in collaborative research with faculty members. History students are eligible to apply for the D’Amour College Summer Scholars Program and Honors Program Summer Research Fellowship. Other opportunities are also available via independent study courses directed by history faculty. Recent faculty-student research projects include:
  • Black Education in the Emancipations South
  • Curating the Slavery Adverts 250 Project
  • Nineteenth-Century Abolitionist Colleges and Literary Societies

Internships

All Assumption students can participate in the University’s internship programs and spend a semester gaining practical experience. Internships-for-credit may also count as courses for completing a history major. Recent internship sites include:
  • Archives and Library, Worcester Historical Museum in Worcerster, Massachusetts
  • Barnes Museum, a historic homes museum in Southington, Connecticut
  • Special Collections, Leicester Public Library in Leicester, Massachusetts
In addition, history majors in the Pre-Law Program frequently complete internships at law offices in the greater Worcester area.

Study Abroad

During the fall and spring semesters as well as over the summer, many of Assumption’s history majors travel the world while taking part in exciting study abroad programs. Others choose to spend a semester at Assumption’s Rome Campus. No matter their destination, they soak in the past and other cultures when they live in the places that they study in their European and World history classes, gaining greater appreciation for the experience.

Career Paths

Majoring in history prepares you for a wide variety of careers. These are some of the most common career paths for history majors:

Curator

Historical Interpreter

Educator

Documentary Filmmaker

Cultural Resources Manager

Politician

Lawyer

Archivist

Librarian

Historical Consultant

Historic Preservation Specialist

Policy Advisor

First-rate Academics in a Catholic University Setting

Assumption University awakens in students a sense of wonder, discovery, and purpose, forming graduates known for their intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good. Students are provided an education that shapes their souls, forms them intellectually, and prepares them for meaningful careers. Enlivened by the harmony of faith and reason, here, students’ minds and hearts are transformed.

Our Mission

Assumption is dedicated to providing a clear understanding of what your education will cost

We’ll help cut through the complexity of financing your education, ensuring you understand what you need, how to apply for aid, and what’s expected of you. You will be assigned a personal financial aid advisor who will guide you through the process and answer all of your financial aid-related questions.
Learn about financial aid

Pathways to Success

Graduate Schools

On their way to careers in a variety of fields, history majors often enroll in graduate programs. History faculty write letters of recommendation and assist students in preparing their applications for advanced study in history, business, education, law, library and information science, public history, and other graduate programs. These are just some of the colleges and universities where history majors from Assumption have continued their educations:
  • Boston College
  • College of William and Mary
  • Fordham University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Providence College
  • Salem State University
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • University of Rhode Island
  • Western New England University School of Law

Faculty Feature: Professor John Bell

The book Degrees of Equality: Abolitionist Colleges and the Politics of Race, written by Assistant Professor of History John Bell, has been awarded the Linda Eisenmann Prize from the History of Education Society. The prize is given biennially to a book by a first-time author that makes an outstanding contribution to the history of American higher education. Professor Bell’s book, published in 2022, focuses on three institutions of higher education in the eras of the Civil War and Reconstruction (Oberlin College in Ohio, Berea College in Kentucky, and the former New York Central College). These institutions were the first major racially integrated colleges in the United States, and Bell analyzes the broader implications of their experiments for American society and education, both in the nineteenth century and today.
Learn More

Programs Related to History

Community Service-Learning

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Core Texts & Enduring Questions

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Honors Program

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Law, Ethics and Constitutional Studies

Undergraduate

Political Science

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Racial and Ethnic Studies

Undergraduate

Theology

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Women's Studies

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