Explore the past and present
History explores the relationship between two universal aspects of our human experience: time and culture. Time shapes everything we do. Cultures exist within societies that are made up of a complex combination of political and economic institutions, social norms and practices, and systems of knowledge and beliefs that a society creates in order to survive and flourish. History helps us understand why societies developed as they did and what influences shape their present and future.
Because history is the study of culture in time, it is entirely interdisciplinary. It is about how politics, economics, science, art, literature, philosophy and religion have contributed to create the cultures that make up today's world. History therefore equips us to explore the depth and breadth of the human condition in order to become more engaged citizens of our communities and the world.
The History Department offers an undergraduate major and minor and a wide variety of elective courses dealing with the principal periods and topics of American, European, and World history, as well as selected non-European/non-U.S. fields such as East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Atlantic world.
Our majors and minors pair well with a number of other programs throughout the University of St. Thomas.
At the end of each semester that the Capstone is offered, students present their research in a conference-style format. Students also present their work at the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference and the Minnesota Undergraduate History conference.
Our campus chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society in history, began in 1950. Candidates must have completed at least four courses in history and maintained a GPA of at least 3.1 in their history courses and a GPA of 3.0 overall.
In partnership with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, history students engage in the methods and narratives of urban history. Recently, they analyzed the effects of urbanization during the U.S. Gilded Age and the Era of Reform in Latin America.
Students have many opportunities to be involved outside of the classroom, including mentoring participants in Minnesota History Day, interning in local museums, conducting independent research, peer tutoring and working on transcription projects.
History students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of internships. Some are associated with the Museum Studies minor and the Renaissance minor. Others can be arranged through the Minnesota History Center.
Our faculty are scholar-educators who take seriously their responsibility to help students acquire the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for success in their future careers.
Dr. Nagy is a modern East and East-Central European historian and author of Great Expectations and Interwar Realities: Hungarian Cultural Diplomacy, 1918-1941, published by Central European University Press. Courses include Holocaust and Nazi Germany, History of the Soviet Union and The First World War.
Dr. Ahmadi is in the process of completing a book on the socioeconomic independence of border dwellers of Iran and Iraq and the long-term social and political consequences of porous borders in the region. Her courses include Non-state Actors in the Islamic World and History of the Shi'i-Sunni Split.
Dr. Zimmerman is in the process of completing a book entitled Women of Independent Means: Female Entrepreneurs and Property Owners in Rio de Janeiro, 1869-1904. Her courses include Modern Latin America, History of Modern Brazil, Slavery in the Americas and Women and Families in the Americas.
Our alumni go on to engage in a wide range of activities and careers. Some continue their studies in law, museum studies, library science or doctoral degrees in history. Others go into foreign service or public policy work and business.
Do you have questions, or would you like to visit with someone in the History Department? We would be pleased to talk with you.
Mailing Address
History Department, Mail #JRC 432
University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105-1078
Campus Location
Located on the fourth floor of John Roach Center (JRC) at the corner of Summit and Cleveland Avenues in St. Paul, Minnesota.