The study of history at Trinity University is designed to help students develop analytical skills and a more complex perspective on the past, which will in turn enable them to better understand the society in which they live. Our students concentrate on the study of history for a wide variety of reasons. Many will continue their education in law school or graduate school, and they find history a valuable preparation for future professional training. Others plan to teach in public schools or use their training for careers in government, business, or the non-profit sector, including museums and cultural institutions. Many others take courses in history because the subject, a core discipline in the liberal arts, offers perspective on the lives of both nations and individuals. History can serve as a foundation for a life of learning and of engagement in the local or world community.
Courses available to entering first-year students in the Department of History range from surveys of Middle Eastern, African, Latin American, and Asian histories, to those covering the history of Europe and the United States. First year students are able to choose more challenging advanced courses depending on the strength of their Advanced Placement test scores. There are a number of discussion-oriented courses in history, as well as seminars and independent study options, which bring students together with professors in small groups for an invigorating and challenging educational experience.
Intermediate and advanced history courses offer students exposure to scholarly debates within specific areas of study. Courses in these levels cover topics ranging from ancient Greece to the contemporary world. Students also may focus their historical studies on national histories, including modern China and Japan, Brazil and Mexico, Nigeria, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Students are also afforded unique opportunities to take recently developed courses that will introduce them to interdisciplinary research methods that draw on the insights of environmental and urban studies, sociology, economics, psychology, and literature. The department offers courses in economic and social history, the history of science, the history of women, and the history of the city.
· Engaged faculty with a commitment to teaching, advising, and scholarship
· Faculty with expertise in economic, social, political, diplomatic, intellectual, and cultural history
· Internships at local museums, city departments, and national historic landmarks
History students have the opportunity to engage in research through independent study, the required major seminar, and the honors program, in addition to those generated through internships. Internships are available throughout San Antonio at museums, city departments, and national historic landmarks, among many other opportunities.
The department keeps class sizes small because we want the study of history to be a conversation between the faculty and the students. Classes, even those at the introductory level, are generally structured around discussions of primary historical documents and stress the development of solid writing skills.
Qualified students may join Omega Tau, the international history honors society, which sponsors a series of essay-writing contests and awards, and hosts an annual departmental dinner honoring new members and graduating seniors.
History majors pursue careers in a host of areasÑteaching and historical research, medicine, law, politics, and business are among the most frequent. Twice a year, the department posts updates from history department graduates on their web site. (Check out Alumni Letters at www.trinity.edu/departments/history/footnotes/footnotes.html.)
Excerpts from the most recent Alumni Letters:
Laura Fries '03 who won the department's Detweiler Prize for Historical Writing, is a staff writer for the San Antonio Current.
Sally Elshihabi '02 worked for the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies in Abu Dhabi and has completed a Fulbright fellowship in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. She will attend law school at American University.
Alison Bell '00 is a graduate student at Texas A&M University, and writing her thesis, "The Permanence of Parliament: The Impact of 75 Years of Parliamentary Legislation in Establishing Political Stability in England."
Shayna Cook '98 recently completed law school at the University of Michigan, and is clerking for a federal judge in Austin, Texas.
Amber Degn '97 is curator at the Windsor (Connecticut) Historical Society.
Tom Spencer '90: is assistant professor of history & philosophy at Northwest Missouri State University, and author of The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration: Power on Parade, 1877-1995. Each summer, Tom joins hundreds of American historians in coming to Trinity to grade the Advanced Placement exams.
Pableaux Johnson '88 is a food and travel writer based in New Orleans, and author of World Food New Orleans (Lonely Planet Publications).
Adam Lee '87, with his wife, owns and operates Siduri Vineyards in northern California.
Dr. John Jeffries Martin, Chair
Department of History
(210) 999-7624
jmartin@trinity.edu
www.trinity.edu/departments/history/index.html