Why Major in History at Carroll?
Do you have a passion for history? Are you curious about career opportunities for history majors?
Here are some options: teach history at the secondary or university level, work for a historical society, or use history as a strong base for your dream to become a lawyer or a researcher for government or non-profit agencies. A background in history is ideal for someone wanting to work in different parts of the country or overseas. Carroll's history program offers an impressive foundation that will prepare you for whatever path you choose in the future.
History students leave Carroll with a strong history background combined with writing and communication skills that are developed in unique ways. We ask a lot of our students and we offer many opportunities for you to develop your academic skills. Carroll has maintained a long-standing connection with the Phi Alpha Theta Chapter. History students submit papers to the Northwest Regional History Conference and many are selected to present their papers at the regional conference held annually. Additionally, communication skills are enhanced through foreign language classes and study abroad programs.
Our mission
The mission of the Department of History at Carroll College is twofold. First, it is our responsibility to provide all Carroll students with an appreciation for history so that they may have a clearer understanding of the society—locally as well as globally—within which they live. Our second responsibility is to provide students with the appropriate knowledge and skills so that they may pursue professional careers in the field of history and history-related areas. This twin mission of the department is a direct outgrowth of the Carroll College Mission statement, which declares that the school “is dedicated to providing its students the means for their full realization of a dual goal of vocation and enlightenment.”
At Carroll you are treated as an individual. Our faculty is made up of practicing historians and devoted teachers who themselves are engaged in living out the mission of the College in their own research, writing, teaching and mentoring. As a history student,you have the opportunity to excel in classes that are small, enabling you to take control of your education. Small is not a synonym for academic limitation; rather smaller classes provide more potential for personal interaction with professors and the material we study.
A broad range of courses
In its effort to provide Carroll students with an appreciation for history, and thus the society within which they live, the History Department offers a broad range of courses in Classical, Early and Modern European, American, East Asian, and Latin American history. The department purposely avoids offering narrowly focused courses that may be of benefit to a very select number of students. We firmly believe that more broadly based courses are of greater value to majors and non-majors alike, especially when those students are all undergraduates.
Those broadly based courses, including History of Western Civilization, History of Modern Europe, and History of the United States, also provide the foundation for students who wish to pursue professional careers in history and history-related fields. An examination of the course offerings in the department shows that we teach a significant number of upper-division courses that enable our students to obtain an increasingly sophisticated knowledge of history.
10 reasons
to choose carroll college to study History
- A wide variety of classes to choose from (Ancient Rome, Medieval History, Contemporary Europe since 1945, the History of the Trans-Mississippi West, and 20th Century American History)
- The opportunity to do original research in the capstone research seminar class
- The chance to learn how historians conduct research and write history in the capstone historiography class
- Participation in the history honors society Phi Alpha Theta
- Small class sizes
- Direct interaction with dynamic faculty members engaged with their students and their field
- Internships at the Montana Historical Society and Fort Harrison
- Emphasis on studying abroad either through short-term programs or semester- and year-long exchanges
- Exploration of different societies, cultures, and political systems throughout history in countries throughout the world
- Opportunities to work in several different areas after graduation, from law and government to education, policy making, museums, libraries, and archives
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THIS DEGREE?
- Teach history at the secondary level
- Work for a historical society or a museum
- Work for publishing firms editing books, journals, and magazines
- Become a lawyer
- Work as a researcher for government or non-profit agencies
- Work for government agencies in different parts of the country or overseas
Experts in the field
"Studying history at Carroll enables one to work one-on-one with experts in the field of history. The intimacy and personal attention provides the student with an effective way of coming to understand and appreciate the human past. Carroll's faculty guided me through not only my academic life, but has served as strong examples for my personal life."
-Dr. Joseph Laythe, Professor of History, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
News and Events
-Are you interested in traveling to the Middle East with an expert . . . on the Middle East? Then check out Dr. Fregulia's program entitled "An Elusive Peace" slated for May 11-25, 2011. Earn 1 academic credit while traveling to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and several points in between. For more information, contact Shannon Ackeret in the Education Abroad Office at 406-447-4582 or Dr. Fregulia at jfregulia -is-at- carroll -dot- edu.
- Dr. Jeanette Fregulia and Dr. Robert Swartout participated in "To Each a Key: Unlocking the Door to Interfaith Harmony," the Carroll College Centennial Interfaith Symposium, November 4-6, 2009 on the Carroll campus.
-The Department of History helped Carroll and the Helena community commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall through a mini-film festival, a replica of the wall and its history, and a public lecture by Dr. Gillian Glaes on the wall, its rise, and its fall.
Congratulations to Dr. Jeanette Fregulia and Dr. Gillian Glaes, each of whom earned the Jerry Berberet Summer Research and Writing Grant for 2009.
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Swartout, Jr., who was named Carroll College's Scholar of the Year at the May, 2009 commencement ceremony.
PHI ALPHA THETA Northwest Regional Conference, April 17-18, 2009 at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. Carroll students Katie Beall, Marshall McEwan, Kyle Moore, Leonard Thurmond, and Greg Mengel presented original papers at this conference, which is attended annually by Carroll College History students and faculty.
HONORS THESES: Congratulations to the following students who completed, submitted, and presented their honors theses in history for the 2008-2009 school year:
Garrett Armstrong, "From Budapest to the Big Sky: Two Hungarian Immigrants' Experiences of the Hungarian Revolt of 1956 and its Effects"
Leonard Thurmond, "The Rise of Sportsmanship: The Legal Incorporation of the Hunting Ethic into Montana Hunting Regulations up to 1941"
Centennial History Book
Dr. Robert Swartout, Department Chair and Professor of History has produced the definitive history of Carroll College, Bold Minds and Blessed Hands: The First Century of Montana's Carroll College. This book chronicles Carroll's epic first century and capture the essence of the college's ascent to national acclaim. With historic photographs memorializing the College's greatest moments, the book examines five phases of Carroll's development. Find out more and order the book today!