History
Office: E332A Thompson Hall
(716) 673-3277
Mary Beth Sievens, Chairperson
Email: history.department@fredonia.edu
Website: http://www.fredonia.edu/department/history/
The Department of History offers a broad-based and worldwide curriculum, with an emphasis on developing critical thinking and writing skills. History majors study the complexities of the human experience, deepen their knowledge of their own society and its past, explore other cultures and societies, and prepare for life in a multi-cultural and international community. The History major also prepares the student for a variety of career opportunities, including law (law schools take a third of their candidates from history majors); government at all levels; editing and book publishing; journalism, communications and media; college and university teaching (with an advanced degree); and public history venues such as historic sites, museums, archives, and libraries. In addition, many jobs in business and industry are open to liberal arts graduates with training in history. The Social Studies Adolescence Education major prepares students to teach social studies in middle school and high school.
Internships: The history department facilitates internships at local museums and archives, in Washington, D.C. and Albany, N.Y., and within the university. The department also encourages students to participate in international experiences and earn college credit through the Study Abroad or Student Exchange programs, as well as through department-sponsored short-term Study Abroad experiences.
Honors and Awards
The honors program of the Department of History is designed to honor graduates of the History or Social Studies programs who have consistently demonstrated ability and produced work of high quality in the discipline. The honors designation is given to students who achieve an all-university average of 3.0; an average in history courses of 3.25; and who earn appropriate grades in HIST 499 (Honors Research Seminar) and HIST 201 (Doing History). For more information on the honors program, students should contact the chairperson. The department gives a variety of scholarships and awards. These include the Helen B. Mancuso Scholarship for junior or senior majors; the MacPhee Scholarship for junior majors; the David H. Carnahan Scholarship; the Kenneth E. Cutler Scholarship; the Kim Korhummel Scholarship; the Robert and Marilyn Maytum Scholarship for incoming freshman majors; the Joseph T. Gallagher Memorial Scholarship for minority students pursuing careers in education; the Zimmer History Scholarship for students pursuing a career in law or communications; and the William and Helen Chazanof Award for student work in local history. The department also annually recognizes Outstanding History and Social Studies majors and an Outstanding History paper. The department inducts juniors and seniors who have done excellent work in history courses into Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, and encourages students to present papers at the annual regional conference of the society.