History (HS)

Professors: M. P. Berg (Chair), A. Kugler, P. V. Murphy, J. H. Krukones (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs), D. Kilbride, R. Hessinger, M. Marsilli; Associate Professors: R. W. Purdy, J. M. McAndrew, M. Gallo.

College-level history is not the memorization of dry facts and dates. It is much more than chronology—putting past events in chronological order to tell a story. Rather, it is a creative process that involves the critical interpretation of the past to answer important questions that deepen our understanding of the past and inform our activities in the present. Questions you might encounter in the classroom include: Why did the North win the U.S. Civil War? How have women contributed to political and cultural life in Japan? How do ordinary people become complicit in genocide? How have colonialism and imperialism shaped modern Latin America? At JCU, history involves discovering, researching, and learning more about your passion, but it also means discovering new interests and refining skills that will enable you to excel in any path you take after graduation.

Through its Core curriculum course offerings, its major program, and other activities, the History Department fosters the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind that enable students to achieve success at John Carroll and in their later lives and careers.