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History

B.A., Minor

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Students of history do more than study the past. They learn broad, critical thinking, to look beyond what happened to why. History is not only inherently interesting, it’s also good preparation for anything else you do.

Tracks

Major in History

Students pursing a History majors don’t rely on a rote mastery of facts. They learn how to analyze primary sources and formulate original ideas. The History Major program favors seminars over classroom lectures for most courses.

Minor in History

Courses for a history minor must cover at least two geographic areas. For example, Europe and the United States, or Asia and Europe.

"My ultimate goal is to earn my Ph.D. I’m interested in doing my own research, but teaching history students is what I’ve wanted to do in some form for a long time. I want to be a college professor. And, I want to teach at a small liberal arts college like Hollins because I had such a great experience in the Hollins environment."

"In terms of writing skills, reading comprehension, and participation, I was so much better prepared for grad school than my fellow students. I received compliments from my professors on my writing abilities, but I always made sure to tell them that I was schooled by the best."

"From my first history class at Hollins, I was hooked. I just figured that I wanted to write, and research, and teach about the things that interested me and about events and ideas that had the power to change individual lives as well as entire societies, cultures, and perhaps even the whole world. I earned my Ph.D. with fields in military, American, global, and religious history in 2008."

History - Senior Thesis

The Senior Thesis

The department offers an integrated curriculum: every course leads up to your senior thesis. We stress learning how to locate and use sources and documents creatively. By the time you’re a senior, you’ll be ready to undertake a 50-page research paper.

The emphasis is on creativity. You pick the topic and the method, so you can use what you’ve learned in English, sociology, and art to help you make your own kind of history.

In the past, our history majors conducted thesis research at places like the University of California at Berkeley, the Baltimore City Archives, the George C. Marshall Library, and the Library of Virginia archives.

Recent topics include:

  • Magic and the Medieval Church
  • Mexican Society during the Second World War
  • The Desegregation of Roanoke
  • American Women in the Vietnam War
  • Women Revolutionaries during the Paris Commune of 1871
  • Rhetoric in Pre-Revolutionary Massachusetts
  • Slave Markets in Richmond, VA
  • LGBT Community-building in the 1950s

Get a Good Job – In Many Occupations

Because they can think creatively and write quickly and effectively, Hollins history majors find work in a range of rewarding fields – not just history. These include:

  • Hospital risk management
  • Publishing
  • Public relations
  • College and high school teaching and administration
  • Journalism

Internships and Graduate Success

  • Social Science Internships

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    Hollins students majoring in social sciences have recently engaged in internships with the below as well as dozens of other industries and institutions:

    • U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC
    • MSNBC, Washington, DC
    • Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, Henrico, VA
    • Office of Senator Mark R. Warner, Roanoke, VA
    • Derfner, Altman, & Wilborn [law office], Charleston, SC
    • chocolatepaper, Roanoke, VA
    • Business Dialogue, London, England
    • Index on Censorship, London, England
    • Estée Lauder Global Communications, New York, NY
    • Gilman Hill Asset Management, Westport, CT
    • Rosemount Center [early childhood education], Washington, DC
    • District Court of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
    • Roanoke Regional Partnership, Roanoke, VA
    • Niles Bolton Associates, Inc. [architecture], Atlanta, GA
    • Miss Virginia Scholarship Program, Roanoke, VA
    • International Spy Museum, Washington, DC
    • Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC
    • The Marco Rubio Campaign, Washington, DC
    • Office of Overseas Programming & Training Support (OPATS) / Peace Corps, Washington, DC
    • Ogilvy Government Relations, Washington, DC
    • U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, Washington, DC
    • White House Historical Association, Washington, DC
    • Ditto Public Affairs, Brooklyn, NY
    • Emerald Creek Capital LLC, New York, NY
    • PBS NYC, New York, NY
    • Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC, New York, NY
    • SARA (Sexual Assault Response and Awareness), Roanoke, VA

  • Graduate and Professional Schools

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    Below is just a small sampling of acceptances into graduate and professional schools by social science majors from Hollins:

    • Brandeis University Heller School of Social Policy and Management
    • College of William and Mary, Mason School of Business
    • Johns Hopkins University
    • New School of New York
    • Purdue University
    • University of Houston Law Center
    • University of Michigan Law School
    • University of Southern California
    • University of Virginia Law School