History
About History
Our Program and Courses
History is both a major and a minor at F&M. Our program is designed to provide opportunities to encounter peoples, cultures and political systems from across time and from around the globe. When you study history at F&M, you’ll explore humanity through historical theory and research, inspecting the questions, challenges, successes and failures that have shaped our world. You’ll learn the essential skills of historians, gaining the ability to research thoroughly, read critically, analyze sources accurately, and write and communicate your findings clearly.
By the time you graduate, you will be able to:
- Recognize history as an intellectual process involving selection and evaluation of material and construction of arguments.
- Understand history as a series of major turning points and the process of change over time.
- Read and understand primary, secondary and tertiary sources and identify the place and purpose of each for historical study.
- Develop critical awareness of your own approach to the past.
Curious about what history classes are like at F&M? Peruse our course catalog to see the depth and breadth of what’s available to you.
Learning Outside the Classroom
You’ll discover in a short time that the study of history extends far outside the classroom. F&M’s history department has a long tradition of encouraging students’ intellectual growth through research opportunities, off-campus study, independent research and more. Our goal is to provide close supervision and mentoring to students in the classroom and around the world.
Research & Independent Studies
Do you want to research Lancaster’s history in World War I? Or maybe you want to uncover
the complicated history of the women’s suffrage movement? You can at F&M. As you dive
into the intricacies of the past, you’ll discover historical areas or ideas you want
to further explore. The good news? You won’t have to wait until graduate school to
launch your investigation.
Explore research at F&M
Off-Campus Study
At F&M, you’ll find extraordinary opportunities to study abroad. Our history majors
have studied in Australia, Austria, China, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy,
Japan, South Africa, Spain, and Tanzania, to name a few places. You, too, can make
study abroad integral to your experiences and research.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
The History Club
The History Club, an F&M student organization, is an intellectual and social opportunity to enhance your academic experience. The History Club examines historical events with a critical eye and perspective and provides students the opportunity to discover more about history.
Museums & Libraries
F&M’s Phillips Museum of Art and the nearby North Museum, a natural historical collection
at the southern end of campus, offer comprehensive materials on historical topics.
Additional resources for history students include F&M’s two research libraries: Shadek-Fackenthal
Library and Martin Library of the Sciences, which houses F&M’s archives and special
collections.
Explore the F&M College Library
Success Beyond F&M
By studying history at F&M, you’ll gain a holistic outlook that provides a strong background in critical thinking, analysis, writing and public presentation — skills highly valuable in any post-graduate pursuit.
Fellowships
It’s not uncommon for history majors to pursue fellowships, which offer often-funded
experiential learning opportunities such as advanced study, research, internships,
service, travel, and more. Our graduates have pursued teaching and public service
fellowships with organizations such as Teach for America and Americorps. They also
go on to complete fellowships overseas with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, for
which F&M is recognized as a top-producing institution.
Explore fellowships at F&M
Graduate School
Many of our history majors choose to pursue graduate school after F&M, with a significant number enrolling in law school. Our graduates have completed their advanced degrees at the best universities, including:
- American University
- Columbia University
- Drexel University
- Johns Hopkins University
- New York University
- Rutgers University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Villanova University
Career Paths
History at F&M provides a strong foundation for many professional professions. Our graduates hold diverse positions such as:
- Attorney
- Business executive
- College professor
- Editor/publisher
- Filmmaker
- Foreign service diplomat
- Government official
- History teacher
- Journalist
- Judge
- Law clerk
- Marketing writer
- Social worker
Faculty Spotlight
“I was writing a book I was looking for.”
Assistant Professor of History Gregory Kaliss recently received the North American Society for Sport History monograph of the year award for “Beyond the Black Power Salute: Athlete Activism in an Era of Change.” Kaliss wanted to write about the general spirit of activism among athletes in the 1960s and ’70s. He read stories on the topic in biographies of individual athletes, and in articles on specific events, but he could not find them collected in a single text. “That’s what ultimately led me to this book—I was writing a book I was looking for that just wasn’t out there, something that synthesized all these different stories and tried to draw out larger patterns,” he says.Read More »
Student Spotlight
A Semester in Paris: ‘Night at the Museum’ Could Never Compare
Ruth Axford ’25 never imagined that she would walk to the Arc de Triomphe to take the metro, intern in the same building complex as the Louvre, or go to the Bastille area for class. But she did all of that and more when she spent a semester studying abroad in Paris. Axford interned at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a museum dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of the decorative arts. The French and history double major worked on an exhibit for Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. “Going through the finished product on opening night with my colleagues, seeing it all come to life without Tyvek commercial wrap on the floor was crazy,” Axford said. “When we came out, the credits on the wall said all our names, including ‘avec la collaboration de Ruth Axford.’ I may have happily cried walking home along the Champs Elysées, amazed at everything I accomplished in only four months.”Read More »
Alumni Spotlight
Gaining Invaluable Skills in Effective Communication, Problem Solving, and Leadership
Coming from a long line of service members, William Lewerenz ’23 always had a goal to join the armed forces. “F&M did an extraordinary job of helping me to follow my passions as well as aiding me to discover new ones,” Lewerenz said. A double major in history and business, organizations and society, Lewerenz said that blending disciplines and challenging himself in the classroom assisted in his development of becoming an effective leader. “F&M taught me how to effectively communicate and problem solve with individuals from various backgrounds. The holistic liberal arts education has allowed me to comprehensively tackle complex and difficult issues that require immediate attention,” he said.Read More »
Related Fields of Study
Africana Studies
Learn to view the world through diverse perspectives, from Africa and the regions of the Diaspora to the lived experiences of Black Americans today. Africana Studies at F&M explores the range of interrelated histories, cultures, and intellectual contributions of Africans and those of African origin, all the way back to the cradle of civilization itself.
American Studies
Engage with the oldest multifaceted major at F&M. As a student of American Studies, you’ll enjoy a true liberal arts experience, exploring several disciplines to develop analytical skills and critical judgment and to examine the range and diversity of American experiences, identities and communities.
Government
F&M’s Department of Government has earned a reputation as one of the finest in the country. Study government at F&M and examine power, politics, justice, equity, and change while developing skills in language, economics, mathematics and philosophy.
F&M History in Action
September 11, 2024
‘Writing a Book I Was Looking For’
History Professor Gregory Kaliss recently received the North American Society for Sport History monograph of the year award for “Beyond the Black Power Salute: Athlete Activism in an Era of Change.”
August 19, 2024
History Detective Digs into the Past
When Sofia Portillo arrived at Franklin & Marshall College, majoring in history was not a subject she considered until she took a class. Then she found her passion.
July 25, 2024
Success Beyond F&M: Gaining Invaluable Skills in Effective Communication, Problem Solving, and Leadership
Coming from a long line of service members, joining the armed forces was always a goal of William Lewerenz ’23. “F&M did an extraordinary job of helping me to follow my passions as well as aiding me to discover new ones,” Lewerenz said.