Department Highlights
The History Department employs ten full-time faculty members with a wide range of expertise in the United States, Germany, England, Latin America, Japan, Russia, and Renaissance Italy. This allows you to take a wide range of courses in African, Asian, European, Latin American, and U.S. history. In our classes you’ll wrestle with interpreting primary sources, engage in discussion and debate and, most important, hone your skills in critical thinking, writing, and public speaking.
Department Highlights
The History Major is structured to allow students to pursue research projects in areas of their interest. It is also manageable enough (39 credits, or 13 courses) to easily double major or minor in one or more fields. That reasonable size also makes it easy to participate in JCU’s Full-Time MBA program.
The History Department takes special care to prepare our majors for the world after John Carroll. Pretty much anything. Our graduates have gone on to pursue a dizzying diversity of careers in the law, business, education, government, community service, politics — and a lot more. The History Department at John Carroll has established a mentoring network with our graduates. We put our alumni in the law in contact with students interested in legal careers so they can help mentor them through the law school application process. Alums in business fields, many of whom have earned MBA degrees, assist students seeking entry into the business world. And alumni who have gone on to graduate school — in all kinds of fields — work with our students to allow them to put their best foot forward. If you love history but fear that majoring in it will hamper your career prospects, have no fear — our alumni have you covered. For accounts from some of these alumni, click on the Success Stories tab. For more information on possible employment opportunities, career guidance and graduate schools, check out the National Council on Public History.
On April 25th, 2024 the History Department held its annual Majors and Alumni Banquet in the Dolan Science Center. There was a great turnout, and it was wonderful to see the Alumni! Special thanks to our guest speaker, Abby Curtin Teare '12.
The Department also proudly presented the following awards to History Majors, and would like to congratulate them:
The following students were awarded the Rev. Howard J. Kerner Scholarship:
Emma Arrighi
Emily Blasko
Emmaline Hannan
The 2024 Vourlojianis Outstanding Senior Award:
Rebecca Kilmer
Robert Soucek
2024 Sr. Madeline Muller, HM - Dr. Marian Morton Women Historian of Greater Cleveland:
Lydia Lane
Please mark April 24, 2025 on your calendar, as this is when we will be holding the next History Department Majors and Alumni Banquet. More information on this event will be forthcoming.
Please direct questions to klerch@jcu.edu
Dr. Maria Marsilli was highlighted by The Carroll News in it's segment "Meet the Professor." Listen to this insightful podcast here.
Dr. Matthew Berg was selected for the Fulbright Senior Fellow in Cultural Studies to Austria for spring semester 2024. He will be affiliated with the International Research Center for Cultural Studies in Vienna and the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna, and will be working in various archives and libraries as he completes his book manuscript Renewing Red Vienna: The Reconstruction of a Social Democratic Milieu, 1945-1959.
Below find the links to the latest and greatest Department Newsletter. Find out about upcoming courses, department events, faculty and student news. Please contact the department (historyjcu@jcu.edu) with any questions.