Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts LMU.edu
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Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts LMU.edu
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History Department

How did we get here? What were other times like? How and why do things change?

We live in interesting times! Now more than ever, it is important to understand how we got here, but also that "here" was not inevitable – that history is about contingency, about the factors and choices that shape a particular path, as well as about different times, societies, and possibilities. A History degree gives you the unique perspective acquired by studying the past and by understanding how the past is reflected and refracted in the present. The LMU History curriculum will train you to be alert, critical, and inquisitive – a careful and keen researcher and writer. Studying a broad range of places and times, you will become an informed global citizen, able to participate in public life with articulate, effective, and persuasive arguments. Your own research will demonstrate that historical interpretations are always changing, while your ability to make sense of complex problems will make you an effective decision-maker. When you graduate, you will be prepared to follow any career you choose, armed with knowledge, skepticism, empathy, eloquence – and perspective. Explore our website or read our FAQ to learn more. 

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    Events

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    Now Our Watch Begins...
    Watch the LMU History Trailer
    Headshot of Key Into Public Service Scholar
    Key Into Public Service
    Veronica Backer-Peral '22 awarded prestigious Phi Beta Kappa scholarship
    Question marks on pavement
    What can you do with a degree in history?
    Politics, education, business... Studying history prepares you for a range of jobs. Here's how.
    Beneath the Banner of the Cross
    Beneath the Banner of the Cross
    History students organize a public history exhibit on the global legacies of the Jesuits.
    Poster advertisement for History in the Headlines Event 2021
    History in the Headlines: Women's Bodies and the State
    History faculty, guest speakers, and students hold a roundtable discussion on the history of reproductive rights in light of recent state laws and federal court rulings.
    Viral Histories
    Check out our social media series featuring conversations with LMU historians on a variety of topics.

    Beneath the Banner of the Cross: The Global Vision of the Early Jesuits

    WATCH: History students in Professor Amy Woodson-Boulton's Public History Course present at the grand opening of the student-organized exhibit "Beneath the Banner of the Cross: The Global Vision of the Early Jesuits." Using stunning original books and manuscripts from the William H. Hannon Library, the exhibition marks 400 years since the canonization of Jesuit founders St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier and explores the complex legacies of the order’s global mission. Students in HIST 4910 ("Topics in Public History: Exhibiting Sainthood") had the opportunity to curate original objects from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries with the support of Cynthia Becht, head of the archives and special collections. Open to any major, HIST 4910 introduces students to the discipline and practice of public history. At museums, libraries, historic sites, in film and media, in art and memorials, in books and online, public historians engage broad audiences in complex and often controversial issues of history, memory, commemoration, and identity. Fr. Michael Engh, S.J., chancellor of the university, and Amy Woodson-Boulton, professor of history at LMU, will provide context for the students' work. View the full exhibition opening in the attached Video. Follow us at @lmuhistory on Instragram for more details!

    Beneath the Banner of the Cross
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