Department of History
From the Chair of the Department
 We're very glad that you decided to visit us and check out what we have to offer, both in terms of courses and program. I hope the following will give you a brief snapshot of the department, but be sure to explore any of your interests further, and contact any of us if you have questions!
The Department of History introduces students to the richness and complexity of the human experience. The discipline of history trains students to understand history as "process:" to research, analyze, synthesize, and critically evaluate evidence. To the historian, factual information is never an end in itself, but a means to undersand how the conditions of our own day evolved out of the past.
Our Courses range from introductory to advanced seminars, covering all areas of the world and all periods of history, from ancient to contemporary.
Those who Major or Minor in history receive a broad preparation for entrace into graduate school and the professions of law, government, foreign service, journalism, teaching, and business.
The Faculty include 10 fulltime scholar-teachers, with advanced degrees from some of the best Ph.D. programs in the world.
The Department participates as well in many interdisciplinary programs, including American Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Judaic Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, International Studies, Russian and East European Studies, Women's Studies, and the University Honors Program. Students who attain high standards of scholarship are invited to become members of the Department's Psi Theta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society for History, and to particiate in the special programs under its auspices. In addition the History Club sponsors, movies, trips to historic sites, and social events.
Internships, both on campus and in local archives and historical societies, provide excellent opportunities for creative and self-motivated students.
Please let us know if you have questions. We look forward to your participation in our Department's programs, and we welcome your interest in our courses.
Sincerely,
David W. McFadden, Ph.D.
Professor of History and Chair
Fairfield Fulbrights |
4 Fairfield graduating seniors who majored in history were awarded highly-prestigious Fulbright Scholarships.
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Profile
James Costa
History Major
 "Since declaring a history major in the spring of my freshman year, I have certainly come to appreciate my decision. The history major has allowed me to perform the analysis, investigation, and presentation of the past that is so essential to my work as a college student. Paired with my second major in Italian language, the history major has allowed me to take the skills that I learned from the faculty of historians at Fairfield all the way to Italy for my junior year. While in Florence for spring 2005, I was engaged in an extensive research project that forced me to examine archives in both Italian and English in order to complete my exploration into the lives of some of the most famous names in Renaissance Italy. My studies in Italy, as well as all of the other work that I have done here for my history major, have provided me with experiences that will be vital to my development as a historian in graduate school and beyond."
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