History
Available as a major or minor
When you study history you gain strong research, critical thinking, and writing skills through extensive projects and one-on-one work with professors. Roanoke's History Department boasts as many tenured professors as some large state institutions. They teach everything from Latin American and African history to European and public history.
At Roanoke, you'll get to experience history firsthand. You'll search for artifacts during archaeological digs and intern with Virginia's Department of Historical Resources. You'll have opportunities to study in England, Germany, Argentina, South Africa, and many other places through Roanoke's May Term history classes and another study abroad opportunities.
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Curriculum & Courses
Sample Course Offerings
HIST 213: Age of Alexander the Great
HIST 246: The Holocaust
HIST 273: Latin American Revolutions
HIST 277: American Tourist in Rome (May Term course in Italy)
HIST 284: Modern Middle East
Student Experiences
Daniel Ayers: The Folk Storyteller
A history major, Daniel channeled his love for folk music into his academic work, which opened the door to earning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Scotland.
Student interns at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
An internship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum meant Tyler Merrill spent his fall days in downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from the National Mall. Along with other participants in the Lutheran College Washington Semester program, he took classes, went on weekly field trips and volunteered with non-profit organizations. The Holocaust Museum was of particular interest to Merrill, a history major with plans to teach high school, coach a swimming team and possibly enter law school a little later in life.
Merrill says his most memorable experience in the nation's capital was volunteering as an advocate for homeless and runaway youths. "D.C. has wonderful programs for the homeless," he says. "It's phenomenal...I was left with a passion for getting involved and doing my part to help right some wrongs."
What Makes Roanoke Different?
Learn by Doing
The Historical Society—Roanoke’s oldest campus organization
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Homecoming Day
On Homecoming Day, the Society puts on a series of events to honor first president David F. Bittle. The event begins with a parade to the cemetery to meet Bittle face-to-face, and concludes on the back quad with a bonfire.
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Homecoming Bash
After the sun sets on Homcoming Day, the Society celebrates Bittle's Birthday. The karaoke performances of students and faculty make it a night to remember.
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History Through the Lens
The Historical Society hosts a film series every year, with faculty introducing films dealing with, or from, the past.
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Historical Dress-up Day
Each year on Founder's Day, the Living History Lab helps faculty, staff and students dress for a particular era in time.
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Departmental Colloquia
Every semester, the Historical Society hosts a series of events designed to promote historical understanding and the career prospects of our students.
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Spring Picnic
Each year at the end of the spring semester, the department and the Historical Society host a picnic for our students on the department's deck.
Careers & Outcomes
Our grads work at great organizations.
Faculty
Breadth of Faculty Expertise is Exceptionally Large for a Small Liberal Arts College
News
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This marks the first official visit by a sitting ambassador in more than 100 years, and it is especially significant due to Roanoke College’s unique connection with Korea.
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The grant-funded residency brought three accomplished artisans from Wonju, Korea, to campus for two weeks.
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The sculpture, “Authors and Architects” by Sandy Williams IV, was selected in partnership with Creative Time and will be situated on campus to memorialize enslaved people connected to Roanoke College history.
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Join the History Department for its annual History Homecoming Bash!
- Date:
- November 19, 2024
- Time:
- 7:30 - 11:30 p.m.
- Location:
Logan Gallery, Bank Building
History is one of the three most popular majors at Roanoke College.
When you study history you gain strong research, critical thinking, and writing skills through extensive projects and one-on-one work with professors. Roanoke's History Department boasts as many tenured professors as some large state institutions. They teach everything from Latin American and African history to European and public history.
At Roanoke, you'll get to experience history firsthand. The earliest residents of what would become Salem have been documented through archeological evidence going back to 8000 B.C. Salem was a Civil War stronghold and was once marketed as the "Switzerland of the South." You'll search for artifacts during archaeological digs and intern with Virginia's Department of Historical Resources. You'll have opportunities to study in England, Germany, Argentina, South Africa, and many other places through Roanoke's May Term history classes and another study abroad opportunities.
If you enjoy the mental discipline histories fosters, like analytical reading, library and archival research, writing, and arguing interpretations, history can provide a great step towards careers in journalism, research, law, and historic preservation. Studying European and world history can give you an advantage in finding employment in international business and finance.
We offer both a major and a minor in history.