History Department

Kurt Hackemer, Chairperson
East Hall, Room 207
(605) 677-5218
history@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/history

FACULTY

Professors:

Steven J. Bucklin, U.S. Diplomatic History, Modern Britain, Contemporary America
Kurt H. Hackemer, 19th Century U.S., Military/Naval History, Civil War
Clayton M. Lehmann, Ancient History, Medieval History, Early Modern History

Associate Professors:

Scott Breuninger, Intellectual History, Modern Britain and British Empire, European Social History
David I. Burrow, European History, Russian History, Twentieth Century Europe
Molly P. Rozum, Great Plains of North American and U.S.-Canada Northern Borderlands, U.S. Women

Assistant Professors:

Elise Boxer, American Indian Studies/History, Mormon History, and 19th/20th Century History
Nicole Hamonic, Medieval Europe, Religion
Sara Lampert, Colonial and Early America, Women & Gender, Race & Ethnicity, Popular Culture, Religion, Reform

MAJOR:

History, B.A., B.S., B.S.Ed. 

MINORS:

Classical Humanities
History
Latin
Religious Studies

The study of history examines the adventure of peoples and societies from the earliest written records to the present. The courses in history help students to understand the problems of an increasingly interdependent world in which citizens must make decisions based on informed reflection and critical thinking. The major also fosters an enjoyment of history that will enrich a student’s intellectual development after college. The history major and minor will train students in the use of historical sources, develop their skills in critical analysis, and foster a spirit of open-minded inquiry. The study of history provides critical thinking skills and perspectives that are necessary for those intending to enter professions in law, teaching, journalism, politics, ministry, and the civil or diplomatic service. These critical thinking skills are also invaluable for those intending to pursue almost any career, such as business, museum work, archaeology, park services, or librarianship. In conjunction with the School of Education the department offers a major in Secondary Education/History Education and collaborates in the minor in Social Sciences Education. The Department of History also houses the Philosophy Program.

HONOR SOCIETY: PHI THETA ALPHA

Since 1957 the Department has sheltered a chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary, the largest academic honorary in the world. History majors are invited to membership in their junior and senior years.

STUDENT HISTORY CONFERENCE

Since 1965 the Department has hosted an annual Student History Conference, modeled on professional history conferences. At the day-long conference undergraduate students from USD and regional colleges and universities present papers on local, American, European, and world history.

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Carl Christol History Award (available to upper-class history majors)
• Robert Stark Scholarship (for history majors)
• Donald L. Bechtel History Scholarship (available to history majors with a GPA of 3.0 or better)
• Cedric and Evelyn Cummins Memorial Scholarship (available to sophomore or junior history majors)
• Ramon Harris/Robert Wallace Scholarship (for history majors)
• Cliff Eggers Memorial Scholarship (available to junior history majors with a GPA of 3.0 to 3.3)
• Anna M. Goetz Scholarship (for history majors)
• Everett Sterling Book Award (for history majors)
• Elbert and Marjorie Harrington Book Award (for history majors)
• Robert “Bid” Miller/Cedric Cummins History Scholarship (for history majors)
• Reaves Family History Scholarship (for history majors)
   

Philosophy (History Department)

Kurt Hackemer, Chairperson
East Hall, Room 207
(605) 677-5218
philosophy@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/philosophy

FACULTY

Professor:

Leroy N. Meyer, Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Culture

Assistant Professor:

Joseph Tinguely, 19th Century Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Ethics, Aesthetics

Lecturer:

Justin Moss, Ethical Theory, Introduction to Ethics, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics

MAJOR:

Philosophy, B.A., B.S.

MINOR:

Philosophy

The study of philosophy represents the finest tradition in university education and will be of lasting value in any vocation prizing that tradition, e.g. law, government, health services, psychology, physics, mathematics, and fine arts. A philosopher is committed to a way of life which promotes wholeness, excellence, and well-being. A philosophical way of life is achieved only through intense, critical investigation of the fundamental principles of all reality and human belief. This is what is meant by referring to philosophy as the love of wisdom. The philosophy program does not hold a narrow, professionalist view of its work, and therefore denies that philosophical activity is limited to scheduled hours of the day. Both inside and outside the classroom, the faculty teaches by engaging in philosophical reflection with those who desire to learn. In light of the work of great philosophical thinkers, the curriculum challenges the student to seek consistent, reasonable, and well defined positions regarding such issues as the nature and possibility of knowledge; the grounds for moral judgment; the methods, aims, and presuppositions of the sciences and arts; the objects and limits of religious belief; and the fundamental nature of reality. Philosophical study not only encourages, but requires, responsible, independent thought and action; it often widens the scope of experience by disclosing surprising alternatives to settled opinions and habitual beliefs. Philosophy instills the conviction that free, critical inquiry is a necessary condition of a genuinely worthwhile life. The Philosophy program is administratively located in the Department of History.

SCHOLARSHIP

• Akeley Philosophy Fund