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 America and U.S.-Canada Northern Borderlands, U.S. Women

Assistant Professors:

Elise Boxer, Native 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
Women and Gender Studies

The study of history examines the adventure of peoples and societies from the earliest written, oral and material records to the present. Courses in history help students 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 long after they leave the University of South Dakota. History prepares our graduates to actively engage the world around them, to better understand the peoples and cultures they will interact with for the rest of their lives, and to participate in important policy discussions that will affect their future.

The history major and minor train students to evaluate historical sources and arguments, develop their skills in critical analysis, writing, and communication, and foster a spirit of open-minded inquiry. The study of history provides critical thinking skills and perspectives that are invaluable for those intending to pursue almost any career, including law, teaching, journalism, politics, business, museum and archives work, archaeology, park services, librarianship, and the civil or diplomatic service. 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, the Native Studies program, the Classical Humanities minor, the Latin minor, the Religious Studies minor, and the Women and Gender Studies minor.

HONOR SOCIETY: PHI THETA ALPHA

Since 1957 the Department has housed 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 of History has hosted an annual Student History Conference. This day-long event, which is modeled on the academic conferences where USD faculty regularly present their own research, introduces both undergraduate and graduate students to the professional side of being an historian. The Student History Conference is the longest-running student research forum at USD and features papers on regional, 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 (supports history majors studying abroad)
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)
Reaves Family History Scholarship (for history majors)