Popular Electives
- African American History
- American Indian Law and Public Policy
- Civil Rights Movement in America
- Europe in the Age of Revolution
- History of East Asia to 1800
- History of Latin America since 1789
- The Islamic World: 600–1800
- Modern Africa
- United States Immigration History
- The United States Since 1945
- Women and US Social Movements
- Work and Workers in America
Recent Internships
- Big Springs Museum, Caledonia, NY
- Livingston County Historical Society and Museum
- Niagara County’s Historian’s Office
- Rochester Museum and Science Center
- Senator Kristen Gillibrand’s Office, Rochester, NY
- Seward House Museum, Auburn, NY
- Town of Brighton Historian’s Office
- US Department of Justice
Alumni Spotlight
Kyle Hoyng '14
Major: History
Career: Hoyng is currently a social studies teacher at West High School in Waukesha, WI.
History
Why study history at Geneseo?
History courses at Geneseo let students explore how humans throughout history have survived, grown, resisted, and changed—from the environmental history of modern Africa to the struggle for workers’ rights in the 20th-century US to the intellectual history of the Islamic world. The curriculum helps students acquire practical and intellectual skills such as reading deeply and critically, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an argument, locating evidence and putting it in its proper context, and conveying ideas clearly to a broad range of audiences.
Geneseo’s history degree is designed to pair well with an education certification or a wide number of interdisciplinary minors. Graduates have found success in a range of fields, from the classroom to the boardroom, from museums to medicine.
Program Options
Partnership Programs
Additional Options
- Concentration in History with Early Childhood/Childhood Education (B–6)
- Microcredential in Carceral Studies
Program Highlights
- Choice: With only two required courses, students may tailor their degree to the topics and subjects that interest them.
- Global Perspectives: Faculty teach histories from many different parts of the world, in both the recent and the deep past, to better enable students to become globally aware and engaged.
- Hands-on Learning: Students work with active historians in primary source research, including research in governmental records, newspaper articles, census data, medieval manuscript pages, and more.
- Prestigious Student Awards: Geneseo history students have earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, US State Department Critical Language Scholarships, US Student Fulbright Awards, and more.
- Academic Excellence: Students regularly collaborate with faculty members on projects, collaborate with students at other public liberal arts colleges, and present their independent research at regional and national conferences.
- Inspired Teaching: Award-winning professors dedicate time outside of the classroom to supervise honors theses, help arrange student internships, give talks and lectures, organize study-abroad trips, and plan social events.
- Student Activities: History Club, Phi Alpha Theta academic honor society, internships, honors, and prizes.
Example Careers
- Historian
- Government Analyst
- Lawyer
- Nonprofit Manager
- Social Studies Teacher
Recent Employers
- Apple News
- Ernst & Young Global Ltd.
- League of Conservation Voters
- Nassau County Surrogate’s Court
- Niagara Wheatfield Central School District
- NYS Office of Children and Family Services
- Prudential
- Rush–Henrietta Central School District
- Staatsburgh State Historic Site
Recent Grad Schools
- George Washington University Law School
- Georgetown University
- Hofstra University School of Law
- New York University
- Penn State University
- Syracuse University
- Temple University
- University at Albany
- University at Buffalo
- University College, London
Contact Info
Kathleen Mapes, Department Chair
mapes@geneseo.edu
Doty Hall 207
585-245-5387
