Skip to Main Content
X
La Salle University logo
  • Request Info
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • mylasalle
  • Search
  • MENU X
  • Admissions and Aid
      • Undergraduate
      • Graduate
      • Transfer
      • International
      • Undergraduate Adult Learner
      • BUSCA Programa bilingüe (asociado)
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Financial Aid
      • Parents and Families
  • Academics
      • Programs
      • School of Arts and Sciences
      • School of Business
      • School of Nursing and Health Sciences
      • Honors Program
      • Library
      • Course Catalogs
      • Accreditations
      • Academic Support Programs and Services
      • Academic Calendar
      • De La Salle Institute for
        Advanced Teaching and Learning
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Alumni
  • About
      • Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion
      • President
      • Christian Brothers
      • Rankings
      • Newsroom
      • Events Calendar
      • Offices and Services
      • Map and Directions
      • Public Safety

History

Overview

School of Arts and Sciences  /  History

Examining the past is an incredible way to help us understand the present and prepare for the future.

History majors at La Salle will immerse themselves in the human experience throughout the ages seeking to understand the full reach of the human past. Our goal is to help break down their systems of thought in order to rebuild deeper ways of understanding. With a bachelor’s degree in history from La Salle you’ll be trained in historical reading, writing, and research.

Courses in this Major

Students enjoy a wide range of interesting and unique courses including:

HIS 324: HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia was America’s “First City” both in size and influence. Although its importance later declined, the city has continued to be an American icon. This course covers the development of Philadelphia from colonial times to the present, with an emphasis on social, political, and economic history. It considers how the peoples of the city have shaped it, the role Philadelphia has played in national history, and the nature of historical memory about the city. Lectures and discussion are complemented by field trips and student research.

HIS 325: MODERN AMERICA

This course examines the growth of government involvement at home and abroad since 1939 with readings and analysis of original documents. (Formerly HIS 425.)

HIS 328: HISTORY OF U.S. WOMEN

An in-depth analysis of the experience of women in American culture is examined in this course. Special attention is given to the women’s rights movement, women in the Industrial Revolution, and women in World War I and World War II.

HIS 356: TOPICS IN MODERN NON-WESTERN HISTORY

This course provides an examination of selected topics illustrating the political, social, and cultural history of the non-Western world.

 

HIS 382: 20TH-CENTURY RUSSIA AND THE USSR

Major themes of this course include revolution, collapse of the empire and creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, industrialization, Stalinist repression, World War II, reform, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Formerly HIS 452.)

"We are not merely historians but also and always citizens."

—

Blaze Your Own Path

Career Paths

There is no one path to follow with a bachelor’s degree in history. The skills you learn in critical thinking, research, historiography, and more can take you into a number of different fields. While history majors have traditionally become historians and professors, our graduates have followed their talents and interests across industries and around the globe. Our graduates have landed jobs in prestigious companies like:

  • The Hershey Company
  • Library Of Congress
  • Milwaukee Historical Society
  • Philadelphia Daily News
  • U.S. Defense Department
  • New York Power Authority

Your major in history could prepare you for positions such as:

  • Teacher/Professor
  • Lawyer/Politician
  • Government Employee
  • Curator
  • Archivist
  • Director of Historical Societies and Museums
  • Librarian
  • Geologist
  • Religious Leader
  • FBI Agent

Career Paths

Career Paths

Read More

Internships and Research

Philadelphia is full of historic landmarks, museums, and cultural sites. We use the city’s storied past to our advantage when educating our students. Interning at one of Philadelphia’s landmarks is encouraged for every history major at La Salle. These internships often lead to full-time employment after graduation. Our campus is home to one of the city’s many interesting historic sites. The Peale House, which now serves as the University’s Alumni House, was home to 18th century painter Charles Willson Peale and is one of the oldest buildings still in use on a college campus. Philadelphia is also home to:

  • The Constitution Center
  • Independence Hall
  • The Liberty Bell
  • The Mütter Museum
  • The Franklin Institute
  • The African American History Museum
  • Walnut Street Theater
  • Colonial Germantown Historic District
  • Elfreths’s Alley Historic District
  • Eastern State Penitentiary
  • First Bank of The United States
  • Edgar Allen Poe House and more

The culmination of your education as a history major at La Salle will be a two semester senior seminar. You’ll compile a capstone research project in an area of your own choosing. With an in-depth focus on historiography and primary source use you’ll create a well-rounded, thought provoking project that showcases all you have learned. Past student topics have included:

  • George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy
  • Major General Robert Clive of the British East India Company
  • Chinese Communities in 19th Century Latin America
  • General Douglas McArthur and the Bataan Death March

You may work with a faculty member to learn more in your chosen area or assist with his/her research.

Internships and Research

Internships and Research

Read More

Graduate Study

If you decide to further your education in History, your studies could take you around the world. Graduates of our History bachelor’s degree program have chosen to stay at La Salle and continue their education here. No matter where you go, you’ll be ready to take the next step in furthering your knowledge about history.  

Our history students have attended graduate school at other prestigious institutions including: 

  • Yale University 
  • Georgetown University 
  • University of Taipei 

Graduate Study

Graduate Study

Read More

I am an Explorer

Stephen Pierce, ’ 19

Stephen Pierce, ’ 19

I think the dedication for helping others, being organized with good time management, being active in the community, and learning about other people’s backgrounds have all been huge factors that will help me not just in the job market but also in life as well. These values are what sets La Salle apart from other […]

Read More

Victoria L. (Valusek) Orzechowski, ’10

Victoria L. (Valusek) Orzechowski, ’10

After graduating from La Salle University with a B.A. in History in 2010, Victoria embarked on a year of service with the Lasallian Volunteers program at St. Frances Academy, an inner-city high school in Baltimore, Md. In June 2011, she began work as a library assistant at the Othmer Library of Chemical History of the […]

Read More

Professor Lyman Stebbins

Professor Lyman Stebbins

Originally from Florida, associate professor Lyman Stebbins earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago and joined the La Salle History Department in 2011. He specializes in British and Middle-Eastern history. A member of the Honors Program faculty, he has led two travel study courses to London. His book, British Imperialism in Qajar Iran: Consuls, […]

Read More

Stephen Pierce, ’ 19

I think the dedication for helping others, being organized with good time management, being active in the community, and learning about other people’s backgrounds have all been huge factors that will help me not just in the job market but also in life as well. These values are what sets La Salle apart from other universities. (more…)

Victoria L. (Valusek) Orzechowski, ’10

After graduating from La Salle University with a B.A. in History in 2010, Victoria embarked on a year of service with the Lasallian Volunteers program at St. Frances Academy, an inner-city high school in Baltimore, Md. In June 2011, she began work as a library assistant at the Othmer Library of Chemical History of the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia. At the same time, she began Drexel University’s Library and Information Science master’s program. She received an MSLIS in June 2013 and became a full-time librarian at the Othmer Library. Her responsibilities include reference, circulation, outreach, and technical services. She serves as the administrator for the library’s social media accounts and contributes to the blog of the American Library Association. She has co-authored two articles on using social media to promote special collections and was one of five librarians interviewed for an eBook organized by the Royal Society of Chemistry on the topic of social media use by libraries.

Professor Lyman Stebbins

Originally from Florida, associate professor Lyman Stebbins earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago and joined the La Salle History Department in 2011. He specializes in British and Middle-Eastern history. A member of the Honors Program faculty, he has led two travel study courses to London. His book, British Imperialism in Qajar Iran: Consuls, Agents, and Influence in the Middle East was published in 2016. He sees teaching, scholarship, and service as a single vocation that it is deeply embedded in the tradition of the liberal arts, the discipline of history, and the mission of La Salle University.

Beyond the Classroom

Student Historical Society
Student Historical Society

Join with other students and marvel over the wonders of the past

Read More

Student Historical Society

Our Historical Society, chartered in 1936, is one of the oldest and most active student organizations on campus. In addition to running trips, films, and other activities with historical themes, it publishes an award-winning student academic journal, The Histories, twice a year.

Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society
Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society

An elite group of history scholars

Read More

Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society

Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society

Nu Psi is La Salle’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. Since its founding in 1968, Nu Psi has inducted outstanding students who achieve the required history grade point average, and who have taken the requisite number of history classes.

Travel/Study
Travel/Study

Explore your major across the globe for two weeks per semester

Read More

Travel/Study

Travel study courses are semester-long courses with a 10- to 15-day travel component built into the syllabus. These courses bring to life the people, places, and concepts that students have learned about in the classroom. Students broaden their world views, heighten their understanding of other cultures, and learn about the responsibilities of global leadership. Our History Department has traveled to places including India, China, Cuba, Mexico, and England.

Every full-time faculty member in the History department has published at least one book.

Our department has five Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award winners.

Philadelphia is home to over 65 historic landmarks.

Listed Top 4% nationally in 10-year earnings by Georgetown's Center for Education and the Workforce.

More Information About This Major

Course Catalog

Faculty Directory

Resources

Resources

  • H-Net
  • World History Association
  • American Historical Association
  • Organization of American Historians
  • Historical Society of PA

Scholarship Information

Have You Considered?

Majors
  • American Studies
  • Education
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
La Salle University White Logo
1900 West Olney Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19141
Phone: 215.951.1000
Support La Salle

Visit

  • Map and Directions
  • Connelly Library
  • Art Museum
  • Campus Store
Request Info
Visit
Apply
  • Offices and Services Directory
  • Student Consumer Information
  • Title IX Statement
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Accessibility

© Copyright 2023 La Salle University. All rights reserved. | Privacy