The Department of History exemplifies Dickinson in the way it covers the world beyond our shores; students may study the regional histories of Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, or they may explore the diversity of American history.  Further, our courses explore a wide variety of approaches that include the history of gender, empires, the environment, medicine, migration, religion, and diplomacy and war in national, comparative, and global contexts.

History majors work closely with the faculty to develop research skills, regularly making use of the rich resources of Dickinsons Archives & Special Collections, the nearby U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center and the Cumberland County Historical Society.  Our newest course to make extensive use of such resources is History 205, Public History, which teaches students about the ways history can be put to work in the world and made relevant and useful in the public sphere.

Contact Info

Chair

Emily PawleyAssociate Professor of History

Department Coordinator

Madeline BrownAcademic Department Coordinator

Phone

717-245-1521

Fax

717-245-1479

Location

219B, Denny Hall Mailing Address

Department Features


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Study Abroad
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Current Courses
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Research Opportunities

Student Outcomes

Where Our Students Go From Here

Jobs:

  • United Way of the Midlands
  • JET Program
  • Cushman & Wakefield
  • Temple University
  • Archaeological Testing and Consulting
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Peace Corps
  • The Fulbright Program
  • USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
  • Hudson Legal Group
  • SITE Program Lombardia
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • The Democracy Collaborative
  • National Consumer Law Center

Graduate Schools:

  • Yale Law
  • New York University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Connecticut
  • Columbia University
  • University of Massachusetts
  • George Washington University
  • George Mason University
  • University of Virginia
  • Harvard University
  • Fordham University
  • Georgetown University Law
  • Tufts University
  • USC
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • City University London
Where Students Have Interned
  • Breakthrough Collaborative
  • Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Organization
  • National Museum of American History
  • National Museum of the American Indian
  • National Postal Museum
  • Port Jefferson Historical Society
  • U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
  • U.S. Army War College - Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute
  • Dickinson College House Divided project
  • Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections
  • U.S Army Heritage & Education Center
  • Art Institute of Chicago

Student Perspective

"The opportunity to mingle with professors and students within the department no matter what concentration or focus you are interested in. The history department really fosters an amazing community of colleagues and students who are there to support one another and bond over our shared love for history."

— Kaileigh McNellis '23


History News

All News Department News
Chris

Chris '05 and Emily '06 Cocores Return to Campus for Internship Celebration

Student gather to thank alumni couple for their generosity in funding internship opportunities.

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Dickinson’s House Divided Project Earns National Park Service Recognition

Dickinson’s House Divided Project Earns National Park Service Recognition

The National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom has accepted the House Divided Project as one of its newest listings.

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Student Snapshot: Daniel Levine ’24

Student Snapshot: Daniel Levine ’24

While studying abroad through Dickinson’s Oxford program, Daniel Levine ’24 co-led his Oxford lacrosse team to victory against rivaling Cambridge.

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Dickinson Faculty Selects History Professor for Distinguished Teaching Award

Dickinson Faculty Selects History Professor for Distinguished Teaching Award

Dickinson’s faculty has named Emily Pawley, associate professor of history and Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Sustainability Studies, as the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

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Graduate Story: Anne Helmreich ’85, Smithsonian Archives of American Art

Graduate Story: Anne Helmreich ’85, Smithsonian Archives of American Art

With 35 years of experience in higher education and arts administration under her belt, the former history major oversees works from more than 200 years of the nation’s artists and art communities.

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Summer Success: Dickinson

Summer Success: Dickinson's Knowledge for Freedom Program Accepting Rising High School Seniors

The Knowledge for Freedom Program aims to provide opportunity for low-income and first-generation college-bound students.

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Global Migrations book cover

Newest Faculty Book Publication

Congratulations to Marcelo Borges (Professor of History, Boyd Lee Spahr Chair in the History of the Americas) on the recent publication of The Cambridge History of Global Migrations, Vol. 2, 1800-Present, which he co-edited. He worked on this project for the past six years, describing it as “a very rewarding collaboration with scholars from around the world, made a bit more challenging than any such project normally would be because of the Covid pandemic. I am very happy to see this in print!


 

Alumni Spotlight

September 2023:

Congratulations to Dickinson history alum Cooper Wingert ’20, whose article, “Fugitive Slave Renditions and the Proslavery Crisis of Confidence in Federalism, 1850-1860,” was published in the June 2023 issue of the prestigiousJournal of American History.  Kudos, Cooper!