Student Feature – Noah Switalski

When I decided to pursue a history degree, I never expected to be able to experience history firsthand; however, I proved myself wrong by traveling abroad to Seville, Spain in the fall of 2017. There, and throughout my European travels, I visited museums and historic sites and greatly deepened my understanding of history and how …

Alumni Feature: How to Answer “What are You Going to Do with That?”

If you are a student of history or simply the humanities in general, you get asked the following question A LOT: “So, what are you going to do with that? Teach?” I’m pretty sure if I had a dollar for every time I was asked that about my studies in English and history, I would …

A Bittersweet Goodbye

Happy New Year, and welcome back to Hope students, faculty, and staff! The history department is gearing up for our semester, including offering new courses on Russian history and the history of peacemakers in the 20th-century United States. All of our faculty are looking forward to meeting new students and working with them on a …

The Gifts of the Season

It’s the end of the semester.   This is one of those good news, bad news stories.  The holidays are coming.  We are about to get a break.  For some people, the holidays mean a chance to see friends and family.  For others, the holidays can be a challenging time, with loneliness and depression always a …

Alumni Feature: Claire Barrett, ’15: “Do What You Love”

I grew up in a family that loved history. As a child I would attempt, in vain, to keep up with my father and older sister at dinner as they jumped from topic to topic, war to war. Tired of not contributing, I began to read. What began as an earnest desire to be part …

Student Feature: Jennifer Cimmarusti

The application deadline for the Paris May Term is Nov. 29. As that date approaches, Professor Janes asked senior history major Jennifer Cimmarusti to share some of her experiences and insights about the trip. Professor Janes: What was your favorite place that you visited or activity you did? Jennifer: The first was the beautiful town …

Student Feature: Kiley Corcoran

Three hours. Two teams. One rope. The Pull is one of the longest running collegiate traditions in America. This year, for the 120th time, Even Year and Odd Year will go head to head, trying to pull as much rope as they can across the river. In the spring semester of 2017, I researched the …

Photographic Memory: My History Journey to Holland in World War I

Student Feature: by Aine O’Connor My history begins with a photo album. The album follows the childhood and adolescence of my mother and her four siblings, tracing their stories. It is a green book overflowing with papers and letters. Everything that you could possibly imagine is stuffed in there. Birth records, First Communion Polaroids, school …