»Bachelor of Arts in History

History is our collective memory, an understanding of our heritage, of who we are and how we came to be. A bachelors degree in history not only provides students with the knowledge and tools of history, but also provides a sense of roots, as well as a broader perspective on the diverse regions and peoples of the world. Training in history teaches students how to think, how to analyze different kinds of problems, and is solid training for such careers as teaching, law, business, historic preservation, or archival management.

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Student-curated museum-style exhibit commemorating World War I by history students from a World War I seminar class, and with the addition of Chapman’s Ideation Lab students. Included in the exhibit is handwritten correspondence from C. Stanley Chapman – the son of university namesake Charles C. Chapman. Learn more »

Karen Liu ‘15 was awarded Critical Language Scholarship from U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs – one of only of 550 undergraduate & graduates students spending 10 weeks in intensive language institute. Karen will be in Suzhou, China.

Phi Alpha Theta and Voces Novae

Phi Alpha Theta students won first place for undergraduate and graduate in American History at the Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional Conference! Undergraduate: Maci Reed -" 'A Singing Army is a Fighting Army': American Soldiers' Songs and the Training Camp Experience in WW I"; Graduate: Lauren Cruz - "Mad Dash for the Firing Line: A Study in the Power of World War I Xenophobia". Voces Novae Historical Review, our undergraduate student online journal, won the National prize for Best Electronic Journal for the 5th time!

Our History Department is quite active! C-SPAN finished live taping of lectures by Dr. Jennifer Keene “WW1 – The Myth Busters Edition” and Dr. Marilyn Harran on the use of Elie Wiesel books in Holocaust studies. They also taped book author talks with Dr. Robert Slayton, “Empire Statesman” and Dr. Keene, “Dough Boys & The Great War and the Remaking of America”. History majors Bijan Kazerooni, Kristine Avena and Maci Reed won research awards to travel to archives in London, England and Washington, D.C. Amanda Larsh and Kyle Chronley secured summer internships at the Richard Nixon Library. Our alumni are busy as well! Jessica Torrico ’09, coordinating logistics for special events in the park, was selected to participate in Emerging Leaders, a Disney management training program. Kristen Moore ’11, Nicole Swinford ’13, and Marley McLaughlin ’14 have written eBooks thru the Paragon Agency. Nicole wrote on Amelia Earhart’s Last Photo Shoot and received national attention with live interview with the Associated Press, Fox News and National Geographic.

Leadership, Guest Speakers, Research

Dr. Jennifer Keene installed as Vice President for the Society for Military History
Professor Brenda Farrington, Phi Alpha Theta advisor, two year appointment as a council member to the Phi Alpha Theta National Board
Dr. Robert Slayton awarded Wilkinson College Scholarly Subvention Funding Grant; Guest Speaker at World War II “End of the War” commemoration at Leatherby Library
Dr. Alexander Bay research travel to the East Asia Environmental Conference, American Society for Environmental History, and History of Science in the East
Dr. Shira Klein – Research presentation at Oxford University on “Holocaust Memory in Italy”
Dr. Jennifer Keene, guest speaker at the Disney Hall performance, on literary and musical perspectives of WWI

Panel Discussions & Presentations

Panel Discussion on performance of Merchant of Venice: Venice, Jewish Ghetto and Heritage in Europe, and the character Shylock, moderated by Dr. Marilyn Harran and Dr. Shira Klein
Dr. Greg Daddis, Panel Commentator, at the Society for Military History 83rd Annual Meeting, Ottawa, Canada, and a Presenter at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Distinguished Lecture Series in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dr. Shira Klein: Public talks: UCLA – “Why Italian Jews Liked Fascism”; Merage Jewish Community Center, Irvine – “How Jewish are Italian Jews?”
Dr. Greg Daddis, Panel Participant, “A War of Words: Academics & the Military Establishment in the Age of Terror”, American Historical Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Robert Slayton, “America’s First Illegal Immigrants”, Jewish Currents; Spring 2016
Dr. Shira Klein, “History Lessons Cast in Bronze”, Chapman Magazine, October 2015
Dr. Gregory Daddis, “Introduction” to Thomas C. Thayer, War Without Fronts: The American Experience in Vietnam”: Naval Institute Press, 2016

Blog Articles – Dr. Greg Daddis:

“Are Our Borders Better Than Your Borders?” War on the Rocks, October 2015
“Afraid of Peace,” The National Interest, July/August 2015

CSPAN

Tour of Center for American War Letters with Rand Boyd
Tour of Barry & Phyllis Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education with Dr. Marilyn Harran
Lecture: Dr. Marilyn Harran use of Elie Wiesel Books in Holocaust studies
Lecture: Dr. Jennifer Keene presents WW1 – The Myth Buster Edition
Book Author Talk: Dr. Robert Slayton, “Empire Statesman” (Rise of Al Smith)
Book Author Talk: Dr. Jennifer Keene, “Dough Boys & The Great War”

Download this PowerPoint for more information!

In addition to an outstanding curriculum, the major in history at Chapman offers students opportunities to work on projects associated with the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education including the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archives and the Center for American War Letters. Student research funding programs include the Wilkinson College BURN, SURF, and WCAHSS Travel grants, as well as funds from the History Department. In addition, we offer some very special study abroad experiences in London, Paris and Rome. Internships at the National Archives in Laguna Niguel and the Nixon Library Bowers Museum, and the Paragon Agency (E-Books) are also available.

»Bachelor of Arts in History

Students Making History

History Department Faculty News

Research and Extracurricular Opportunities