History majors take creative, yet practical, courses that allow them to gain a well-rounded understanding of the past, including a “lab” course that explores methods of researching particular topics. There are course offerings in public and oral history, as well as opportunities for students to pursue collaborative research, working one-on-one with individual professors.
In 2014, students in Dr. Paul Ringel’s History Detectives course began the William Penn Project, dedicated to exploring and sharing the history of William Penn High School in High Point, NC. Students have conducted oral histories with former students, assembled artifacts for a public exhibit and launched a website for the project.
History majors have studied abroad at Oxford Brookes University, Westminster College in Oxford, England and at the prestigious St. Andrews University in Scotland.
Our professors have led students in Maymester trips along the Mississippi River and on shorter trips to China and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
See more information on HPU’s Study Abroad Program.
History majors have completed internships locally with legal firms and historical sites such as Old Salem in Winston-Salem, N.C. and the High Point Museum. Other students have completed internships with the Naval History and Heritage Command and with the famous Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.
See additional information on Internships at HPU
The department sponsors Phi Alpha Theta, a history honors society, and a History Club open not only to students majoring in history, but also to those students who have an interest in learning about the past.
Each fall, the department hosts the Rothenberg Seminar, bringing some of the leading authorities on military history to our campus, while the spring semester brings a noted U.S. historian to campus through the American Discoveries program. See other events currently happening in the department.