Every person on Earth is inextricably embedded in History, but its meanings are disputed, as is the meaning of the events of today.
These disputes, and the identities that form around them and make their claims on our future, are always at the center of our attention. Our faculty channel the past and make it recognizable and significant to our Majors.
The History degree emphasizes critical thinking, public speaking, analytical writing, and collaborative work, all skills valued by employers in both the government and the private sector. Our majors pursue careers in education, law, business, and the armed services.
In their Senior year, every History Major will complete an original historical project on a topic of their choice. Faculty provide individual supervision to each research project, and The results are frequently presented at the annual Florida Conference of Historians and some are even published in the Conference’s academic journal, The Annals. Senior capstone projects are also ideal writing samples for professional and postgraduate study applications.
Every February, FSC students participate in the annual Florida Conference of Historians where they have the opportunity to meet faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from across the state. In fact, FSC has hosted the Conference twice in the past decade!
The McKay Archives at FSC contain the Congressional Papers of some of Florida’s past Representatives to the national government, the Florida Citrus Archives, and the archives of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our Majors can work in a real archive without leaving campus.
Our Department is the proud home of the Alpha Omicron Nu chapter of the national History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta.
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Our Department coordinates for-credit internships at a variety of nearby institutions. While developing their own professional skills and burnishing their resumes, our Majors advance the missions of the Lakeland Public Library, the Polk County History Center, the Plant City Photo Archive, the Southwest Florida Military Museum and Library, and the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, If a student is interested in an internship elsewhere, our faculty are eager to expand our list of partners.
In HIS 3275: History of Each Asia, students learn about the history, culture and politics of China and Japan. In this class, students analyze historical documents, view films, and even sample regional cuisine.
Schedule a campus tour or take our video tour of one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses. Participate in our daily online Admission Info Session or a MocTalk webinar to learn more about Florida Southern.
My goal as a professor is to aid students in reading and thinking critically while developing an appreciation for the relevance of history to their daily lives. I encourage students to understand ‘cause and effect’ of historical events, as well as appreciate the ‘why important’ and the significance. Finally, I believe that active engagement through research, writing, and developing public presentations is essential to good teaching, and I enjoy sharing my projects with my students.
The history department sponsors the Art History Club, a student organization that organizes an annual field trip as well as on-campus activities, like movie nights. The History Club also assists in hosting the Florida Lecture Series.
All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:
Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy.
If transferring less than 24 credits, we also need your:
There is always something interesting happening at Florida Southern.
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Professor of History863.680.4962