Skip To Content

History

Learning about the past to understand the present and influence the future

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.

Top Reasons

Develop Valued Skills

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. 

Satisfy your Curiosity

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.

Conference Participation

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!

McKay Archives Center

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.

Phi Alpha Theta

Our Department is the proud home of the Alpha Omicron Nu chapter of the national History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta. 

Meet Our Mocs

Chase Robinson
Michael Schildberg
Phillip Rodriguez
Sage Martin

Gain Hands-on Experience through a History Internship

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.

James M. Denham, Ph.D.

Featured Faculty

James Denham

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.

Clubs And More

The History Club assists in hosting the Florida Lecture Series.

Program Details

AVAILABLE IN:

BA

BS

Minor

Admission Requirements

First-Years

All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:

Transfers

Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy.

If transferring less than 24 credits, we also need your:

  • Official high school transcript
  • SAT and/or ACT scores

Learn More

Internationals

Learn More

Related Materials

Financial Aid Brochure thumbnail

Program Contact

James M. Denham James M. Denham, Ph.D.

Professor of History

McKay Archives

 863.680.4312

 863.616.6407

Office of Admissions Office of Admissions

France Admissions Center

 863.680.4131