Program Overview

DEGREE TYPE
Bachelor of Arts
DEPARTMENT
History
Department Chair Name
Lane Harris
DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT
Missy Hammer

WHAT IS A HISTORY DEGREE?

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana.

We’ve all heard the phrase in some form before. How does the past inform our present and our future? And how do contemporary issues change how we view the past? We study history to make sense of the present and help ensure a better future. A history degree prepares students for lives of purpose through the study of people, places and civilizations around the world and across the ages.

Why study history at Furman?

With 13 faculty members, the Furman history department delivers extraordinary coverage of world history. In classes that are small by design, sharpen your historical context skills while synthesizing information to build and deliver a persuasive argument. The department also offers special two credit-hour courses based on contemporary topics of the day – including epidemics, high-seas pirates, regimes and dictators. Plan a visit to Furman’s beautiful campus or start your application today.

How will you learn?

Work one-on-one with professors through research fellowships in history. Study away in Belgium, the British Isles, Latin America, Japan, China, Africa, India and other regions. Be one of 16 students (in any major) annually to earn a paid internship in East and Southeast Asia. Or use your internship to apply your historical evidence-collection expertise in a firm’s research or data analytics office.

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Featured history courses

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  • 97%
    History majors who participate in any engaged learning experience
  • 56%
    History students who study away
  • 20%
    History majors who collaborate with faculty or conduct independent research

What our students say

“My undergraduate education was special because of the unique experiences like research and study abroad opportunities that Furman offers. My biggest advocates were my history professors –they truly cared about me as a student and a person.”
–Katie Wooten ’21

Our faculty

John Barrington

Professor, History

Erik Ching

Interim Associate Provost for Engaged Learning; Walter Kenneth Mattison Professor of History; Director of Undergraduate Research

Carolyn Day

Associate Professor, History

Timothy Fehler

William E. Leverette, Jr., Professor, History

Jason Hansen

Associate Professor, History

Lane Harris

Professor and Chair, History

Nadia Kanagawa

Assistant Professor, History and Asian Studies

Tuğçe Kayaal

Assistant Professor, History

Savita Nair

Gordon Poteat Professor of Asian Studies and History

Stephen O'Neill '84

Professor, History

Holly Pinheiro, Jr.

Assistant Professor, History

Marian Strobel

William Montgomery Burnett Professor, History

Courtney Tollison '99

Distinguished University Public Historian and Scholar
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History Major F.A.Q.

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