History

If you major in history at Augustana, you’ll be in a program nationally recognized for innovative teaching of history. You’ll learn through experiencing history — it is possible — instead of just memorizing facts.

Becoming historically minded, you’ll develop skills it takes to solve contemporary problems: data analysis, empathy, information literacy, perspective-taking.

You’ll choose one of five Compass Points to fit your current passions, career goals and vision for the future:

• History communication – How the public engages with the past (for museum studies, library science, digital history, journalism, documentary-making, historic preservation).
• Social change – What history tells us about current inequalities and social change (social services, human rights work, religious work and more).
• Nations and global politics – Complex interactions between people and systems, local concerns and global movements (law, politics, international relations, public relations, peace studies).
• History education – Learning to teach not just history, but historical thinking (for teaching in the secondary schools).
• Information analytics – Tailoring your major to your particular goals (examples include civic and workplace leaders in STEM, sales, business, health fields, and more).

Distinctions

• Augustana offers a major and minor in history, and a history teaching major.
• More than 50% of history students have two or more majors. History is ideal for combining with any study of the intersections of people, places and cultures: geography; sociology and anthropology; religion; political science; women, gender and sexuality studies, and more. Most pre-law students choose a history major.
• Students in history classes learn to LASER (Love history; Acquire and analyze information; Solve difficult problems; Envision new explanations; and Reveal what they know).
• The six faculty members all have a Ph.D. and are leaders in innovative education methods, published research and international programs. Dr. Lendol Calder was honored as the Illinois Professor of the Year and received the 2025 Eugene Asher Award from the American Historical Association.
• Augustana history professors encourage and guide students to study abroad, take internships and participate in academic conferences — and $2,000 with Augie Choice supports any of these experiences.

Recent grads

• Charlotte Newport '25 is a J.D. candidate at The University of Texas School of Law.
• Neleigh Rush '25 is the assistant director of annual leadership gifts at Penn State University.
• Katie Sanders '25 is pursuing a master's in museum studies at Johns Hopkins University.
• Maja Johnson '23 is in Uppsala University's Master's Programme in Scandinavian Studies in Uppsala, Sweden.
• Stephanie Carreno '23 is a library associate for the Palatine (Ill.) Library District.
• Lauren Hall '22 is a middle school social studies teacher for the Rock Island-Milan (Ill.) School District.
• Rosalie Looijaard '22 is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at Boston University.
• Matt Payton '22 is a special education teacher at Sterling (Ill.) High School.
• Megan Hoppe '21 is an adjunct faculty member at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill.
• Monica Thompson '21 is an associate attorney at Evans & Dixon, LLC, in St. Louis, Mo.
• Mikaela Ferrara '20 earned a master’s in museum studies from George Washington University and is a collections specialst at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.