Loyola University Chicago
Department of History
Resources

Careers for history majors!
Thinking about declaring a history major? Click to learn more about what you can do with a degree in history.
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Alumni Spotlight - Undergrad

Pedro Regalado
BA Alumni Pedro Regalado, PhD, has been awarded the Michael Katz Award for Best Dissertation from the Urban History Association. He is a junior fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University.
Department Accomplishments

Department Accomplishments
Loyola History faculty, graduate students and undergraduates are active both in and out of the classroom, publishing papers and books, presenting at conferences, developing web projects, and working in the field. Learn more about history department members are up to!
News
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SPOTLIGHT
Loyola Public History Program Wins National Council on Public History Founders Award
In March 2021, the History Department’s Public History Program received the prestigious 2021 Founders Award from the National Council on Public History (NCPH). The award recognizes four decades of leadership by Loyola historians in nurturing, growing, and transforming the practice of public history in the U.S. READ MORE -
SPOTLIGHT
Loyola Hosts the 17th Annual HGSA Conference Virtually
The Loyola HGSA hosted its 17th Annual History Graduate Student Association Conference on Saturday, February 20, and Sunday, February 21, 2021. For the first time, the conference was completely virtual to ensure everyone’s safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the weekend, over 90 registrants logged onto the conference. While the conference looked different this year, it was successful in provoking productive and engaging discussions! READ MORE -
Dr. Jo Hays Book Publication
Professor Emeritus Jo N. Hays recently authored a timely new reference book, Epidemics and Pandemics: From Ancient Plagues to Modern-Day Threats. ABC-CLIO, a specialty publisher for mass-market library reference books, published the two-volume set. Dr. Hays co-authored the books with Dr. Joseph P. Byrne, a professor of medieval and early modern European history at Belmont University. A project six years in the making, the books were fittingly released this year to help readers understand the current coronavirus pandemic by learning about its contemporary context and how epidemics and pandemics have affected world history by looking at humanity’s response to such crises. In Volume 1, Dr. Byrne covers and explains what epidemics are and how human society spread and controlled contagious diseases. In Volume 2, Dr. Hays presents examples of past epidemics and pandemics and how they left a lasting impact on history, from malaria in ancient Rome to measles outbreaks in the U.S. today. READ MORE -
Congratulations and Farewell, Dr. Manning!
Christopher Manning moves to the University of Southern California The History Department is losing a valued colleague this spring, as Dr. Christopher Manning moves to the University of Southern California in March to become Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. He will report to USC President Carol L. Folt and will play a central role in USC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. -
Dr. Theodore Karamanski featured in Faculty Friday Spotlight from Loyola Dean's Office and University Marketing and Communication
This week’s “Faculty Friday Spotlight” in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago shines on Theodore (Ted) Karamanski, Professor of History and co-founder of the Public History graduate program, which marks its 40th anniversary this academic year. His 2020 book, Mastering the Inland Seas: How Lighthouses, Navigational Aids, and Harbors Transformed the Great Lakes and America, is a compelling social, economic, and ecological history of the Great Lakes and the maritime infrastructure that shaped the region. Published in 2020 by the University of Wisconsin Press, the book began as a public history project when Karamanski was commissioned by the National Park Service to inventory and do historical analysis of 263 still existing historic lighthouses on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes.READ MORE -
Loyola Alum Rev. Bill Corcoran Speaks Up
The Rev. William Corcoran (PhD 2003) made front page news to start the new year. The headline of the Chicago Tribune on 17 January 2021 blared “Priest speaks out about Trump. Some parishioners walk out.” -
Undergraduate student awarded an ASPIRE Scholarship!
Undergraduate student Melina Testin was awarded an ASPIRE Scholarship! -
Oral History Project Lead by Current Graduate Intern
This summer Ve'Amber Miller continued working on Pullman National Monument's Oral History Project. -
Welcome, Dr. Hunt!
Over the summer, we welcomed a new department chair: Dr. D Bradford Hunt! -
Visit Chicagoland- Alumni Virtual Tours
Our Alumni are active in the field, even during the pandemic! -
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Dr. Gema Kloppe-Santamaría Book Publication
Congratulations to Dr. Gema Kloppe-Santamaría on the publication of her first monograph!READ MORE -
Summer Graduate Interns Promote Research and Access
Graduate student interns are engaged in a variety of activities that collect new materials, make information available to a variety of audiences, and help tell new stories to the public. READ MORE -
Watch Dr. Robert Bucholz on TV
Investigate why Queen Anne’s powerful role in the forging of Great Britain has often been forgotten. Lucy Worsley shares the inside story of the salacious gossip about Anne’s love life that helped destroy her image and legacy. Watch “Queen Anne: The Mother of Great Britain”, episode three of Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths and Secrets, will air nationwide on PBS on June 28th at 7PM CST, right between episodes of Masterpiece. The series as a whole looks at Elizabeth I, Anne, and Marie Antoinette to “learn how royal history is a mixture of facts, exaggeration, manipulation and mythology.” Catch a glimpse of Dr. Bucholz in the trailer here.WATCH VIDEO -
Summer Undergraduate Interns Explore the Past and Engage With the Public
Undergraduate interns are hard at work diving deep into the stuff of history and sharing information with the public. Grace Furie and Aidan Kyle are immersed in Dr. Robert Bucholz’s Database of Court Officers. Furie, as she is known, is in pursuit of members of the court who moved from the position of Royal Chaplain to Bishop. Aidan is looking through the database index, noting which names appear in other online databases. The goal of his work is to make it easier for Dr. Bucholz to find biographies of this court officials. Melina Testin is interning at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. Melina is researching the lives of artists featured in the Museum’s exhibit Artists as Activists. Read her first entry here. Enjoy learning about activism and art and Melina’s artwork that is part of the blog post. READ MORE -
In Grief and Anger: History Department Statements on George Floyd and Protests
Both our faculty and the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) Executive Board have produced statements in response to the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans and our call to action against white supremacy and systemic racism in our country. You can read both here.READ MORE -
In Memoriam: Dr. Lawrence McCaffrey
The History Department mourns the passing of Dr. Lawrence John McCaffrey, Professor Emeritus, who died on Friday, May 15. He was 94 years old. Dr. McCaffrey shared his passion for Irish History with numerous students as well as in many publications. Dr. McCaffrey joined the Loyola History Department in 1970 as Department chair and retired in 1991.READ MORE -
Honor Societies, History Graduate Student Association, and History Club 2020
Spring is a time for change! This spring, the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) and the History Club both held elections for new officers. In addition, there are new members who will be inducted into Phi Alpha Theta and Alpha Sigma Nu. -
COVID-19 Shutdown in the History Department
Where in the world is Loyola University Chicago’s History Department?! Here, there, and everywhere as COVID-19 upended spring semester. READ MORE -
2020 History Department Awards Announced
Here are the departmental awards for student research! READ MORE -
Public History Students Contribute to Suffrage Anniversary Blog
Our students are getting hands-on experience! In the fall of 2019, students in the HIST 480: Public History Method and Theory, wrote blog posts for the Evanston Women’s History project’s Suffrage 2020 Illinois website. -
Urban History Association Announces Executive Director Transition - Hope Shannon
The Urban History Association (UHA) Board of Directors announced the appointment of long-time UHA member Hope Shannon to the position of UHA Executive Director effective May 11, 2020. Hope will graduate with her PhD in United States history and public history from Loyola University Chicago this May.READ MORE -
The Lili Elbe digital archive is now online!
Lili Elbe is the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery, transitioning from a man to a woman. READ MORE -
Timothy B. Neary Presents for 17th Annual Signum Fidei Lecture
Timothy B. Neary earned both his MA and Ph.D. (with distinction) in History from Loyola University. Now, he will be presenting "Education Practical and Sacred: Bishop Bernard J. Sheil's Vision for Lewis University" as part of the 17th Annual Signum Fidei Lecture. READ MORE -
Alum Maria Reynolds, PhD, Combines Ice Skating and History
Alum Maria Reynolds, Ph.D., works as a curator at Staatsburg State Historic Site in Staatsburg, NY. She will be sharing her knowledge and love of figure skating and the Gilded Age at a two-hour tea-and-talk series on February 22nd. LEARN MORE -
James Rubino Receives CEL Humanities Based Academic Internship Funding
Congratulations to James Rubino on receiving CEL Humanities Based Internship Funding! The highly competitive funding will support his current internship. LEARN MORE -
SPOTLIGHT
Loyola Hosts the 16th Annual HGSA Conference
This year's HGSA Conference took place on Nov. 2nd in Mundelein and McCormick Lounge. There were three panel sessions throughout the day with the first beginning at 9:45 AM. The theme, Conscience-Driven History, saw papers and presentations addressing questions of morals and ethics in producing and analyzing historical work. The HGSA conference has been organized and run by Loyola graduate students since 2003 and gives graduate students from around the country the chance to dive into the conference world in a friendly environment. Read on for a recap of this year's conference!READ MORE -
SPOTLIGHT
Professor Theodore Karamanski and Joseph Karamanski Lead Docent Training at the Chicago Maritime Museum
On October 1st, Professor Theodore Karamanski and Joseph Karamanski, Loyola undergraduate alum now at the Alder Planetarium, led a docent training at the Chicago Maritime Museum. The recent workshop marked a longstanding relationship between the Loyola Public History program and the Chicago Maritime Museum.READ MORE -
SPOTLIGHT
Recap of the 66th Annual Midwestern Conference on British Studies
From September 26-29th, Loyola University was home to the annual Midwestern Conference on British Studies. Loyola welcomed over one hundred scholars with sessions on a wide variety of topics encompassing both history and English literature, from the Middle Ages to the present. Read on for a recap of the conference including interviews with two Loyola alumni who served as the Program Chair and Technology Chair at the conference!LEARN MORE