History Department
What We Do
Utica University's History Department provides an innovative program that exposes students to a wide variety of topics in American, European, and Non-Western content areas.
The History Department at Utica University encompasses both majors and minors in History and Africana Studies.
History (major) History (minor)
Africana Studies (major) Africana Studies (minor)
Welcome to the Utica University History Department! The major in history offers one of the broadest and most flexible liberal arts fields at Utica University. It is intended for students who seek an understanding of the human condition through its historical development.
Graduates are prepared for fields such as social science teaching, all varieties of government service, and other careers requiring a liberal arts preparation. Students who pursue the minor in education are prepared for teaching at the secondary or elementary level. Some students pursue graduate study of history.
History is an excellent background for those contemplating professional training in law, library science, and similar fields.
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Special Learning Opportunities
The History Department at Utica University offers a variety of talks, lectures, symposia, and historical organizations to expand and cultivate knowledge.
These programs celebrate anniversaries of events such as the Gettysburg Address@150, the Civil Rights Act@50, or WWI@100. They range in coverage from single talks to day long symposia.
Previous Symposia have included:
- Pearl Harbor @ 75 - A symposium on the attack of Pearl Harbor and the road to World War II (November 7, 2016)
- The Voting Rights Act @ 50 - A symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (November 14, 2015)
- World War I @ 100 - A symposium on the Centennial of the Great War (November 8, 2014)
A monthly series of presentations by historians on a variety of historical topics and geographic locations. Information on future presenters and talk locations can be found at the History Department Facebook Page.
History Club
Herodotus, The History Club, is a student-run organization open to the entire campus community. It undertakes several trips each academic year. Past trips have included: Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Sleepy Hollow, New York, and excursions through the Mohawk Valley corridor to explore the region’s Revolutionary War roots.
Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Alpha Theta is a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. They seek to bring students, teachers, and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways.
Undergraduate students must complete at least 12 semester hours in history (four courses) with a GPA of at least 3.1 in history, have a GPA of 3.0 or better overall, and be in the top 35% of their class. Membership is not limited to history majors.
Utica College officially received a charter for the Gamma Xi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society, on March 30, 1950. On this date 22 students were inducted into the new organization. Since then Gamma Xi has continued to seek out and receive new students into its members who have an interest in the field of history and continually excel in the field of history. Gamma Xi is one of the oldest organizations in Utica College's history. It has inducted over 375 students.
The History Department periodically hosts talks with small receptions such as the foundations of English law and liberty or Halloween. We also have movie nights that are accompanied by discussions from experts. Past events have included talks by the New York State folklorist Ellen McHale and an academic discussion of iconic films like Godzilla.
The Department also organizes History Receptions - semi-formal gatherings provide majors, the history faculty, administrators, and department alumni with the opportunity to gather and socialize.
The Center for Historical Research hosts a variety of public events celebrating various history months. These range from public lectures and receptions to other activities related to the month’s theme, including, but not limited to:
- LGBT History Month - October
- Native American History Month - November
- Black History Month - February
- Women's History Month - March
Utica University has published 14 issues of The History Project, an annual publication featuring history students' research, which have been distributed to libraries, schools, and historical societies. Copies are available at Utica's Gannett Library.
Utica University's History Project provides the department's majors with the opportunity to undertake original primary source research and produce a journal length article. The best student papers are published in our in-house journal--The History Project--that is distributed locally.
"I think it's rather unusual to have this built into the curriculum," says David Wittner, professor of history. "The students come into this at a time when they are focusing on graduation. But after performing original research, and working hard on their projects, they realize the value of walking away with tangible evidence of our program and what they've learned. This is more than a senior thesis, which usually doesn't get saved. With this program, students walk away from the class with a publication."
Getting Started
In HIS 455, the faculty advisor identifies a theme. The students then select and research a related topic. The following spring, students enroll in HIS 456: Guided Historical Research. In 456, each student completes a 20 to 30-page journal length article.
Ultimately, a faculty committee blind reviews the paper and selects the best papers for publication in The History Project. At the end of the semester, students present their findings at a symposium.
The Finished Product
*You can request a copy by contacting Mary Dobek via e-mail at mfdobek@utica.edu, or download and print a The History Project order form.
History Department Resources
Utica University's History Department offers a myriad of opportunity for hands-on learning, historical archives and societies for research, and more.
American Museum of Natural History
American Numismatic Society
Amherst Museum, Amherst, NY
Jessica Johnson, Curator
Email: mcurator@roadrunner.com
Phone: 716.689.1440, Ext. 7720
Artists Space(click on Internships/Volunteer)
Aurora Town Historian
5 South Grove Street
East Aurora, NY 14052
Robert Lowell Goller, Town Historian
Email: rg@townofaurora.com
Phone: 716.652.7944
Bronx African American Oral History Project
Archival research, editing, transcribing of oral history interviews.
Prof. Brian Purnell - purnell@fordham.edu
Bronx Museum of the Arts
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
The Brooklyn Museum of Art
Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society
Buffalo, NY
Tara Lyons, Museum Educator
Email: volnteer@bechs.org
Phone: 716.873.9644, Ext. 311
Carnegie Hall/Rose Museum
The Children’s Museum of the Arts(outreach and internships)
The Cloisters
Cultural Resources Diversity Internship
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
Ellis Island Museum(scroll down to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island)
European Government Internships. Educational Programs Abroad
Placement with European government legislatures and lobbying organizations. An opportunity for those studying abroad in Europe.
The Frick Collection
Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History
Internships in New York City.
Grey Art Gallery
Guggenheim, Solomon R. and Soho
Harper’s Ferry National Park Service Internships
Hayden Planetarium
History News Network
Research and collection of articles for history news website.
Rick Shenkman - editor@historynewsnetwork.org
International Center of Photography
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
The Jewish Museum
Jewish Buffalo Archives Project
Buffalo, NY
Dr. Chana R. Kotzin, Project Coordinator
Email: archivesproject@bjebuffalo.org
Phone: 716.923.0020
Landmark Society of Western NY
Library of Congress Fellowships, Internships, Careers
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Merchant’s House Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Morgan Library
The Mount Vernon Hotel House and Garden
Municipal Art Society
El Museo del Barrio(go to education programs/students)
Museum for African Art
Museum of Jewish Heritage
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the Moving Image
NASA History Office Internships
National Historical Publications and Records Commission Fellowships
Naval Historical Center Internship Program
New York Historical Society Internships
New York Parks and Recreation Internships
New York Public Library Manuscripts and Archives Division
New York State Assembly Internship
National Academy Museum(click on join us: docent/volunteers)
National Design Museum
National Museum of the American Indian
New Museum of Contemporary Art
New York City Police Museum
New York Hall of Science
New York Historical Society
New York Public Library
Old Fort Niagara
Youngstown, NY
Phone: 716.745.7611
Oneida County Historical Society
608 Genesee Street Utica, NY 13502
(315) 735-3642
PS1 Contemporary Art Center
Pierpont Morgan Library
Rose Center for Earth and Space
Schomburg Center
Seaman's Church Institute
Snug Harbor Cultural Center(scroll down to question about volunteering)
South Street Seaport Museum
Steel Plant Museum
Steel Plant Museum of Western New York
100 Lee Street
Buffalo, NY 14210
716.821.9361
Studio Museum in Harlem
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
Smithsonian Institute Office of Internships
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
Buffalo, NY
Lenora Henson, Curator
Email: Lenora_Henson@partner.nps.gov
Phone: 716.884.0095, Ext. 14
Western Reserve Historical Society
Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc.
Buffalo, NY
Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram
Dr. Barbara Nevergold
Email: uqi@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716.829.6047
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
A digital archive of previous History 456 papers and Department of History related documents can be found in our Box account. To access the account, click here and log in with the following username and password.
Username: history@utica.edu
Password: UCh1$tory
Bridgewater Historical Society
PO Box 363
Bridgewater, NY 13313
315.822.5682
Clinton Historical Society
PO Box 42
One Fountain Street
Clinton, NY 13323
315.859.1392
Herkimer County Historical Society
406 N Main St
Herkimer, NY 13350
315.866.6413
Madison County Historical Society
435 Main Street
Oneida, NY 13421
315.363.4136 or 315.361.9735
Fax: 315.363.4136
history@mchs1900.org
Montgomery County Historical Society
P.O. Box 1500
9 Park St., Old Court House
Fonda, NY 12068-1500
518.853.8187
New Hartford Historical Society
2 Paris Road
New Hartford, NY 13413
315.724.7258
Oneida County History Center
1608 Genesee Street
Utica, NY 13502
315.735.3642
Onondaga Historical Association
321 Montgomery St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
315.428.1864
The Rome Historical Society
200 Church Street
Rome, NY 13440
Telephone: 315.336.5870
Fax: 315.336.5912
The Schenectady County Historical Society
32 Washington Ave.
Schenectady, NY 13205
518.374.0263
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association
The Silas Wright House
3 East Main St (US Route 11)
Canton, NY 13617
315.386.8133
Waterville Historical Society
220 East Main Street
Waterville, NY 13480
315.841.4018
Whitesboro Historical Society
10 Moseley Street
Whitesboro, New York 13492
315.736.1613
Fax: 315.736.1677
Contact: Judy A. Mallozzi
whtboro@roadrunner
American Presidency Project - Online archive of primary sources associated with American political history
Annals of Congress - Official Congressional debates of the United States House of Representatives and Senate from 1789 to 1824
Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Searchable archive of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper from 1841 to 1902.
California Digital Newspaper Collection - Large repository of newspaper published in the State of California.
Colgate University Libraries Digital Collections - Includes Colgate University's student newspaper; documents related to University's history; local and regional newspapers.
Columbia University Digital Archives - The John Jay Papers; Corporate records of New York businesses; New York real estate brochure collection; Audio archives with transcriptions of famous New York city residents.
Congressional Globe - Official Congressional debates of the United States House of Representatives and Senate from 1833-1873
Congressional Record - Official Congressional debates of the United States House of Representatives and Senate from 1873-1875
Credo: Special Collections and University Archives (UMass, Amherst) - Primary sources related to W.E.B. DuBois; photography of Anthropologist Joel M. Halpern.
Documenting the American South - Primary sources related exclusively to the American South
The Frederick Douglass Project (University of Rochester) - Primary sources related to Frederick Douglass
The Friend of Man Abolitionist Newspaper (Cornell University) - Full run of The Friend of Man abolitionist newspaper
Google Books - Extensive digital archive of full books that are in the public domain. Most can be downloaded in either PDF or ePub formats.
Google News Archive - Digital archive containing domestic and international newspapers.
Hamilton College Special Collections & Archives - Includes Samuel Kirkland's and Elihu Root's Papers; Diaries, letters, and other primary sources (including photographs) of students who attended Hamilton College.
Historical Census Browser (University of Virginia) - Searchable archive of the United States Census
Historical Newspapers Online (University of Pennsylvania) - Alphabetical listing of newspapers available online.
House Divided Project - Primary sources associated with Abraham Lincoln
Internet Archive - Fully searchable online library including the full text of numerous primary and secondary sources (books, videos, audio recordings, etc.)
In Motion: The African American Migration Experience - Primary sources and images from the Schomburg Institute. Archives include the Transatlantic Slave Trade; runaway slaves and runaway slave narratives; the Domestic Slave Trade; the Great Migration; and African immigration.
Library of Congress: American Memory - Online archive of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Newspaper Collection - Online archive of digitized newspapers.
Making of America: Cornell University - Online archive of books, nineteenth century popular magazines, the official Civil War records of the Union and Confederate armies and navies, etc.
Making of America: University of Michigan - Online archive offering different primary sources than that which is available through Cornell's "Making of America" website. Most sources deal with nineteenth century America.
McClure's Magazine Archive (Hathi Trust Digital Library) - A online archive offering several editions of McClure's magazine from the 1890s-1920s.
Mississippi State University Digital Collections - Online archive of primary sources associated with Mississippi's state history
National Park Service: The Civil War - Searchable database of soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union or the Confederacy during the Civil War.
New York State Archives - Primary and secondary resources, including photographs, audio, and video, examining different aspects of New York State history.
New York Heritage Digital Collections - Correspondance, directories, maps, newspapers, photographs, postcards, scrapbooks, and yearbooks pertaining to New York State.
New York History - Full issues of the New York State Historical Society's journal, New York History (2010-Present). *Please Note: You will be required to log in with your Utica College username and password.
New York Newspaper Archive (Fultonhistory.com)- Extensive database of New York newspapers
New York Newspaper Project - Detailed list of the location, call numbers, and other pertinent archival information for every newspaper previously or currently published in New York State.
New York State Historical Newspapers - Online archive of newspapers for Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, and Essex Counties
New York State Historical Association - Digitized newspaper collections from throughout New York State
New York State Library - Wide variety of primary sources, plus "how to guides" for conducting research on New York State history.
Register of Debates - Official Congressional debates from the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, 1824-1837
The Simms Initiative (Southern History): University of South Carolina - Online archive of primary sources associated exclusively with the American South
The Special Collections & University Archive of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Online archive of primary sources examining movements for social change, New England history and culture, and innovation and entrepreneurship
Utica College Center for Historical Research Digital History Project - Digitized primary sources and historical artifacts associated with the Mohawk Valley
The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War (University of Virginia) - Online archive of primary sources associated with Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Augusta County, Virgina
Vanishing History (Fordham University) - Burial database of enslaved African Americans
Virginia Military Institute Archives - Journals, letters, diaries and images from the Civil War
The following are original research projects created by Utica University history majors. They are the sole property of the author(s) and may only be used for scholarly purposes.
In addition to independent research projects, all history majors partake in two semesters of original research during their junior and senior years at Utica University. Students present their papers each spring in a day long symposium. The best papers are published in The History Project, an academic journal that is distributed locally by the Utica University Center for Historical Research.
Area Revolutionary War Graves by Jeremy Young
This paper examines the tombstones of local soldiers who fought in the American Revolution
Colonial Frontiers: Remnants of the Past by Nolan Cool
More than 100 photos of eighteenth and nineteenth century historic sites in New York and New England
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