Santa Clara’s History Department strives to be a community of scholars in which students and faculty engage in vigorous inquiry to study and understand the past.
This is the product of both interpretation of what others have written about the past and original scholarship that expands the boundaries of historical knowledge. Because history is what the present says about the past, it is continuously undergoing reinterpretation. Examination of the construction of history is therefore at the base of learning and scholarship within the department.
Through an integrated approach to teaching, learning, and scholarship, students will become informed about their own and other cultures in a global context, will develop broadly reflective and analytic skills, and will prepare themselves to be engaged citizens serving their societies.
About Our Program
The major program in history provides students with an understanding of the human experience through the analysis of evidence derived from both the recent and more distant past. As history majors, students learn essential skills, understand the breadth and similarities of the human experience, and acquire specific geographical and thematic knowledge. A degree in history provides excellent preparation for careers in education, journalism, media, government, law, business, and international affairs---all of which are careers that utilize the history major's expertise in discovering, organizing, and analyzing the forces that shape the contemporary world.
Faculty & Staff
Associate Professor
News & Events
Updates from Mateo J. Carrillo, Jeannette Estruth, Sonia Gomez, Meg Gudgeirsson, Marwan Daoud Hanania, Matthew Newsom Kerr, Julia Kovatch, Paul Mariani, Amy Randall, Matthew Specter, Nancy C. Unger, Greg Wigmore,
His research article, "'The Place of Happiness for the Unclean': Biopolitics, Necropolitics, and the Architecture of Control in Culion" in the Winter 2026 edition of SYNTHESIS.
Life After SCU
Class of 1974
Class of 1967
Class of 1972
Pursuing a master's degree in London
