TCU Department of History & Geography

Welcome to History and Geography

New: Undergraduate course descriptions for Fall 2012 are up - take a look at them here. Graduate seminar descriptions are here. Also, the spring 2012 issue of the department newsletter is out with news, updates, and interviews!

The mission of the Department of History and Geography is to foster an understanding of the past, promote critical inquiry, improve communication skills, and develop an appreciation for cultural diversity in the global community. Students taking history and geography courses work closely with faculty members to build a foundation of historical and geographical knowledge, to sharpen their powers of interpretation and critical thinking, to formulate and articulate logical arguments, and to develop skills of research and documentation. These are skills that will serve them well regardless of their future educational or career paths.

Where can all this take you? Recent TCU History and Geography graduates are using their skills in a wide range of fields including education, finance, government service, information technology, real estate, and law. For more information on the post-graduation employment and career patterns of our students, see "After the Handshake: Where Do Our Graduates Go?"

In this economic climate, a liberal arts degree can be the key to success, as companies look for graduates with broad skill sets. "We look for them to have more than a single dimension in terms of what they bring to the table," says ConAgra chief information officer Garrit Schutté. See this news piece on ConAgra's search for interns.

Our department bylaws may be found here.

Information & Events

Congratulations to new history Ph.D. Than Dossman, and to our M.A. graduates Zach Adams, Michael Green, Jamalin Harp, Mitchell Klingenberg, Meredith May, Amanda Milian, and Miriam Villanueva.

We were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Ben Procter, a member of the department from 1957 to 2000. Read more about Dr. Procter's contributions to TCU and the historical profession here.

Congratulations to Dr. Max Krochmal, who received the Faculty Appreciation Award at TCU’s 14th Annual Intercultural Banquet, sponsored by Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services (IIS). He was chosen from several nominees by a vote of undergraduate students affiliated with IIS. The Civil Rights Tour he co-directed is also featured in the current issue of TCU Magazine.

The department is pleased to announce the recipients of its inaugural dissertation research fellowships: Jensen Branscombe received the Schmidt Memorial Scholarship, and David Grua was awarded the Departmental Dissertation Fellowship.

Dr. Todd Kerstetter's research on rock music and the American West was featured in the most recent issue of TCU Endeavors magazine. Read more about it here!

Dr. Steven Woodworth, along with two other TCU professors, has been named by the Princeton Review in The Best 300 Professors, its guidebook of top undergraduate professors from over a hundred American colleges.

Congratulations to history majors Pearce Edwards, Tally Latcham, Jessika Velazquez, and Brittany Weaver, who are among the 36 students this year at TCU to be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. The nation's oldest academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa recognizes and celebrates intellectual integrity and excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.

TCU will be hosting the Ninth Southern Conference of Women's History on June 7-9, 2012. See the conference web page here.

See more on our News & Events page!