<h2>Letter from the Chair</h2>

<p>Welcome to the Web site of the Catholic University Department of History! You
may be scanning these screens just to get a sense of who we are and what progra
ms and events we offer. But you may also be here because you're thinking about j
oining us for an undergraduate or graduate degree. If that's the case, let me te
ll you why I think this is a great place to be a student.</p>
<p>For undergraduates, our department believes that we combine the best of world
s: we're a group of historians actively engaged in our research and profession,
and at the same time committed to providing the best environment for friendly, s
pirited interaction with our students. Our undergraduate classes are small and i
nteractive (typically well below 20 students), letting us make your education a
two-way street, rather than a series of lectures. We emphasize class discussion,
intensive writing, and developing research skills: the undergraduate history ma
jor culminates in two semesters of a reading/writing/discussion seminar and a re
search thesis by every student. We also believe that, unlike many larger institu
tions, we provide an atmosphere of open doors, easy access, and approachability.
And the city of Washington provides some exciting further opportunities, includ
ing internships in law firms, businesses, nonprofit organizations, government de
partments and historical institutions throughout the city.</p>
<p><img border="0" alt="" class="bordered inset" src="http://history.cua.edu/res
/images/tree.gif" />For graduate students we offer strong and deep expertise in
medieval, modern European, U.S., and Latin American history. Graduate students w
ork closely with faculty who are doing cutting-edge research. During recent year
s our departmental faculty have won a remarkable array of prizes and grants, inc
luding Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities grants and visiting
fellowships at All Souls College in Oxford. The range of institutions in Washing
ton that enhance our graduate programs is stunning: the Library of Congress, the
Folger Shakespeare Library and Dumbarton Oaks, and the National Archives are ju
st the more obvious examples, and most of our students find ways to do some work
at these institutions. We also offer our students access to courses and areas
of expertise not available at CUA through the Consortium of Washington Universit
ies.</p>
<p>One thing that makes our department distinctive is our remarkable concentrati
on of expertise in the later-medieval and early-modern periods of European and A
tlantic history, and in the history of religion broadly defined. Accordingly, in
the academic year 2001&ndash;2002 we began offering a new area of concentration
in the religious history of the later-medieval and early-modern world for the M
.A. degree.</p>
<p>In short, we have much to offer. I look forward to hearing from you if you ha
ve any questions about us or want to arrange a visit.</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br />
<a href="mailto:jansen@cua.edu">Katherine L. Jansen</a><a href="mailto:mullerj@c
ua.edu"><br />
</a>Professor and Chair,<br />
Department of History</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

From: http://history.cua.edu/welcome/index.cfm