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Academic Departments

History & Religious Studies Department

Department Mission & Goals

The Hartwick Department of History & Religious Studies is dedicated to helping students develop the interpretive and expressive skills needed to understand the relationship between societies, ideas, beliefs and events of the past and those of the world we live in today.

We strive to ignite the joys of historical discovery that starts with a meaningful question about the past – whether about one’s own family ties to Cuba or a general curiosity about the Reformation in Europe or the U.S. Civil Rights movement. Through exploration of the social aspects of history, students discover the diverse ways that human societies wrestle with the enduring questions of human existence--as well as with politics, religion, science, technology, media, medicine, and more.

Please note: Hartwick College focuses on offering fall, January, and spring term undergraduate courses in person, however circumstances may require us to offer a small number of courses in this department through distance education. In times of emergency, following regulatory guidelines, all classes may temporarily need to be delivered through distance education, including online. We also offer a slate of courses online in the summer to help our students make progress towards their degrees. With support from an academic advisor, students needing particular courses may have other online options as well. If you have questions about the way courses are delivered in your program, please contact your Department or Program Chair.

Why Study History & Religious Studies at Hartwick?

You'll study history in upstate New York.

Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college located in Oneonta, a historical college town nestled in the Susquehanna River valley in the western foothills of the Catskills Mountains. The department offers students a wealth of regional historical resources, including:

  • The Greater Oneonta Historical Society
  • Hartwick College’s own Yager Museum of Art and Culture and Paul F. Cooper, Jr. Archives
  • The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the New York State Historical Association, and the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown (25 minutes away)
  • The Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn and the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls (2.5 hours away)

Our program will stimulate your mind.

You will engage in active, hands-on research, starting in your very first year. Our major emphasizes student research and small seminars where students and faculty work closely together to test historical assumptions about the past. This helps Hartwick history majors develop a keen sense of judgment, which they use to conduct their own, original research for the crowning experience for all Hartwick history majors, the Senior Capstone/Thesis.

The Hartwick history program provides the resources to help you succeed.

History students at Hartwick benefit from an excellent array of resources to enrich their learning, starting with a faculty that is actively engaged in research and takes the time to listen to student questions, draw out student interests, and guide student growth and inquiry.

Whether on campus or in the surrounding region, history majors can find excellent internship opportunities at historical societies, archives, museums, and community organizations that will help them cultivate professional skills, experience, and networks.

The Hartwick history major program prepares you for a variety of careers.  Read more about careers for history majors from the American Historical Association.

“Hartwick provided a number of opportunities for me to practice my own skills of inquiry, research, and communication.”

Jason Musselman ’08

Project Based Learning Coordinator / High School Social Studies Teacher

“A history degree from Hartwick provided me with the essential foundation for my library science graduate studies and ultimately my career.”

Rejoice Scherry ’13

University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian

“The research and writing skills I learned as a history major prepared me well for my current studies.”

Robert Sanzone ’04

Middle School Teacher

Putting History and Religious Studies to Work

Religious organizations remain influential in healthcare delivery around the world (including the USA). Healthcare providers interact with religious patients every day and thus need to know their concerns.

Our graduates have gone on to careers in counseling, social work and public health by combining: history, religious studies, and public health.

Our majors have thrived in law school and graduate programs in public administration, leading to diverse careers in legal firms, non-profits and government agencies.

Our graduates have gone on to some of the most prestigious graduate programs in the United States, including Cornell University, Boston College, Notre Dame, University of Edinburgh and many different SUNY programs. Our graduates work as educators at every level from elementary school up to university professors.

Our graduates have found many different pathways into the business world, including careers in software, accounting, consulting, and entrepreneurship. That would not have happened if they were not really good at “business” skills – among them, organizing, marketing and human relations.

Our graduates have gone on to ministerial careers, to work with NGOs, to study diplomacy, to work in global education, and to run foundations. Bottom line – Hartwick history students with minors in religious studies begin their careers prepared to thrive, they have excelled in all manner of graduate studies, and they find rich and fulfilling careers in a wide spectrum of occupations.

Exciting Student Outcomes

Hartwick history and religious studies students complete research and internships and are well-prepared for employment or graduate school.

Internships & Research

Independent Study
New Skete Monastery, Cambridge NY
Willa Ness ’22

Duffy Family Ambassador Scholarship
“Afro-Cuban Women’s Perception of Race and Gender” (Cuba, Summer 2016)
Safay P. Johnson, ’17

Cyrus Mehri ’83 Global Pluralism Fellowship
“Historical and Cultural Diversity of the Caribbean” (2016-2017)
Safay P. Johnson, ’17

Graduate School

University of Edinburgh, Religious Studies
Kofi Akan Brown’ 21

M.A. Program, Library Science, Queen’s College, City University of New York
Elizabeth Brown-Vaughan ’16

Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies
Karl Wietzel ’17

Employment

Tier 3 Facilities Assigner, Frontier Communications
Joseph Corey ’14

History Teacher, Catholic Central High School (Tory, New York)
Nicholas Novotny ’16

Ready to be a history major?

Want to add a minor in History or Religious studies?

Review all the requirements in the College Catalog.

History Major
History Minor
Religious Studies Minor

History & Religious Studies courses

Our courses emphasize active student learning through discussion, group work, peer evaluation, individual presentations, interviews, and analysis of written and material evidence.

Through course offerings in American, Latin American, European, and Global histories, the Department engages students with diverse cultural, intellectual, political, and religious communities that have shaped the world we live in.

Review the current course offerings in the College Catalog.

History Courses
Religious Studies Courses

Special Opportunities

Students at Hartwick have many opportunities to conduct and present their own research, study abroad, or complete internships.

Our off-campus programs give students first hand experiences. Many of our students combine their interest in history with religious or museum studies, as well as other subjects to gain a well-rounded educational experience, suited to almost any career path.

Meet Our Faculty

J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Professor of Philosophy & Chair of History and Religious Studies Departments
[email protected]
607-431-4671

Chad Anderson

Assistant Professor of History & Coordinator of Individual Student Program (ISP)
[email protected]
607-431-4617

Lisle W. Dalton

Professor of Religious Studies, Coordinator of Public Health Program & Honors Program Co-Director
[email protected]
607-431-4936

Melanie Sheehan

Assistant Professor of History
[email protected]
607-431-4883

Cherilyn Lacy

Professor of History & Assistant Dean of Faculty
[email protected]
607-431-4882

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Contact Dr. Chad Anderson, [email protected].