History Internships and Experiential Learning Opportunities
Hands-on experience in a professional setting has never been as important a component in undergraduate education as it is today. History majors and minors are strongly encouraged to undertake experiential learning/internship as part of their program of study. Internships can be as short as two weeks or as long as a year. Museums, educational institutions, archives, historic sites, government organizations and non-profits are just a few of the many internship options available. Students may take an internship for credit (HIS 475 ) during the academic year or over the summer or participate in internships without credit; both options offer students the opportunity to experience the relevance of the past to the present through participation in contemporary institutions and organizations.
Internship Requirements:
1. To earn three (3) credits, students should devote an average of eight (8) hours per week to the internship.
2. Students seeking to pursue an internship should consult the Internship Coordinator, Prof. Edward McCarron, at least two weeks before registering for HIS 475 - History Internship .
3. Complete the online U.S. Internship Request for Approval Form (myHill > myPlans > U.S. Internship Application) to start the registration process.
4. During the period of the internship, students will keep a journal or field notes, meet periodically with Prof. McCarron, the Internship Coordinator, who will direct and grade the internship (with input from the intern’s on-site supervisor), and submit by the last day of classes an academic paper of 10-12 typed pages on a topic related to the internship.
For additional information regarding internships, and a sampling of recent History and other internships, see: http://www.stonehill.edu/academics/areas-of-study/history/internships-opportunities or email Prof. Edward McCarron at emccarron@stonehill.edu.
History Honors Program
A student who completes the honors requirements in History will be awarded a degree “with honors in History.” These requirements include the following:
- A minimum GPA of 3.5, both overall and for history courses.
- Completion of HIS 420, 425, and 430 (the History Capstone).
- A minimum grade of A- on the Senior Thesis Project.
Students may receive the honors designation through two possible tracks: 1) completion of a Senior Thesis that is both intellectually more ambitious and substantially longer than the standard, 18-25-page thesis, being at least 35 pages; or, 2) completion of both a standard-length thesis and some additional project of the student’s own design and choosing.
To be eligible for History Honors, the student in consultation with a faculty advisor shall submit a 4-5-page proposal for department approval during the semester before he or she writes the thesis. The proposal must specify:
- The length of the written thesis component (whether the standard 18-25 pages or longer).
- A detailed description of any additional project components. (This section should also outline the proposed grading criteria and explain the academic or pre-professional goals the additional project will serve.)
- A brief statement outlining the research resources the thesis project requires, and how much research the student has completed to date.
- An explanation of why the proposed thesis or thesis/project combination merits departmental honors above and beyond the normal history capstone.
