History
The ways in which we interpret and learn from the past play a major role in how we approach the future. Whether pursuing a career in business, accounting, journalism or education, the study of history prepares you to think critically and communicate effectively. With scholars active in a diverse array of fields, the Department of History and its faculty members provide a wide range of opportunities for you to explore the past. Modern issues, regardless of the industry, are best tackled with an acute understanding of past events and societies. As work places change and sectors evolve, the skills gained from experience with historical studies provide the leaders of tomorrow with intangible skills and important perspectives.
Degree Programs
Jhala explores South Asian colonial history in new book
In An Endangered History: Indigeneity, Religion, and Politics on the Borders of India, Burma, and Bangladesh, published by Oxford University Press, Professor Angma Jhala takes a closer look at the transcultural colonial history of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a diverse South Asian borderland region. Specifically, her research examines how European systems of knowledge — including botany, natural history, gender, enumerative statistics and anthropology — influenced the culture, language and landscapes of the region’s indigenous communities.
Lecture series examines history with business lens
Organized by Associate Professor Sung-Eun Choi (pictured), the History Department’s spring lecture series showcases historians who view the world through a business lens. Topics include “Investing Wisely, Living Richly: A Female Business Leader's Experience, from Liberal Arts to Finance,” with Kara Murphy, managing partner and chief investment officer of United Capital; “Islamic Contributions to Western Capitalism,” with Charles Weller, clinical assistant professor of history at Washington State University; and “The End of Unemployment? Economic Indicators and the Search for Political Stability” with Aaron Benanev, assistant professor of social studies at the University of Chicago.
Putney offers insights into life, legacy of Bentley’s founder
In the latest issue of Historical Journal of Massachusetts, Associate Professor Cliff Putney delves deeply into the life and times of Harry Clark Bentley. Drawing on archival sources and personal interviews to shed light on Bentley’s family, character, and the forces that motivated him, Putney’s research paints a compelling portrait of the university’s founder, an indefatigable and inspiring educator known for his love of bow ties, baseball and tumbling on the Boston Common during his lunch breaks.
Course Offerings
Clifford Putney
Associate Professor and Department Chair Adamian Academic Center 121
781.891.2285
cputney@bentley.edu
Sung-eun Choi
Assistant Professor and Minors Coordinator
781.891.2918
schoi@bentley.edu
Annette Wong
Academic Coordinator II
781.891.3157
awong@bentley.edu