History Department

Opportunities for Students

Internships

Internships provide students an opportunity to gain valuable experience in a field of interest and to explore vocational interests. Through the college's Internship Program, these experiences can count as academic course credit toward graduation or as Odyssey credit. Funding can be available through the Hendrix Odyssey Program, the Miller Center, or Project Pericles. For more information, please see the Internship Program website.

History-Related Internships

Many of our history majors engage in summer internships and public history projects. Recent internships attained by Hendrix history majors include positions at: 

  • The Holocaust Museum in Dallas, Texas
  • The Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock
  • The Arkansas State Historian's Office in Little Rock
  • The Michigan Attorney General's Office in Detroit
  • The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
  • The Mosaic Templars archive in Little Rock
  • The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis
  • The Dallas Heritage Village and the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano, Texas ("living" history museums)
  • The Arkansas State Supreme Court
  • The State of Arkansas' 20th District Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
  • Dr. J.W. Wiggins Gallery of Native American Art in Little Rock.

Research

Many history majors also spend breaks engaged in archival research. Recent individual projects include:

  • Melon funded travel to the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, to conduct research on the memory of a French Vichey police officer.
  • Odyssey funded travel to India to study that country's history of terrorist attacks on railways.
  • Odyssey funded travel to France to conduct research at the Bibliothèque Nationale on French theatrical representations of China during the 17th and 18th centuries.

In addition, many history courses include modules introducing and encouraging the utilization of local archives, including: 

  • The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock
  • The Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock
  • The WWII Japanese American Relocation Center Museum in McGehee

Hendrix History students are encouraged and can receive funding to present their research at a number of regional and national conferences, including:

  • The National Conference for Undergraduate Research
  • The Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention
  • The Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference
  • The ACS Biennial Conference on Gender Studies 

Honors and Awards

The RICHARD B. YATES PRIZE is given annually to a senior History major who has submitted an outstanding paper based on original historical research.

The JAMES JENNINGS PRIZE is given annually to a senior History major who has made outstanding contributions to the department, the College, and the community.

The DAVID LARSON PRIZE IN HISTORIOGRAPHY is given annually to the student who has demonstrated outstanding ability in History 300: Historiography.

DEPARTMENTAL DISTINCTION is awarded to those graduating seniors who have achieved at least a 3.5 GPA in History courses taken at Hendrix and who have performed exceptionally well on their capstone.