The history and anthropology majors at Catholic University mentor students in how to do research: how to formulate a research proposal and plan the stages of a research project, find and evaluate sources, analyze data, and express the results in long-form writing and other deliverables.  This learning process informs all undergraduate courses; for history majors this culminates in original research in their junior seminars and senior thesis sections, and for anthroplogy majors in a senior capstone project.

The department is proud of the quality of research that our undergraduates produce; several senior theses (and even junior research papers) have been subsequently published. There are a number of venues, including University Research Day, where our undergraduates offer their research to the public or compete for prizes.

In addition, the department strongly encourages its majors to undertake internships for course credit, which entail a component of research writing as appropriate to the internship placement, and to consider research apprenticeship.

Research Apprenticeships

The department's History Research Apprenticeship (HIST 494) and Anthropology Student-Faculty Research (ANTH 493) programs enable a student to work individually with a professor, learning hands-on how research is conducted and contributing to publications, while developing a one-on-one mentoring relationship and earning course credit. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required to apply: interested students should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) in History, Dr Samuel Fisher, or Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) in Anthropology, Dr Laura Masur,  to discuss.  The application form is available here. pdf logo

Research Day

Every spring CUA hosts a Research Day, in which students can present posters or give TED talks about their research.  For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) in History, Dr Samuel Fisher,

Phi Alpha Theta

Every spring the Department of History takes undergraduate and graduate students to the Mid-Atlantic Phi Alpha Theta Conference, which features original student research.  Students give talks based on their research and compete for prizes. For more information, contact our chapter's faculty adviser, Dr. Árpád von Klimó.

Zeender Prize

Every April the History department nominates some of its best senior theses for the Zeender Prize.  Nominees give a brief talk based on their research before the prize is awarded.

Cohen Scholarship

Anthropology majors are invited to apply for up to $1500 in research assistance (for example for travel, research materials, database access, or field school tuition) through the Cohen Scholarship. For more information, contact Dr. Joshua Samuels.

Inventio

Inventio is a journal that features the best undergraduate research at Catholic University in theology, philosophy, the humanities, and the social sciences.  In recent years History majors have published many articles in the journal (in Vols. 6-10 spanning 2021-2025, no fewer than 11 articles!).  For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Paxton.

History Matters

University undergraduates are also eligible to submit their History research papers to History Matters, a journal that features undergraduate work.