Studying History in the Boston Area




The study of history fulfills an essential function for reflective persons: a full understanding of the past on its own terms through the lens of the present. In this regard, history serves as our collective memory and provides some of the key interpretive schemata for humanity.  The study of history at a Christian institution is a near-sacred endeavor.  Indeed, to learn about and reflect on the contributions, accomplishments, and errors of those who preceded us in the context of Christianity expands our mind and strengthens our faith. History students learn to read broadly and critically for information, interpretation, and style. The study of history assists students in becoming articulate and reflective by affording numerous opportunities for the development of research, analytical, creative, and expressive skills. 

A major in History serves as a preparation for a variety of careers: teaching, law, the ministry, business, library science, and government service. Students seeking to enroll eventually in a graduate program in history should take more than the minimum number of history courses. Students desiring to teach at the middle school or high school levels must complete special course work required for teacher certification. Others may elect to take a minimal History major in order to either double major or sample elective courses widely. ENC also offers two related minors: (1) Government and (2) Pre-Law.

Boston, founded in 1630, is one of the oldest urban centers in America.  Often called the cradle of liberty, the city is an ideal environment for the study of history.  History students at ENC hold the tremendous advantage of having dozens of archives, libraries, historical collections, and historic sites and museums within miles of ENC’s campus.  Leading scholars from across the nation and around the globe frequently give public lectures at the numerous colleges, universities, and libraries in the metropolitan area.  (See this ENC History Department page for lectures in the area.) Moreover, the ENC History Department regularly sponsors on-campus lectures presented by the world’s leading historians and social scientists.  Whether students are interested in studying ancient, colonial, or modern history, ENC’s history major offers a world of opportunities. 
 
 

BOSTON-AREA HISTORY LINKS

Archives 
Boston Athenaeum Collections

Boston University Archives

City of Boston Archives & Records

Congregational Church Archives

John F. Kennedy Library

Massachusetts Historical Society

Massachusetts State Archives

National Archives, Boston

Quincy, MA Historical Society

Rare Books & Special Collections at Boston College

UMASS Archives & Special Collections

Libraries
Boston College Library

Boston Public Library

Boston University Libraries

Eastern Nazarene College Library

Northeastern University Libraries

University of Massachusetts, Boston, Healy Library

Historic Sites & Museums
Adams National Historic Site, Qunicy, MA

Boston Historical Markers

Commonwealth Museum

Harvard University Art Museums

Josiah Quincy House, 1770 (two blocks from the ENC campus)

Museum of Afro-American History, Boston

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Old South Meeting House

Paul Revere House

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem

Plimoth Plantation

Quincy Historic Walking Tour

Revolutionary War Sites, National Parks Service

History & Other Lectures in Boston and Surrounding Area
American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA) Public Lectures

Boston College Lectures and Readings

Boston Public Library Events

Boston Theological Institute

Cambridge Forum

Commonwealth Museum Lectures

Ford Hall Forum

Harvard Book Store (est. 1932) frequently hosts public lectures

Harvard Coop public lectures on a variety of topics

Massachusetts Historical Society Lectures (most open to the public)

Museum of Fine Arts

Old South Church Lectures

Online Images of Boston & Vicinity
Boston images from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery

Images of Boston from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division - keyword search: "Boston"

Prints, sketches, & paintings of Boston from Artcylopedia

Boston fine art from the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art

Maps, engravings, and prints of Boston from the Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - keyword search: "Boston"




The James R. Cameron Center for History, Law, & Governrnent  | Eastern Nazarene College | 23 East Elm Avenue  | Quincy, Massachusetts 02170  | Phone: 1-617-745-3000  |  email: r a n d a l l . s t e p h e n s @ e n c . e d u


Site designed by Randall J. Stephens

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