Major in History
Engage with the past • Learn timeless stories • Impact the present
John Brown University
2000 W. University St.,
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-9500
jbuinfo@jbu.edu
What are you looking for?
Engage with the past • Learn timeless stories • Impact the present
In the history program, you'll analyze primary and secondary historical sources from a Christian perspective, but your work doesn't stop there. JBU's discussion-based classes give you the space to develop your communication skills and express your ideas. The flexible nature of the program enables you to focus your studies in the manner that best prepares you for your career.
Start your applicationHistory students will be able to not only read and write about truths from every age and era, but they will be given opportunities to directly engage with historical sites and discuss many timeless truths with classmates.
Through the study of past rhetorics, cultures, events and ideologies, students gain the necessary skills to express themselves and their ideas by understanding how those before us recorded themselves.
Because history is so broad, faculty encourage students to select their own independent study topics to supplement the curriculum.
The history department equips students with the resources to truly explore the past and find ways to incorporate their studies into future careers whether it involves writing, reading, research, museum studies or archival work.
JBU’s history department emphasizes discussion-based classes and the use of texts from various cultures and time to inform a single topic or event in history.
This minor preps students for employment in archives administration, museum education, curation and management.
With a flexible curriculum, adding a second major is efficient and valuable. JBU faculty are happy to help think through what additional major would fit your interests and career goals.
Students in the history department are given multiple opportunities to explore various paths and fields to contemplate what type of career they'd like to pursue.
Many graduates choose to advance their careers in a particular area of interest. An advanced degree also qualifies students to teach collegiate-level classes.
Majoring in history lays the groundwork for studying law, as you will have to read extensively while maintaining knowledge of overall ideas, create cohesive arguments and find research to back your arguments.
Technical writing works well with history majors because it requires attention to detail and consistency. Often, writers have to take complex ideas and make them understandable for the average reader.
Both governmental agencies and businesses in the private sector hire people to develop policies and communicate them clearly to the target audience.
History majors make excellent archivists. Gathering data, researching, writing event summaries and documenting finds are part of the job and are skills that every history major learns.
Many companies, universities, colleges, non-profit organizations and government agencies need individuals who can research and organize large amounts of data meticulously.
Dr. Robert Moore completed his Ph.D. at Emory University in West and South Asian Religions, specializing in Islamic Studies. He received a M.A. in History and a B.A. in Classical Studies from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Moore’s research interests focus on the teaching of Islamic law in Mamluk Cairo (1250-1517). His dissertation describes the growth and development of madrasahs, schools of Islamic law, and the ways these institutions transformed the relationships between professors of law, their students, the ruling elite, and the common people. A research fellowship from the American Research Center in Egypt allowed Dr. Moore to explore the national archives in Cairo and the beautiful madrasahs still in standing throughout the city.
In addition to teaching introductory classes in Western Civilization, Dr. Moore offers classes on the Middle East, Ancient Greece and Rome, and Medieval Europe. His classes introduce students to the culture of these societies by studying their literature, political systems, religious texts and practices, and social relationships.
In his free time, Dr. Moore enjoys spending time with his family and likes to hike and canoe in the Ozark Mountains.
Department Chair, Humanities; Professor of History
Dr. Trisha Posey is Professor of history and director of the Honors Scholars Program at John Brown University. Her primary academic interest is the relationship between religion and reform in the 19th-century United States. She has also studied the history of slavery in the United States as well as the enduring legacy of racism left by slavery. Her other areas of academic interest include African history, the history of poverty and welfare, and genocide. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on American religion and reform, teaching about genocide, and the history of Christian higher education in Africa. Her forthcoming co-edited volume Lament and Justice in African American History explores lament in African American history from a theological perspective.
Dr. Posey earned her Ph.D. in American History at the University of Maryland. Before that, she lived in Canterbury, England, where she finished her M.Phil. She received a B.A. in History from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Dr. Posey lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with her husband, Jake, her three children, Eliot, Oliver and Beatrice. She enjoys cooking and eating good food, reading books, running, knitting, and gardening.
Dean of Undergraduate Studies; Director of Honors Scholars Program; Professor of History
Dr. Ryan Butler joined the faculty at JBU in 2024 after five years at Anderson University, South Carolina. His research focuses on slavery and abolition, the history of Christian thought, and the relationship between social reform and foreign policy in the Atlantic world. His forthcoming book examines the British Clapham Sect activists, situating their work in a transnational context to explore questions of race, empire, and theology.
In addition to directing the Honors Scholars Program, Dr. Butler teaches courses on the history of Christianity and global history. He delights to see students integrate their faith with robust intellectual inquiry, cultivating the whole person and preparing students for all aspects of life.
Honors Director, Assistant Professor of History
Equip yourself for a successful career and a life of purpose.
John Brown University
2000 W. University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-9500 jbuinfo@jbu.edu
JBU does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, military status, or age in the administration of its educational policies, admissions, financial aid, employment, educational programs, or activities.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 42 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, construction management, graphic design, family and human services, and engineering. Eighteen graduate degrees are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, and education.