History, Languages & Humanities Department Learning Opportunities
The History, Languages and Humanities Department is the first stop for those with global interests as it is the department where languages are taught, including Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese. In addition, many courses for understanding the ways of other cultures are also found here: Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Iberian culture and civilization, Latin American culture and civilization, Chicano culture, contemporary Chicanos, contemporary American Indians, contemporary African Americans, contemporary Asian America, and cross cultural gender are but a few of the offerings. The study of world history also lives in this department. There are courses on world history, East Asian history, African history, Latin American history, as well as U.S. and European history. Finally, multiple study abroad opportunities are tied to programs in HLCRWS: Eurospring; Hiroshima peace studies tour; student teaching abroad for Spanish Education, Social Studies Education, and Teaching English as a Second Language majors.
MSUM’s Asian Multicultural Organization strives to experience and examine the Asian identity through discussion, interaction and introspection, and to promote ethnic and cultural awareness in appreciation of the diversity that exists within MSUM.
MSUM’s Campus Feminist Organization is dedicated to creating awareness of issues and events pertaining to women, and to provide a social atmosphere in which to discuss them.
CHARISM is a neighborhood center that provides support and outreach programs for at-risk children, youth and adults. CHARISM relies on college students like you to be mentors and tutors who work with children after school. You can gain experience as a volunteer intern.
Chinese Club is made up of a diverse group of students committed to learning about and promoting East Asian Studies, Chinese language and culture. As part of this group, you’ll get the chance to interact with students of all majors, as well as students who are natives of East Asian countries like China, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam, to name a few.
Chinese Club welcomes community members to attend all events sponsored by the organization, including the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese New Year celebration, and various other cultural events. Experience traditional Chinese food, learn the language and more.
The English Language Program offers two certificates of English proficiency. The Certificate of Proficiency in International English verifies that a non-native speaker has the English ability to engage in international professional and business exchanges. The Certificate of Academic English Proficiency verifies that a non-native speaker has English abilities to engage in professional academic tasks, especially for the teaching of English.
MSUM's Field Experience is committed to providing exceptional early and ongoing field experiences in education for teacher candidates. We collaborate with school partners in planning, implementing, and assessing each experience. Teacher candidates will have opportunities for a wide array of experiences by the time they have completed their education programs.
The Feminist Community Book Group at MSU Moorhead offers guided discussions on books about feminism, by feminist authors, or engaged in the values and principles of feminism. Explore diverse themes through critical conversations about issues facing women and feminism. Recent titles include:
- “Who is Ana Mendieta?” by Christine Redfern and Caro Caron
- “We Were Feminists Once” by Andy Zeisler
- “Life is Wonderful, People are Terrific” by Meliza Bañales
- “Salt” by Nayyirah Waheed
- “Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement” by Angela Davis
- “Eating the Ocean” by Elspeth Probyn
You can impact your community while gaining valuable teaching experience by volunteering with the local Giving + Learning program, which matches volunteers with English language learners in order to foster a welcoming community for those new to the Fargo-Moorhead area.
The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (HCSCC) is dedicated to the preservation of the history of Clay County, and works to interpret and share its rich heritage through exhibits and programming.
History students have the opportunity to partner with the HCSCC on projects through volunteering and internships. Internship positions include: general museum assistant, marketing, archives, artifacts, events and exhibits.
The MSUM History Club is an organization for students and friends of History and Social Studies. The group organizes committees for socials and academic affairs, and works closely with faculty to help make the History department a greater place.
Let the games begin! History role-playing games provide an interactive learning environment that draws you more deeply into historical contexts, promotes peer engagement and improves intellectual and academic skills. The ultimate goal is for you to apply what you learn from history to what you read in today’s news.
You’ll be assigned roles from a historical point in time, such as the French Revolution or the Council of Nicaea. As a team, you and your classmates will prepare to debate important issues relevant to your historical time period, with your arguments based only on what was known at the time. Game sessions are run with minimal instructor guidance. These role-playing exercises offer a challenging, engaging and team-oriented learning experience.
Our majors frequently tutor students in NDSU’s Intensive English Language Program to help non-native speakers achieve English proficiency.
Although internships are not required to complete your History degree, they are highly recommended. Several businesses in the Fargo-Moorhead area are seeking students like you to provide needed services for their company. In return, you’ll gain highly beneficial experience and develop a strong resume in the process.
Get hands-on experience in the field prior to graduation through internships, service learning, and volunteer opportunities. Dozens of organizations in the Fargo-Moorhead area are searching for talented students to provide needed services for their companies. In return, you’ll gain invaluable experience that will set you apart from other candidates during your job search. Students frequently collaborate with the following organizations:
- Red River Women’s Clinic
- Planned Parenthood
- Rape and Abuse Crisis Center
- Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
Japan Club is a student group committed to learning about and promoting Japanese language and culture.
Learn about Korean culture, language, cuisine and more by joining Korea Club. The organization meets once weekly and showcases various aspects of Korean culture by hosting Korea Night each year. MSUMKoreaClub
You will learn how to research and write articles for National Public Radio’s “Dakota Datebook” series. These articles are performed by local celebrities and featured on Prairie Public Radio.
MSUM’s Rainbow Dragon Center is a welcoming and safe space for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTIA+) and allied community. It is a supportive environment for learning about LGBTIA+ topics, and proactively works to reduce homophobia, heterosexism and genderism while fostering a campus environment of civility and understanding.
Are you interested in living and learning with your peers while exploring your personal identity and helping to create and support an equitable society? If so, the Rainbow Dragon Learning Community may be for you. No matter your major, here you can live in a supportive environment and learn about the connections between diverse LGBT+ identities and social justice with LGBT+ and allied peers, faculty and staff.
The Red River Women’s Studies Conference is an annual event that rotates among local colleges and universities. MSUM hosts the event every three years.
Sigma Delta Pi is the local chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. New members are inducted to Sigma Delta Pi each year. For more information, contact your academic advisor.
Celebrate Hispanic culture while educating the MSUM community with music, dance, food, language, popular culture, movies and local service projects as part of Spanish Club. Members get a chance to speak Spanish and interact with Spanish-speaking individuals from around the world as we collaborate on meaningful projects such as the Día de los Muertos celebration, the Spanish immersion program at Ellen Hopkins Elementary School, and the MSUM Spanish Tutoring Project at Moorhead Public Library.
Spanish Club is also a great place to network with other students who have studied abroad or completed internships where they use the language skills gained in class.
Contact your advisor for more information.
You will find a ‘home away from home’ through Students Internationally Together, which brings together international and American students to create a sense of family and belonging for all.
Studying abroad is an excellent investment in your academic goals, future profession and own personal development. It can also help set you apart, whether you want to pursue graduate school or a great career. There are several study abroad program options, including: exchange programs, external providers, Eurospring and short-term faculty-led programs.
Study abroad in Norway at the University of Agder. This new program is an exciting, cost-effective way for you to study humanities subjects and learn the Norwegian language. To apply, you must be of sophomore standing or higher, and have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Learn about the Transformation of the Ancient world by experiencing the countries first-hand. We partner with the Balkan Heritage Society in order to give our students training in archaeology from a historian’s lens. For more information, contact History department chair Annette Morrow.
The MSUM’s Women’s Center exists to educate and work with the campus community creating a space for students, faculty and staff to socialize and share ideas in a respectful manner.
Women’s and Gender Studies partners with the Women’s Center to produce programs throughout the year, including an annual colloquium series that features campus and community speakers.