History & Legal Studies Student Resources

WSU’s Department of History and Legal Studies provide students with the resources they need to have an enriching academic experience, both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Student Organizations

Our department supports a rich tradition of student organizations and active involvement outside the traditional classroom. Students are encouraged to network within these organizations, which also provides connections and leadership opportunities.

Students can also join national organizations like the Organization of American Historians and the National Council for Social Studies.  

The student History Association provides an intellectual and social atmosphere to discuss various aspects of history.

They strive to promote history as a positive area of learning among students, faculty, and administration at Winona State.

The History Association gives students information and opportunities in employment, internships, professional conferences, and encounters in the field of history.

In addition, they promotes several social opportunities throughout the year, including involvement in annual homecoming festivities.

The Association shares members and officers with the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society and serves as a link between the students and the faculty in WSU’s history and social science/history teaching programs.

Any student who is interested in the topic of History may join the History Association.

The Winona State Legal Society is a group of students from many different majors including Law and Society and Legal Studies to English and Political Science.

These students are at many different stages of their education, but they have one thing in common– they are all interested in attending or planning to attend law school.

Throughout the year, WSLS helps students to gain the knowledge they need to become successful in their law school plans. WSLS helps to prepare them for the LSAT and life during law school, offers help in choosing a law school and allows students to network with students who have similar goals.

Established in 1981, AAfPE’s roots go back to the mid 1970s when the American Bar Association sponsored the first conferences for paralegal educators. While much has been accomplished in the field since then, there is still much more to be done to fully develop the potential of the paralegal profession.

With almost 400 members, AAfPE is the nation’s largest operating organization dedicated to promoting quality education in the fields of paralegal and legal studies.

The Winona State University Chapter was chartered in 2014. The chapter holds induction ceremonies every spring. Students must be successful in their program and their overall studies, holding an exceptional GPA.

Please contact the director of the Legal Studies program at 507.457.5411 for more details.

Phi Alpha Theta is an American Honor Society for students and professors of history.

The society has over 350,000 members through 860 local chapters. The WSU chapter inducts eligible students on an annual basis.

Students interested in membership are encouraged to attend History Association meetings or contact Dr. Matthew Lungerhausen at mlungerhausen@winona.edu.

Scholarships

In addition to the general scholarships at WSU, students in the History and Legal Studies programs can apply for many scholarships from the WSU Foundation.

Apply for WSU Foundation Scholarships

Historical Museum Internship

The History and Legal Studies Department offers a Historical Museum Internship (HIST 390) students will gain experience and training in the field of public history at the Winona County Historical Society Museum or other historical museums. 

Internship credits can range from 1-6 credit hours at a time. Internship credits may be repeated but would not count toward completion of the history major or minor, nor substitute for courses in the history major or minor. 

Talk to your advisor and contact the Department Chair at mlindaman@winona.edu or 507.457.5877 to learn more about setting up an internship. 

Student History Research Symposium

Since Spring 2015, the History and Legal Studies Department has held an annual Spring Student Research Symposium. 

Students from History 295 Sophomore Seminar, History 495 Senior Seminar, and other projects from 300-400 level History classes present their research results to an audience of peers, department faculty, and members of the WSU community.

Resources

The Department of History & Legal Studies promotes a sense of place and values public history. Winona possesses a distinct sense of place. Reinforcing the sense of place and public history, the department encourages student involvement with the following historical societies and museums:

  • National Council for the Social Studies: Social Science/History Teaching majors are required to join the National Council of Social Studies upon admission into the professional education sequence, though students are welcome to do so earlier.
  • Minnesota Council for the Social Studies: The Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education advocates for social states at the state level, while overseeing the state standards in social studies for the Minnesota Board of Education. The Center provides key links to educational groups supporting the economics, civics, geography, and history education.
  • National History Day: The Social Science/History Teaching program at Winona State supports National History Day, serving as the SE Regional host every spring.
  • National History Education Clearinghouse: The National History Education Clearinghouse provides model lesson plans, history resources and best practices reflections for history.
  • Stanford History Education Group: The Stanford history education group has created cutting edge inquiry-based lessons and assessments for both American history and world history. They provide their work along with links to model teaching clips.
  • Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: The Gilder Lehrman Institute publishes a monthly thematic journal on American history education and students are encouraged to review their primary source document collection.

The Department of History & Legal Studies promotes digital literacy and new media for history and the humanities. Students can find discussion boards and new media projects for history and contemporary events at the History News Network at:

Helpful resources for writing history and legal studies papers include:

Contact the History & Legal Studies Department
Dr. Matthew Lungerhausen
Department Chair

Minne Hall 214

507.457.5409

Email Dr. Matthew Lungerhausen
Dr. Gregory Richard
Director of Legal Studies

Minné 209

507.457.5411

Email the Legal Studies Program
Michelle Eggerichs-Rekstad
Office Manager

Minné Hall 212

507.457.5400

Email Michelle Eggerichs-Rekstad