Frederick J. McGinness

Professor of History; Chair of Complex Organizations

Specialization
European history and theology

Frederick McGinness is the author of many publications on European theological history in journals ranging from Theological Studies to the Journal of Modern History and the Catholic Historical Review. His latest book, Right Thinking: Sacred Oratory in Counter-Reformation Rome (1995), received acclaim for his thorough analysis of the entire religious organization and structure of preaching in Rome during the Counter-Reformation. McGinness also addresses what the Roman Catholic Church became after the Counter-Reformation and how it is struggling with the repercussions of this today.

McGinness teaches courses that are as varied as his interests. He offers introductory history courses such as The Middle Ages: 312 to 1300 and Modern and Contemporary European Civilization; a first-year seminar, Heroes and Heroines; and a complex organizations course, Leadership and the Liberal Arts.

In addition to teaching, McGinness was for ten years director of internship programs at Mount Holyoke’s Career Development Center (CDC). He helped secure the Goldman Sachs on-campus interview program and helped build the CDC’s online internship resources.

McGinness is affiliated with the American Academy in Rome, the American Historical Association, and the Renaissance Society of America. He is also a member of the Rome Prize Committee. Fluent in Italian, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Latin, and Hebrew, McGinness has completed independent studies at Loyola University, Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and La Universidad de Comillas and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Madrid.

News Links:

"Celebration of Faculty Accomplishments February 25," Office of Communications, February 18, 2008

“Sacred Public Relations,” College Street Journal, January 24, 1997