assignment in history

Steps for Writing a History Paper

Writing a history paper is a process.  Successful papers are not completed in a single moment of genius or inspiration, but are developed over a series of steps.  When you first read a paper prompt, you might feel overwhelmed or intimidated.  If you think of writing as a process and break it down into smaller steps, you will find that paper-writing is manageable, less daunting, and even enjoyable.  Writing a history paper is your opportunity to do the real work of historians, to roll up your sleeves and dig deep into the past.

What is a History paper?

History papers are driven by arguments.  In a history class, even if you are not writing a paper based on outside research, you are still writing a paper that requires some form of argument.  For example, suppose your professor has asked you to write a paper discussing the differences between colonial New England and colonial Virginia.  It might seem like this paper is straightforward and does not require an argument, that it is simply a matter of finding the “right answer.”  However, even here you need to construct a paper guided by a larger argument.  You might argue that the main differences between colonial New England and Virginia were grounded in contrasting visions of colonization.  Or you might argue that the differences resulted from accidents of geography or from extant alliances between regional Indian groups.  Or you might make an argument that draws on all of these factors.  Regardless, when you make these types of assertions, you are making an argument that requires historical evidence.  Any history paper you write will be driven by an argument demanding evidence from sources.

History writing assignments can vary widely–and you should always follow your professor’s specific instructions–but the following steps are designed to help no matter what kind of history paper you are writing.  Remember that the staff of the History Writing Center is here to assist you at any stage of the writing process.

• Sometimes professors distribute prompts with several sub-questions surrounding the main question they want you to write about.  The sub-questions are designed to help you think about the topic.  They offer ideas you might consider, but they are not, usually, the key question or questions you need to answer in your paper.  Make sure you distinguish the key questions from the sub-questions.  Otherwise, your paper may sound like a laundry list of short-answer essays rather than a cohesive argument. A helpful way to hone in on the key question is to look for action verbs, such as “analyze” or “investigate” or “formulate.”  Find such words in the paper prompt and circle them.  Then, carefully consider what you are being asked to do.  Write out the key question at the top of your draft and return to it often, using it to guide you in the writing process.  Also, be sure that you are responding to every part of the prompt.  Prompts will often have several questions you need to address in your paper.  If you do not cover all aspects, then you are not responding fully to the assignment.  For more information, visit our section, “Understanding Paper Prompts.”
• Before you even start researching or drafting, take a few minutes to consider what you already know about the topic.  Make a list of ideas or draw a cluster diagram, using circles and arrows to connect ideas–whatever method works for you.  At this point in the process, it is helpful to write down all of your ideas without stopping to judge or analyze each one in depth.  You want to think big and bring in everything you know or suspect about the topic.  After you have finished, read over what you have created.  Look for patterns or trends or questions that keep coming up.  Based on what you have brainstormed, what do you still need to learn about the topic?  Do you have a tentative argument or response to the paper prompt?  Use this information to guide you as you start your research and develop a thesis.
• Depending on the paper prompt, you may be required to do outside research or you may be using only the readings you have done in class.  Either way, start by rereading the relevant materials from class.  Find the parts from the textbook, from the primary source readings, and from your notes that relate to the prompt. If you need to do outside research, the UCLA library system offers plenty of resources.  You can begin by plugging key words into the online library catalog.  This process will likely involve some trial and error.  You will want to use search terms that are specific enough to address your topic without being so narrow that you get no results.  If your keywords are too general, you may receive thousands of results and feel overwhelmed.  To help you narrow your search, go back to the key questions in the essay prompt that you wrote down in Step 1.  Think about which terms would help you respond to the prompt.  Also, look at the language your professor used in the prompt.  You might be able to use some of those same words as search terms. Notice that the library website has different databases you can search depending on what type of material you need (such as scholarly articles, newspapers, books) and what subject and time period you are researching (such as eighteenth-century England or ancient Rome).  Searching the database most relevant to your topic will yield the best results.  Visit the library’s History Research Guide for tips on the research process and on using library resources.  You can also schedule an appointment with a librarian to talk specifically about your research project.  Or, make an appointment with staff at the History Writing Center for research help.  Visit our section about using electronic resources as well.
• By this point, you know what the prompt is asking, you have brainstormed possible responses, and you have done some research.  Now you need to step back, look at the material you have, and develop your argument.  Based on the reading and research you have done, how might you answer the question(s) in the prompt?  What arguments do your sources allow you to make?  Draft a thesis statement in which you clearly and succinctly make an argument that addresses the prompt. If you find writing a thesis daunting, remember that whatever you draft now is not set in stone.  Your thesis will change.  As you do more research, reread your sources, and write your paper, you will learn more about the topic and your argument.  For now, produce a “working thesis,” meaning, a thesis that represents your thinking up to this point.  Remember it will almost certainly change as you move through the writing process.  For more information, visit our section about thesis statements.  Once you have a thesis, you may find that you need to do more research targeted to your specific argument.  Revisit some of the tips from Step 3.
• Now that you have a working thesis, look back over your sources and identify which ones are most critical to you–the ones you will be grappling with most directly in order to make your argument.  Then, annotate them.  Annotating sources means writing a paragraph that summarizes the main idea of the source as well as shows how you will use the source in your paper.  Think about what the source does for you.  Does it provide evidence in support of your argument?  Does it offer a counterpoint that you can then refute, based on your research?  Does it provide critical historical background that you need in order to make a point?  For more information about annotating sources, visit our section on annotated bibliographies. While it might seem like this step creates more work for you by having to do more writing, it in fact serves two critical purposes: it helps you refine your working thesis by distilling exactly what your sources are saying, and it helps smooth your writing process.  Having dissected your sources and articulated your ideas about them, you can more easily draw upon them when constructing your paper.  Even if you do not have to do outside research and are limited to working with the readings you have done in class, annotating sources is still very useful.  Write down exactly how a particular section in the textbook or in a primary source reader will contribute to your paper.
• An outline is helpful in giving you a sense of the overall structure of your paper and how best to organize your ideas.  You need to decide how to arrange your argument in a way that will make the most sense to your reader.  Perhaps you decide that your argument is most clear when presented chronologically, or perhaps you find that it works best with a thematic approach.  There is no one right way to organize a history paper; it depends entirely on the prompt, on your sources, and on what you think would be most clear to someone reading it. An effective outline includes the following components: the research question from the prompt (that you wrote down in Step 1), your working thesis, the main idea of each body paragraph, and the evidence (from both primary and secondary sources) you will use to support each body paragraph.  Be as detailed as you can when putting together your outline.

If you have trouble getting started or are feeling overwhelmed, try free writing.  Free writing is a low-stakes writing exercise to help you get past the blank page.  Set a timer for five or ten minutes and write down everything you know about your paper: your argument, your sources, counterarguments, everything.  Do not edit or judge what you are writing as you write; just keep writing until the timer goes off.  You may be surprised to find out how much you knew about your topic.  Of course, this writing will not be polished, so do not be tempted to leave it as it is.  Remember that this draft is your first one, and you will be revising it.

A particularly helpful exercise for global-level revision is to make a reverse outline, which will help you look at your paper as a whole and strengthen the way you have organized and substantiated your argument.  Print out your draft and number each of the paragraphs.  Then, on a separate piece of paper, write down each paragraph number and, next to it, summarize in a phrase or a sentence the main idea of that paragraph.  As you produce this list, notice if any paragraphs attempt to make more than one point: mark those for revision.  Once you have compiled the list, read it over carefully.  Study the order in which you have sequenced your ideas.  Notice if there are ideas that seem out of order or repetitive.  Look for any gaps in your logic.  Does the argument flow and make sense?

When revising at the local level, check that you are using strong topic sentences and transitions, that you have adequately integrated and analyzed quotations, and that your paper is free from grammar and spelling errors that might distract the reader or even impede your ability to communicate your point.  One helpful exercise for revising on the local level is to read your paper out loud.  Hearing your paper will help you catch grammatical errors and awkward sentences.

Here is a checklist of questions to ask yourself while revising on both the global and local levels:

– Does my thesis clearly state my argument and its significance?

– Does the main argument in each body paragraph support my thesis?

– Do I have enough evidence within each body paragraph to make my point?

– Have I properly introduced, analyzed, and cited every quotation I use?

– Do my topic sentences effectively introduce the main point of each paragraph?

– Do I have transitions between paragraphs?

– Is my paper free of grammar and spelling errors?

• Congratulate yourself. You have written a history paper!

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• Prof. Caley Horan

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• American History
• Modern History

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American history since 1865.

For our first paper assignment, you will be asked to write a short essay that responds to the following prompt:

The historian Eric Foner argues that Reconstruction should be understood as an “unfinished revolution.” 1 In what ways, if any, were the American Civil War and the Reconstruction period that followed revolutionary, and for whom? What was left “unfinished” by Reconstruction?

Essays should present an original argument that responds to the above prompt. This argument should be unique (of your own making) and should reflect careful and serious engagement with course materials. It should also be clearly expressed and organized, so a reader would have no problem understanding both the overall argument and its progression through your essay. In crafting your argument, you should draw on lecture, discussion, and secondary source readings (materials assigned for Lecture 2). Evidence in support of this argument should be drawn from at least three primary sources (materials assigned for Lecture 3).

Essays should be approximately 1250 words in length (please include a word count at the end of your essay), double-spaced, and written in a 12 point font. They should include page numbers, properly formatted footnotes with accurate citations, and a title that reflects the paper’s argument. All sources should be cited using the Chicago Manual of Style (see the Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide ). For an example of what citations in Chicago format look like, see the footnote at the bottom of this page.

Essays will be evaluated according to:

• The quality of the analysis and argument presented
• The strength of the evidence marshaled in support of that argument
• The clarity and quality of written expression (this includes style, grammar, and proper citation)

Essay #1 is due during Lecture 5.  

1 Eric Foner, Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877 (New York: Harper Collins,1988).

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Course Resources

Discussions and assignments.

The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool. The assignment pages within each module link to the live assignment page. You can view them below or throughout the course. There is at least one discussion and one assignment ready to be used in every module of the course. We do not recommend assigning them all, however, and recommend selecting those that work best for you . If you choose to assign the capstone project (explained below), we suggest excluding some of the other assignments so that students have sufficient time to prepare for their capstone work.

To make edits or customized versions of the assignments, we recommend copying and pasting the discussion or assignment text directly into your LMS discussion or assignment page in order to make changes.

Capstone Project

The capstone project is an optional comprehensive assignment that could be assigned to students to complete progressively through the course. The assignment is divided into 3 to 4 pieces and culminates in students creating a PechaKucha presentation.

For this capstone project, students will pick a reformer or activist involved with a progressive or social movement between 1877 and 2000. They will evaluate and analyze the ideas, agenda, strategies, and effectiveness of the work done by their chosen reformer or activist in order to make a claim and present on their findings in the form of a PechaKucha presentation (or another pre-approved format). PechaKucha presentations follow a 20×20 presentation format, meaning that a presenter chooses 20 images and speaks about each image for 20 seconds (totaling 6 minutes at 40 seconds).

The capstone project components are shared as assignments that link to Google Documents. You can make a copy of those documents to customize them. To do so, open the Google Doc and choose “File -> Make a copy” to create your own version.

• Part 0: Social Media Activism  (also found as an assignment in Module 5)
• Part 1: Research and Annotated Bibliography
• Part 2: Draft PechaKucha Outline
• Part 3: Submit Final PechaKucha Presentation
• Assignments. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Pencil Cup. Authored by : IconfactoryTeam. Provided by : Noun Project. Located at : https://thenounproject.com/term/pencil-cup/628840/ . License : CC BY: Attribution

How to do different history assessment tasks

As you study History, you will be asked to complete a range of assessment types.

Understanding what each kind of assessment task requires will help you to prepare more effectively for it.

Most of the time, assessment tasks will require you to undertake the research process , so ensure that you become familiar with each step so that you can complete the assignments properly.

Some of the more common types of assessment tasks are outlined below:

Additional resources

Beyond essays and exams: other assessment ideas for the history classroom.

What do you need help with?

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Featured in Category

The process of writing history, by stephanie j. richmond | may 19, 2020.

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Editor’s note: This is the second of two Contingent reviews of The Essential Guide to Writing History Essays. The first review, by a recently-graduated history major , is available here . The author of this piece has chosen to donate her fee back to the magazine.

Katherine Pickering Antonova. The Essential Guide to Writing History Essays . Oxford University Press, 2020. xii+315pp. Paperback $24.95.

The Essential Guide to Writing History Essays has three major sections: the basics, the types of writing assignments commonly required in history classes, and research skills. The first three chapters of the book explain how to use the book, what academic writing is, and what history is and why it is important. The second section gives the basic structure, expectations, steps and outcomes of five different types of essay students might encounter in a history class: identifications, response essays, analytical essays, imaginative projects and historiography.  The first two of those chapters are really aimed at exam preparation. The last three formats make up the general types of formal writing assignments given in history classes at the undergraduate level. The final two chapters cover how to analyze primary sources and how to conduct a history research project and write a research-based essay. This is not a book students (or faculty) should read from cover to cover, but it is one they should refer back to when starting paper assignments or crafting them.

For students of history, this book will provide careful directions on how to interpret professors’ assignments and the process they should follow to complete those assignments. Students of any major in any history course will find the first three chapters very useful for understanding the different expectations of college-level history courses and the way academic history is researched and written. The first chapter in particular offers significant advice not just on success in history courses, but in college in general, and explains the reasoning behind many of the things students struggle to understand:  why the assigned readings are important, how to use office hours, why your professor is often grumpy when you ask questions about things that are easily looked up in the syllabus or textbook.

Schreibender Knabe (Writing Boy) by Albert Anker, c. 1908

The chapters on how to tackle the different kinds of essays students might be assigned may be very helpful, but I am concerned that many students will have difficulty identifying the type of essay they are being asked to write. Instructors will need to either direct students to a particular chapter or name their assignments in such a way as to indicate the style they expect. This book will be very useful to students entering college for the first time as it will explain the expectations and rules for participation in a college history class in a clear and straightforward manner. Many of today’s eighteen to twenty two year olds have grown up being told in public schools exactly what is expected of them and how they should accomplish it. This has left them struggling, when they arrive in college, to adjust to the unspoken rules of college classrooms. This book will help (if you can get them to read it) and will provide a common set of terms and expectations for all of the students in a class.

For faculty members, the book offers some clear language and structure that will be useful for creating assignments. Most faculty members now were taught to write formal papers before they attended college and had much more practice with writing before arriving in the college classroom than the current generation of students. We often assume that students have already developed a writing process and understand how to gather information, organize and revise various kinds of writing assignments. Instead, many of today’s students have been taught more about standardized testing, creative writing and creating presentations and slideshows than about formal writing assignments. Using this text will give faculty a set of styles and language that students can reference when not in the classroom, and hopefully will help students adjust to college-level writing more easily and reduce the amount of class time spent on going over directions and expectations.

There are some things that could be done better in the Essential Guide . The book is very densely written, an impression that is not helped by the small font and formatting. Nonmajors and freshmen may be intimidated by the sheer number of words on each page. Although the chapters have subheadings and some sections are broken down into bullet points, navigating the pages is difficult if you have any visual impairment (or just tired eyes). This is a very different layout than a traditional writing manual, many of which use multiple colors, larger font, and graphics to convey structure. While the examples provided are excellent, the images are small and the fonts chosen are so similar to that of the same text that it is sometimes hard to distinguish what is an example and what is not. This may pose a real problem for students who may be reading the book on their phones as well as students with visual or processing difficulties.

Schreibender Knabe mit Schwesterchen I (Writing Boy With His Little Sister I) by Albert Anker, 1875

The other piece that is buried in the book is the formatting and importance of citations, which is discussed in a variety of places and then has a short section in the last chapter of the book. Having one chapter on the politics and practices of citing sources in the first section of the book would likely be more useful for students (and faculty who assign the text). Although a variety of citation styles are discussed, a page or two on formatting Chicago-style citations would also be helpful.

Overall this is a useful book for teaching historical writing to undergraduates, although faculty will have to provide some guidelines for how to use the book in their particular course. The organization of the book into sections by type of essay makes this text different than many others on the market, and it provides practical and straightforward advice for students to improve their writing. Undergraduates will likely find this book more useful than older texts or those focused more on citations than structure and types of arguments.

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13 Ways To Make History Class Engaging For Students

History class is much more than reading out of a textbook. Use these 10 tips to help make history class engaging and relevant to your students.

This blog post contains affiliate links that are of no cost to the reader. If you make a purchase through the provided links this blog will receive a small commission to help with the financial costs of maintaining the site.

13 Strategies To Make History Class Engaging 

I hope you can use some of these 13 tips to help make history class engaging. As a history teacher, it is important to contact local historical sites, museums, organizations, and libraries to see how they can help enrich your program.

Tip #1 Use QR Codes

This quick technology can be accessed with personal or school portable technology (phones, iPads, tablets). The QR code embeds information (text, URL, etc) into the code image. Students scan the code with a QR Code reader app and they unlock the information.

I use this in my classroom for introducing vocabulary words in a new unit or for students to access information in a different format. I try to make QR Code activities into scavenger hunts where they must locate the code before accessing information.

Tip #2 Incorporate Movement into Lessons

I love using the cooperative learning strategy called Four Corners. Around the classroom in each corner hang up four different answer cards such as Agree, Disagree, Undecided, and Need More Info (cards can be changed to align better with your lesson). Then ask the class a rich thinking question. Students move to the answer card area that best aligns with their opinion.

In this new opinion group, students discuss their ideas. Ensure that they know they will be held accountable for these discussions either through written or oral means. When first introducing this strategy it is a great idea to have a Need More Information section where the teacher can stand and provide support.

Tip #3 Add Drama

Activities such as Monologues, Wax Museum and Hot Seat make historical figures come to life in your classroom.

Tip #4 Use Collaborative Discussion Strategies

Students are not always comfortable discussing in History classes due to their lack of subject area background knowledge. When we have class discussions I try to build up their knowledge and confidence by using strategies such as Think Pair Share or Four Corners Placemats.

Tip #5 Bring In Primary Sources

Where possible bring in primary sources. Photos from the time period and archival documents can make history seem more authentic to students. Lots of internet sites (government archives) have access to these excellent pieces of history. A quick Google search will contain lots of ideas. Your local library, historical societies, and museums are also great places to look. Also, the New York Public Library has digitized a lot of pieces that could work in your classroom. You can also find great primary sources at Library and Archives Canada .

Tip #6 Picture Books

Do not discount the value of picture books in the middle or high school history classroom. Two of my favourite picture books for my Canadian history classes are The Cremation of Sam McGee and The Canadian Railroad Trilogy . The vivid images and storylines bring history alive.

Picture books can also be used to provide background knowledge prior to starting a unit. In English classes, I often use the book Teammates by Peter Golenbock as a mentor text, which discusses Jackie Robinson’s treatment as the first African American Major League Baseball player.

Picture books are fantastic literacy resources to help students learn about a variety of topics and reinforce literacy skills. I have used these picture books to help teach students about Residential Schools. Please purchase these books from Indigenous-owned bookstores.

• When We Were Alone by David Robertson
• Stolen Words by Melanie Florence
• Not My Girl by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
• When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
• Phyllis’s Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad
• I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer
• Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell
• Shin-chi’s Canoe by Nicola I. Campbell

Tip #7 Browsing Bins

To help ignite and maintain a spark for historical knowledge, create a browsing bin of books related to curriculum topics. Ask your school librarian or media specialist if you can borrow books from the school library that relate to your current unit of study.

Keep these books in a special bin and in a highly visible area to encourage students to look through the materials and possibly check them out at the library. If your school does not have a library, visit your local library or contact any local historical associations to see what materials they can lend your classroom.

Tip #8 Historical Fiction

History classrooms are also literacy classrooms. Students engage each day with written text and make connections and inferences about the people they are studying. Keeping a good variety of historical fiction related to your topics of study can help students extend their classroom learning.

Some favourite books among my students are anything related to major wars or conflicts. The Dear Canada and Dear America series from Scholastic are great places to start for historical fiction. Here are some historical fiction book lists.  

• Middle School Historical Fiction Books
• World War Two Themed Novels For Middle School Students
• World War Two Themed Novels For High School Students

Tip #9 Assignment Choice

It is also important that your assignments have different choice options. Students feel more empowered about their learning if given the chance to produce works of their choosing. Providing choices about content and product is a great place to start.

My first major assignment in my Grade 8 History class is having students create a persuasive piece to encourage the British Colonies to join Confederation. Depending on the school year, students have been offered choices in the final product: pamphlet, website, slideshow, etc.

They can also produce the product in either the official language English or French. During historical inquiry assignments, students are given choice over what topics (from a list related to the curriculum expectations) they want to learn about. I match them with other students in the class who want to learn about the same topic.

For my inquiry assignment on Canada at the turn of the century, students can choose from a long list of topics ranging from technology and transportation to arts and culture.

Tip #10 Artifacts

Last year, for one lesson I set up my classroom as an interactive museum. The unit was called Canada: A Changing Society 1890-1914 . I tried to find artifacts around my house and relatives’ houses that could potentially represent items from this time period.

I also printed off colour photos of daily living artifacts. Students had to circulate around the classroom in pairs and guess what the object was and its modern-day equivalent. The item that had most of the class confused was the manual meat grinder.

They definitely had a better understanding of the challenges of daily living from touching and seeing the different tools than if we had read about it online or in a textbook. Another year, while studying the settlement of Western Canada, I contacted a local museum and borrowed an educational kit that had replica items from the mid-1800s. Students loved seeing the toys and school materials from this time period.

Tip #11 Virtual Field Trips

The internet has changed the way I teach history. No longer are students only able to access information from library books, they can actually digitally visit the locations we are studying. This past year we used Google Maps to locate major battle sites and visit museum websites. Use Google to help locate interesting virtual field trips for your class this year.

Tip #12 Embrace Virtual Reality

Depending on your school budget Google Cardboard could be a very good investment. This small device allows students to download an app and view places in a virtual reality environment.

Tip #13 Use Engaging Curriculum Materials

At the end of the day, you still need to cover the contents of your curriculum. By integrating some of these tips into your daily lessons you will make history class more engaging for your students. If you teach Canadian history check out these units by 2 Peas and a Dog which will help you keep your students engaged. I hope you use these strategies to make history class engaging for your students.

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2 thoughts on “13 Ways To Make History Class Engaging For Students”

Kristy, I would like to know about your QR codes in history class. Can you send me some more information.

Sure, send me an email using my contact for on the website.

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This FREE persuasive writing unit is

• Perfect for engaging students in public speaking and persuasive writing
• Time and energy saving
• Ideal for in-person or online learning

By using highly-engaging rants, your students won’t even realize you’ve channeled their daily rants and complaints into high-quality, writing!

Types of Writing Assignments

Narrative History

• Response Papers
• Creative Approaches
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Book Reviews
• Historiographic Essays
• Research Papers

Basic Considerations When Writing on History

• Cause and Effect
• Establishing a Broader Context
• Common Fallacies

Types of Sources

• Secondary Sources
• Primary Sources
• Fiction/Art/Poetry
• The Internet

Critical Reading

• Historiography
• Bias/Prejudice
• Evaluating Contradictory Data and Claims

Preparation and Writing

• Time Management
• Note-Taking Tips
• Developing a Thesis
• Organization
• Formulating a Conclusion

Basic Quoting Skills

• Quotation/Annotation
• Bibliographies
• Advanced Quoting Skills
• The Ethics of Quoting

Style and Editing

• Drafts and Revisions
• Common Stylistic Errors

Narrative history allows you to master the art of good storytelling that lies at the heart of most compelling history.

In a nutshell, narrative history asks you to tell a story: when, where, and (hopefully) why a certain event occurred, its larger significance or context, and who the important participants were. This is one of the more basic types of assignments you are likely to encounter, well-suited for (although not limited to) a short paper assignment.

Usually (in the context of a "W" class, for example) your professor has already covered the event. You have read about it and discussed it in class, and the assignment's objective is simply 1) to get you writing and, 2) to allow you to display, in writing, your mastery over the material.

Often - especially in a "W" course - the professor will ask you to limit your sources to those used in class, to use a system of annotation of his or her choosing, and to display basic quoting skills . Most likely, the professor will also require you to provide a "Works Cited"-page, or bibliography . (In the event that your professor asks you to access sources aside from those used in class, go to types of sources ).

Such an assignment will invariably require you to develop a thesis (a basic claim, or question, your paper seeks to prove or answer) and to formulate a conclusion . In between, in the main body of your paper, you will tell your story: what happened, when, and why.

Chart the foreign policy of Adolf Hitler from his appointment as German Chancellor in 1933 until the eve of World War II in 1939.

The events that marked the pre-WWII foreign policy of Nazi Germany, although complicated, are well-documented (they are listed below ). You will find them briefly explained in any standard textbook of European, World, or American history. Most likely, your professor expects you to introduce your topic, to establish a broader context , to place the relevant events into chronological order, to explain each one briefly, and to draw a conclusion.

A thesis, in the case of narrative history, can be modest: "The foreign policy pursued by the Nazi government under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1939 paved the way for World War II." A more ambitious thesis might add a statement along the following lines: "The unwillingness of the League of Nations or the United States to challenge Hitler's foreign policy may have emboldened him in his increasingly aggressive tactics. Ultimately these mutually reinforcing strategies culminated in the major confrontation that became World War II."

For more on this sample assignment, see Establishing a Broader Context .

• 1933 Hitler becomes Führer ("leader") of Germany; leaves the League of Nations.
• 1935 begins re-building the German navy and increasing troop strength of German army in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
• 1936 Hitler remilitarizes the Rhineland, placed under French control for 20 years in 1919's Treaty of Versailles.
• 1936 Hitler signs the Rome-Berlin Axis Pact, creating an alliance with Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
• 1936-39 Along with Mussolini, Hitler aids Franco's Nationalists (the "falange") against the Republicans (or "Loyalists") in the Spanish Civil War.
• 1938 Hitler annexes Austria in the so-called Anschluss ("annexation").
• 1938 September, Britain and France appease Hitler by granting him the right to occupy the Sudetenland, an ethnic German-populated western province of Czechoslovakia; Hitler asserts that his territorial claims in Europe are satisfied.
• 1939 March, Hitler takes the rest of Czechoslovakia.
• 1939 September 1, Hitler attacks Poland.
• 1939 September 3, Britain and France declare war on Germany: World War II officially begins.

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Spring 2024 Course Guide

This page contains the Spring 2024 course guide. Click here for the  summer 2024 course guide

Meeting the Requirements

Each semester, numerous history department courses fulfill one or more General Education requirements, including Historical Studies (HS), United States Diversity (DU), Global Diversity (DG), and Interdisciplinary (I). Some courses are cross-listed with other departments, such as Economics and Legal Studies. These courses and others may count toward major requirements in other departments. We advise you to contact your major advisor to determine whether a history course may count for a non-history major. 

This semester's courses also fulfill various requirements for history majors and minors, including:

• Non-Western -  The following courses will automatically satisfy the non-western requirement: HIST 111: World History Since 1600; HIST 112H: Intro to World Religions, Honors; HIST 115: Modern China; HIST 120: Colonial Latin America; HIST 131: Middle East 1500-Present; HIST 161: Africa Since 1500; HIST 346: China in the 20th and 21st Centuries; HIST 347: Traditional Japan; HIST 357: Women and Revolutions
• Pre-1500 -  The following courses will automatically satisfy the pre-1500 requirement: HIST 112H: Intro to World Religions, Honors; HIST 300: Ancient Greece; HIST 302: Early Middle Ages 300-1100. Note, there are courses being offered this semester that may satisfy the non-western requirement or the pre-1500 requirements that are not on this list. The courses listed above will automatically count towards these requirements, but if you are taking a class that you believe meets either requirement, and it’s not listed here, inquire with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator at [email protected].
• Integrative Experience - The following courses will satisfy the Gen Ed Integrative Experience Requirement (affects primary history majors): HIST 394AI: The Age of Crusades; HIST 394RI: Comparative Revolutions in the Modern Era
• Junior Year Writing -  The following courses will satisfy the Junior Year Writing requirement: HIST 450-01: The Enlightenment in Europe and America; HIST 450-02: History Writing and Political Engagement; HIST 450-03: Maps, Politics, and Power; HIST 450-04: Monsters, Foreigners, and Outsiders

SPRING 2024 UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Hist 101 western thought since 1600 (hs), jon olsen | mw 11:15-12:05pm, friday discussions.

The purpose of this class is to look back on the past 400+ years and analyze how Western society developed in order to better understand phenomena such as revolution, romanticism, nationalism, industrialization, war, and other related themes. Of these themes, nationalism will serve as a connective tissue running throughout the course as we investigate the different ways in which it has been expressed and how it has functioned in different contexts, the impact that it has had in different areas, and the way in which it has interacted with and influenced other important ideologies.

HIST 111 World History Since 1500 (HS, DG)

Brian bunk | mw 9:05-9:55am, friday discussions.

The goal of the course is to understand the development of key aspects of world history from the late fifteenth to the late twentieth centuries. The course examines human interaction in specific situations developing through time, including the development of significant social, political, or economic institutions or ideologies. Students are exposed to historically important events, developments, or processes as a way of teaching them to understand the present and direct their futures as well as gain an awareness of and appreciation for an historical perspective. The readings of the course include a variety of primary and secondary sources in order to better analyze and understand the diversity of global norms and values and the way they change over time. The course work emphasizes the development of critical thinking and writing skills. This course fulfills the non-western requirement for history majors and the historical studies in global perspective (DG) portion of the General Education program.

HIST 112H Intro to World Religions, Honors (I, DG)

Susan ware | tuth 11:00-12:15pm.

This class introduces students to the history, geography, beliefs, rituals, Scripture, and architecture of religions around the world. We will study closely the most historically dominant religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) -- getting acquainted briefly with smaller faiths that they encounter in their historical trajectories: Sikhism, Jainism, Shinto, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.  

The class will consider each tradition as not only a deliberate implementation of an initial vision, but also a product of forces in a particular place and time. We will see them become agents of change affecting outsiders as they spread geographically on the tails of military, economic, and philosophical conquests. The major religions will be studied as related parts of the two families in which they have arisen: first Indus Valley traditions, then Middle Eastern traditions. Students will be responsible for learning detailed maps of countries in the Middle East, north Africa, central Asia, and east Asia. 

HIST 115 Modern China (HS, DG)

Steve platt | mw 11:15-12:05, friday discussions.

This is a four-credit survey of Chinese history from 1600 to the present day. We will cover topics including: the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty; Chinese-Western encounters; internal threats to the Confucian state; transformations of Chinese thought and culture in the 19th century; the revolutions of the 20th century; the rise of Mao Zedong; the People’s Republic of China; the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution; and the dramatic transformations China is undergoing today as a result of economic and political reforms since Mao’s death.

HIST 120 Colonial Latin America (HS, DG)

Heidi v. scott | mw 11:15-12:05.

This course surveys the history of colonial Latin America, examining the encounters between Iberians, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and African peoples over the course of three centuries. The class explores the reciprocal effects of this contact. What effects did the conquest have on the peoples, cultures, environments, and demography of the Americas? What were the characteristics of the societies, cultures, and environments that emerged from this ongoing process of contact, conflict, and colonialism? We examine, among other themes, experiences and portrayals of conquest, the formation of colonial communities, the role of the Catholic Church, slavery and the formation of racialized caste systems, everyday life in colonial society, and the collapse of empire in the early nineteenth century. Opposing viewpoints and historiographical debates set the tone for at least some lectures and discussions. We make frequent use of textual and visual primary source materials throughout the semester. Assignments for the course include a midterm exam, an assignment based on the analysis of historical sources, a book review, and active participation.

HIST 131 Middle East 1500-Present (HS, DG)

Mohammad ataie | tuth 8:00-8:50am, friday discussions.

This course aims to give you the tools to enable you to think, read, and write critically about the modern Middle East. We begin with the rise of the Safavid Empire in Iran and the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia. We then look at the shifting balances of power within these empires which were caused by both internal and external forces. Next, we move into the era known as the “Modern” Middle East, exploring both the essential role of European imperialism in shaping this period and trans-regional reactions to it. We continue on towards our final destination, the present day, examining particular events and longer trends that have fundamentally shaped the region. We end our course with a look at the rise of Islamic resistance movements and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

HIST 151 US Survey, Reconstruction to the Present (HS)

Sam redman | tuth 1:00-1:50pm, friday discussions.

This course will provide students with an understanding of American political, social, and economic history from the period of Reconstruction in the late 19 th  century through the late 20 th  century.  The course explores politics and culture, as well as the interactions of race, class, and gender in U.S. history.  Particular attention will be paid to struggles for justice, African American history, and women’s history.  Primary source readings will be emphasized.   

HIST 155 Empires to Nations: The making of the Atlantic World (1400-1800) (HS, DG)

Asheesh siddique | mw 10:10-11:00am, friday discussion s.

This course will examine the transformation of the Atlantic World from a world of empires into one of nation-states through examining the interactions between Africans, American Natives, and Europeans from the fifteenth through the end of the eighteenth century. We will explore the role of people, pathogens, plants, animals, ideas, and institutions in forming societies and cultures across a vast geographic expanse, and how the transformation of these communities across four centuries through migration, settlement, war, and trade helped forge the modern world. How did the Atlantic world transform from a world of empires – both native and European – into one of nation-states during the period from the 1400s to 1800s? Students will read both complex primary sources and key historiographical interventions, practicing the skills of interpreting evidence in both oral and written contexts in both class discussions and through essay assignments. Other assignments will include a midterm exam and a final exam, and evaluation of active participation during discussion meetings.

HIST 161 Africa Since 1500 (HS, DG)

Elizabeth jacob | tuth 11:30-12:45pm.

This survey course examines African history from the 16th century to the present. It focuses on three major developments in African history: slavery and the rise of global capitalism; colonial conquest and rule; and decolonization and the end of empire. As we study African-authored texts, art, music, and film, we will explore how women and men experienced these periods of complex political, economic, and cultural change. Throughout, we will pay particular attention to the “making” of African history. Who writes African history? Whose voices are centered? Whose voices are marginalized?

HIST 170H Indigenous Peoples of North America, Honors (HS, DU)

Alice nash | tuth 1:00-2:15pm.

This course is an introduction to the history of Indigenous Peoples within the present-day borders of the U.S.A. and Canada. While we will only be able to cover a few culture groups in any depth, the major themes of the course relate to all groups: colonization, trade, land loss, sovereignty, religion and missionaries, treaties, war and peace, and identity. Another theme that runs throughout the course is tension between history as understood and experienced by indigenous peoples and history as recorded and written by Europeans. Throughout, we will consider how “history” bears on the present day.

HIST 181 History of Western Science and Technology II (HS)

Emily hamilton | mw 9:05-9:55am, friday discussions.

This sequel to History 180 surveys Western science and technology in their cultural context from the Scientific Revolution to the Cold War. The course introduces students to key scientific ideas of the modern age. Important subjects include the social organization of science, the creation of the laboratory as the key site for the production of scientific knowledge, and the development of the “techno science” that gave rise to industrial R & D and produced the technological infrastructure of modern life. No prerequisites, although previous exposure to a course in modern European or American history is helpful.

This course satisfies the Gen Ed requirements by using historical methods of analysis to explore course content and develop analytical and critical thinking through inquiry and synthesis of concepts in the history of science. Students will develop written and oral communication skills through short assignments and a longer research paper, as well as gain experience with collaborative work through a semester-long group project organizing a timeline. Broader themes in science will be explored, situating the practice of science within society. Students will be exposed to historically important events, developments, and processes, examining science as a human endeavor influenced by social, political, and economic factors. Students will use a variety of primary and secondary materials to examine the social context of science and important people and ideas in Western science, as well as to reflect on the contemporary role of science as understood through understanding its origins.

HIST 190STA Drugs and Capitalism in Global History

Matt wormer | tuth 4:00-5:15pm.

This class explores the relationship between drugs and capitalism from 1500 to the present. From coffee and tobacco to opium and cocaine, addictive commodities have remade labor regimes, trade networks, and consumer cultures around the world, a “psychoactive revolution” that some scholars consider key to understanding the making of modern capitalism. Students will examine this topic through a series of chronological case studies that will allow them to situate debates over drugs and society in their global historical context.

HIST 201 Imperial America: The U.S. and the World, 1898-Present

Christian appy | mw 9:05-9:55am, friday discussions.

This four-credit GenEd course examines the assertion of U.S. power from the conquest of the Philippines to the “Global War on Terror.” Some of the key questions we consider are: How do we define U.S. imperialism? What are its institutions, resources, practices, goals, justifications, and consequences? Can imperialism and democracy co-exist? How does U.S. imperialism benefit or harm different groups at home and abroad? What ideas and forces have opposed U.S. imperialism? How have U.S. leaders described and justified their foreign policies? How do their official explanations compare to historical realities? What principles and interests have been most decisive in moving the U.S. toward military action? There are no prerequisites required to take this course. 

HIST 204 Ancient Rome (HS)

Timothy hart | tuth 2:30-3:45pm.

This course, which satisfies the GenEd requirement for Historical Studies (HS), is a survey of Roman history covering over a millennium, from the city’s earliest beginnings in the 6th century BCE until the emergence of its political heirs during the 5th through 7th centuries CE. In this course you will learn about the major social processes and events that shaped the Mediterranean world into a single political entity for the first - and only - time in history. While this course follows a roughly chronological path, your journey through Roman history will be guided by three enduring, thematic questions:

• What did it mean to be a Roman, over time?  What characteristics/beliefs did Romans consider crucial to their identity? How did Romans think about and identify non-Romans? What were the social and political duties of a Roman citizen? What were the benefits? How could one become a Roman? Could someone stop being a Roman?
• How do we know what we know about the Romans?  What kinds of evidence do we use to reconstruct the Roman past? How do we understand and evaluate ancient texts and other types of evidence? How have modern scholars and others thought about the Romans? What does it mean to be an historian?
• Why is the Roman Empire important?  What, if anything, set the Romans apart from other ancient societies? Why was the “Roman project” so successful for so long? What factors ultimately led to the collapse of the imperial system? How does the legacy of Rome impact our contemporary world?

As we discuss topics such as Rome’s transition from republic to empire, the administration of a Mediterranean empire, the impact of Christianity, and the so-called “barbarian invasions,” you will read a wide range of ancient texts, and develop skills in critical analysis and written expression. This course requires no prior knowledge and is open to all.

HIST 241 The Irish Experience (HS)

Laura mcneil | tuth 10:00-11:15am.

This course will examine the economic, political, and social developments in Ireland, from the 1798 Rebellion to the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland.  In particular, we will look at the rise of revolutionary, constitutional, and cultural nationalism in Ireland and Irish-America. 

The course fulfills General Education objectives in History (HS) by asking fundamental questions about the past and applying the ideas we study in real contexts.  Students will examine both primary and secondary sources (i.e. those created at the time and those written by modern scholars) to assess different historical interpretations of critical events and people in modern Irish history. The course also emphasizes communicating those historical assessments effectively, both in bluebook exams and take-home essays. 

Specifically as a four-credit class, this class asks you to not only look closely at documents from the past, but also to read and critically assess several monographs about Irish history by professional historians. You will need to think not only about the information they offer, but also about the ways in which they present the past. 

Similarly, it also asks you to look closely at several documentaries and films about Irish and Irish-American history, and to think about the interpretations they offer.  For documentaries, think especially about the ways they put together interviews, oral histories, visual materials, re-enactments, etc., to convey both information and understandings of history.  For movies, think about them as historical fiction: What visions of Irish history do they give us? Where do you think they are likely to be accurate, and where might they be taking liberties for a more dramatic story?  

HIST 242H American Family in Historical Perspective, Honors

Martha yoder | tuth 2:30-3:45pm.

Since the 1960s, Americans have experienced rapid and potentially disorienting changes in marriage and reproduction, in expectations of the family, and in the relationship between work life and home life. In this course we will take an historical and cross-cultural approach to studying these changes. Exploring the ways in which economic and political structures have affected the family since the period of European colonization, we will also examine the roles played by race, ethnic origin, immigration, and structural inequality in shaping familial differences. In the final weeks of the semester, we will employ this historical perspective as we examine questions about new definitions of family, the household division of labor, and the relationship between society and family in the postindustrial and increasingly politicized and globalized environment of the late-20 th /early-21st centuries. 

HIST 275 The Craft of History

Asheesh siddique | mw 2:30-3:45pm .

This course provides history majors with an introduction to the philosophy of history, historical methodology, and general schools of historiography. We will consider how historians inside and outside the academy pose questions, and how they find, select, evaluate, interpret, and analyze evidence in order to propose answers to those questions. Finally, we will reflect as well upon questions about the purposes and goals of both studying and writing history.

HIST 280 History of Baseball (HS)

Joel wolfe | mw 1:25-2:15pm,  wednesday  discussions.

This class examines the history of baseball from its earliest days as a game for young men in New York City in the mid-19th century to the present and its professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere in the world. The class studies the rise of sport as a leisure activity and then industry, the creation of the major leagues, the racial integration of baseball, the rise of free agency, the steroid era and beyond.

HIST 282 Global History of Sport

Brian bunk | mw 2:30-3:45pm.

The Global history of Sport is devoted to the modern history of international sport. The course examines the ways that sport has influenced and been influenced by important social, political, and economic institutions or ideologies. Class material will address the emergence of international sporting institutions and tournaments such as the Olympic games and the World Cup while also examining several individual case studies including soccer and boxing. Students analyze historically important events, developments, and processes as a way of gaining an awareness of and appreciation for an historical perspective. The readings of the course include a variety of sources in order to better analyze and understand the diversity of global norms and values and the way they change over time. The course work emphasizes the development of critical thinking and writing skills and assignments include short essays and collaborative projects. 3 credits.

HIST 300 Ancient Greece

Timothy hart | tuth 4:00-5:15pm.

History 300 is a survey of ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age until the coming of Rome (c. 1500 to 146 BCE). In this course we will follow the example of the Greek historian Herodotus and investigate the past ( historia  in ancient Greek originally meant to investigate or inquire). Using the writings of the ancient Greeks themselves, we will discuss a wide range of topics, including the political development of the Greek city-state ( polis ) and the concurrent tensions between local identities and a common sense of “Greekness.” Our survey will deconstruct the political rivalries between the Greek cities (especially Athens and Sparta), while also exploring Greek ideas about gender, sexuality, freedom and slavery, and what it meant to be part of a political community. Throughout the semester, we will approach these topics with a critical eye towards the ways in which modern thinkers (both scholarly and not) have looked to the ancient Greeks to further their own social/political agendas. In this course you will not only learn about the history of ancient Greece, but will also emerge better equipped to evaluate what the Greeks might mean for us today, and how ancient civilizations functioned more generally.

HIST 302 Early Middle Ages 300-1100

Anna taylor | mw 2:30-3:45pm.

Focusing on the religious and intellectual history of Western Europe, this course explores aspects of medieval culture in western and northern Europe up to about the end of the eleventh century. Topic and themes include the synthesis of Christian and pagan traditions, competing sources and forms of authority, and the development of religious movements. Most early medieval documentary sources from the region were written by elite Christian men, but we will also try to reconstruct the voices and experiences of other groups. The Middle Ages are weird, barbaric, fascinating and perplexing. We will not be looking at some glorious past full of knights, kings, and heroes.

HIST 321 Shi’i Islam, A Historical Approach

Hadi jorati | mw 4:00-5:15pm.

What is Shi'ism? Is it an ideology, a sect, a cult, or something else? How is Shi’i Islam different from other Islamic sects, and how did it come to be? Who are the Shi’is? What do we know about Shi’i Societies in the past or present or about their beliefs and practices? Where are these societies located and how did they develop?

From its inception to various steps of transformation and in its many manifestations in history and in the modern world, the many misrepresentations and misinformation have created a sense of mystery about this topic. This course does not aim at providing a final and definitive answer to the above questions or similar ones. Instead, we will together approach this topic methodically and critically and discuss various issues in light of the available information and in connection with the current discourse. This course is aiming to present the student with a nuanced and critiqued understanding of development of islamic societies and various ramifications of major historical events. We will start with the issue of succession to the Prophet, and disputations about the role of Ali, to the revolt of Hussein and its aftermath, culminating in the emergence of the new Shi’i identity and its solidification in Iraq during the period of the Imamate. Then we tackle the issue of the relation between the office of the Imamate and the Abbasid Empire, and concurrent with it the career of the later Imams in the Twelver tradition, and the issue of the  Ghayba . Afterwards we focus on the role of Shi’i societies in the peripheries of the empire, and the relation between Shi’i orthodoxies and heterodoxies in those societies, and how it led to the rise of Safavid twelver Shi’ism, and the establishment of a new orthodoxy in Iran. Parallely we will also briefly discuss the Zaydis and Isma’ilis, as well as the principles of Imami Doctrine ( Aqida ).

HIST 325 First World War

Andy donson | tuth 8:30-9:45am.

This courses teaches you to take another person’s view in oral and written debate through two curated historical role-playing games:  July Crisis, 1914  and  Peacemaking, 1919 , both published by Barnard College, Columbia University, in their Reacting to the Past (RTTP) series. Students play them over several weeks. In the first four weeks, students in their historical role decide whether to declare war on Germany or the Allies. In the next five weeks, they review Germany’s conduct during the First World War. In the last weeks of the course, they decide on how to make peace with Germany: stabilize, punish, or both? Assignments include two speeches, two papers, and seven quizzes.

HIST 334 Tudor England

Jessica keene | mw 2:30-3:45pm.

This course traces the history of England in the era of the Tudor dynasty, from the early reign of Henry VII through the `Golden Age? of the English Renaissance under Elizabeth I. Students will examine the leading personalities and legacies of the Tudor monarchs and transformations in politics, religion, the economy, the social order, and the gender order in sixteenth century England that occurred during their reigns. Key topics of study include the establishment of England as an `early modern? state, the English Reformation, England's evolving geopolitical relationship with Continental Europe, and the beginnings of English overseas exploration and expansion into the Atlantic World.

HIST 337 City, Industry, and Labor in Colonial India

Priyanka srivastava | tuth 10:00-11:15am.

This course examines economic and social developments in India during the period of British imperialism (1757-1947) with a specific focus on the histories and political economy of urban and industrial development, and factory and non-factory work. The course begins with broad discussions of the transformation engendered by colonial policies, which integrated India into a global imperial economy. We then discuss the makings of colonial cities; the environmental costs of colonial urban development; the patterns of rural-urban migration; the workings of racial capitalism; the foundation and expansion of jute and cotton textile industries in the two most prominent industrial cities of British India—Calcutta and Bombay; and working and living conditions in the two cities. We will conclude this course with a brief analysis of Indian economy in the post-independence period.

HIST 339 British Empire Since 1783

Matt wormer | tuth 2:30-3:45pm.

This class traces the history of the British Empire from the Age of Revolutions to the anticolonial struggles of the twentieth century. We will explore the pivotal role of imperial phenomena – slavery, settler colonialism, indigenous dispossession, and more – in the rise of Britain as a global power. Key themes will include empire and industrialization; liberal imperialism; resistance movements; and the legacies of empire in a world of nation states.

HIST 346 China in the 20 th  and 21 st  Centuries

Bing xia | tuth 4:00-5:15pm.

The personalities, events, and forces that shaped China during the last century: collapse of the imperial order; warlordism, foreign invasion; political and cultural revolutions; Mao and the Chinese Communist Party; the struggle to "modernize" China's economy, society, and culture; role of China in today's world.

HIST 347 Traditional Japan

Garrett washington | mw 2:30-3:45pm.

This course traces the history of Japan from the distant past through the centralization and prosperity of the Tokugawa period (1600-1868). It will focus on social, political, cultural, and religious history and will place familiar figures like the Japanese samurai, sumo wrestler, geisha, haiku poet, and Buddhist monk in their proper historical context. Through a variety of primary sources, from the performance piece to the autobiography to the legal edict, a textbook, activities such as a Tea Ceremony and virtual visits to an ancient temple and a 17 th -century merchant house, and a GIS-based class project, students will learn about the diversity, constant reinvention, and conflict, but also the harmony that characterized traditional Japan.   

HIST 356 U.S. Empire and Solidarity in Central America

Diana sierra becerra | tuth 10:00-11:15am.

This course will examine the role of U.S. imperialism in the region and the revolutionary organizing of Central Americans to build a world free of exploitation and state violence. As a diverse group of people, Central Americans have practiced solidarity to unite their movements across class, racial, and geographic borders. Why has the United States intervened in the region? What common interests have national elites and imperialists shared? How have working-class people transformed the region and confronted empire? The solidarity practices of Central Americans have much to teach us in an age in which many of us feel alone and heavy with despair. This history can help us chart a path forward. It can offer us important lessons, and even nourish our connections, dreams, and struggles for collective liberation.

HIST 357 Women and Revolutions

Diana sierra becerra | tuth 1:00-2:15pm.

In the twentieth-century, working-class women have built revolutions to dismantle oppressive systems and create a free society. They organized workers, waged armed struggle, and built alternative institutions. Why did women join revolutionary movements? How did gender shape their participation? How did women define the theories and practices of revolutionary movements? We will consult diverse sources to understand the experiences and dreams of radical women. Historical case studies from Latin America will be our main focus. These histories offer critical lessons that can inform our present-day struggles to get free.

HIST 363 Civil War Era

Sarah cornell | mw 9:05-9:55am, friday discussions.

This course examines the history of the era of the U.S. Civil War. We will investigate the causes of the war, tracing the development of the conflict over slave labor versus free labor, the destruction of national political parties, and the creation of sectional political parties. However, we will also attend to other important historical tensions during this era, including those between capitalists and workers in the North, conflicts between enslavers and enslaved people in the South, and conflicts between enslavers and non-slaveholding whites in the South. We will examine the social, political, and military history of the war itself, examining closely the transition from a civil war to a revolution that entailed emancipation and more. Then we will study the outcomes of the war, highlighting the conflicts over the meanings of freedom and citizenship among freedpeople, white and black northerners, black and white suffragists, and white southerners in the postbellum period. While this course's focus is the United States, we will also pay close attention to the international context. At various points during the semester, we will reflect critically upon the ways in which experiences of the war and its aftermath have been remembered and represented in history and popular culture. The course will conclude with an assessment of the legacies of the era.  NOTE WELL: This is  not  a course solely devoted to military history.

HIST 378 Sex and the Supreme Court

Jennifer l. nye | tu 1:00-3:30pm.

This course focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court and its rulings regarding sex and sexuality. We will examine several hot button issues confronted by the Supreme Court, such as reproduction (sterilization/contraception/abortion); marriage (polygamous/interracial/same sex); pornography/obscenity; sodomy; sexual assault on college campuses; and sex education in public schools.

Some questions we will consider include: What is the constitutionality of government regulation of sexual behavior, sexual material, reproduction, and sexuality and how and why has this changed over time? What is or should be the Court’s role in weighing in on these most intimate issues? In ruling on these issues, is the Court interested in liberty, equality, privacy, dignity, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or something else? We will consider how the Court and advocates framed these issues, used or misused historical and scientific evidence, and how the argument and/or evidence changed depending on the audience (i.e. the Court or the general public).

HIST 378J Social Justice Lawyering

Jennifer l. nye | th 1:00-3:30pm.

Audre Lorde famously said that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” and yet social justice movements and marginalized people continue to turn to litigation to advance their social justice goals. From fighting Jim Crow segregation to challenging the Muslim travel ban and the separation of refuge children at the border, judicial review has historically been used as a strategy to reign-in executive and legislative over-reach and protect Constitutional rights.

This course will examine how lawyers, social movements, and everyday people have used litigation to advocate for social justice in the United States. Through reading in-depth studies of important civil and criminal cases, we will explore such questions as: What is the history of social justice lawyering in the United States and how, why and when have social movements turned to litigation to advance their causes? What are the pros and cons of using litigation to achieve social justice, versus other tools like direct action, lobbying for political change, and community organizing? How effective is litigation in achieving the goals originally envisioned by lawyers, activists, and litigants? How have lawyers constrained or expanded the vision of social justice movements? What dilemmas do lawyers—who are ethically bound to zealously advocate for the interests of individual clients—face when they are additionally interested in advancing “a cause”? Cases explored may include issues such as civil rights, women’s rights, disability rights, environmental justice, poverty and people’s lawyering, immigration rights, and the rise of conservative social movement lawyering.

HIST 378R History of Reproductive Rights Law

Jennifer nye | tuth 10:00-11:15am.

This course will explore the history and development of reproductive rights law in the 20th and 21st century United States, centering primarily on the reading of statutes, court decisions, amicus briefs, and law review articles. We will look at the progression of cases and legal reasoning involving a wide variety of reproductive rights and justice issues, including forced/coerced sterilization, contraception, abortion, forced pregnancy/c-sections, policing pregnancy (through welfare law, employment policies and criminal law), and reproductive technologies. We will pay particular attention to how differently situated women were/are treated differently by the law, especially based on age, class, race, sexual orientation, relationship status, immigration status, and ability.

 We also will examine the role lawyers have historically played in advancing (or constraining) the goals of the reproductive rights and justice movement(s) and will explore the effectiveness of litigation as a strategy to secure these rights. Finally, we will explore the relationship between reproductive rights and reproductive justice and consider whether reproductive justice can be obtained through advocating for reproductive rights.

HIST 387 The Holocaust

Jonathan skolnik | tuth 2:30-3:20, friday discussions.

This course explores the long-term origins of the Holocaust in European racism and antisemitism, and the more immediate origins in the dynamics of the Nazi state and the war against the Soviet Union. Particular attention will be given to debates and controversies, including the motivations of German and non-German perpetrators, bystanders, and collaborations; the place of the Jews and non-Jews in Holocaust historiography; the continuities of racism and genocide and their comparability; and the consequences of the Holocaust for memory and world politics.

This course fulfills the 4-credit general-education requirements with designations HS and DG (historical studies and global diversity). As an HS course, it engages a broad period of history, examining, for example antisemitism from antiquity to the present. It helps students develop their critical thinking by teaching how to read a variety of texts. It develops writing skills through a paper and weekly writing assignments. Finally, and most of it all, the course teaches the main skill of the historian: the ability to place events and ideas in their historical context and draw conclusions about causes and consequences. As a DG course, it introduces students to a variety of perspectives through readings, and lectures focus on controversies, interpretations, and debates among Holocaust scholars. Much of the content is about minority groups. Related to the study of the history of the Holocaust, the course introduces students to other genocides, including in Armenia and Namibia as well as investigating issues of racism and the demonization of minorities in U.S. history. As a 300-level history course, it is also reading-intensive.

HIST 390 STF African History through Literature and Film

Elizabeth jacob | tuth 2:30-3:45pm.

This course approaches modern African history through the lens of literature and film, with a focus on cultural production from twentieth-century West Africa. How do artistic forms shape popular perceptions of Africa? How do they influence how we remember and interpret historical events? Can we use them as historical sources? Why or why not? Topics include resistance to and collaboration with European colonialism, marriage and motherhood, neocolonialism and corruption, civil war, and migration.

HIST 390STG The Iranian Revolution in Global Perspective

Mohammad ataie | mw 4:00-5:15pm.

This course examines the roots of the 1979 Iran revolution, the nature of the state and society that resulted from it within a broader global context, and the revolution's transnational impact. The first unit focuses on pre-revolutionary Iran, examining national and global forces that laid the groundwork for the revolution. The second unit covers the global ramifications of the revolution in the 1980s, a crucial decade in the formation of the Islamic Republic and today's Middle East. In the final unit, the course looks at the long-term ramifications of the revolution in the Middle East and the specific historical developments that led to tensions between Iran and the US.

HIST 392AH A Poisoned Well: Ancient Heritage and Modern Racism

Jason moralee and johannes wietzke | tuth 4:00-5:15pm.

Ancient Greeks and Romans thought about the world and its inhabitants in racialized categories. Climate, diet, bloodlines, and other factors supposedly made some peoples inherently superior and others immutably inferior. The writings and assumptions behind this racialized thinking were taken up and used by European intellectuals from the Renaissance forward, becoming a poisoned well that laid the basis for the formation of racist ideologies, regimes, and policies in the twentieth century. This seminar explores the entanglement between ancient racialized thinking and modern expressions of racism—and even resistance against racism. We will explore this topic by reading recent books, articles, and media reports on the following topics: ancient strategies of othering, the encounter between Europeans and indigenous peoples in the New World, the valorization of Greek and Roman texts and artifacts in European colonial projects and Nazi Germany, and the use of Greek and Roman imagery in contemporary ethno-nationalist movements in Europe and the United States. 

HIST 392E The U.S. in Latin America

Kevin young | tuth 1:00-2:15pm.

Why has the U.S. government intervened so constantly in Latin America, and with what consequences? How have Latin Americans responded? This course examines U.S. motives and actions in Latin America, which for our purposes includes the Caribbean as well. We will assess the role of the U.S. government and military but also that of corporations, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the U.S. public. While these foreign actors have wielded tremendous power in the region, they have always operated within contexts partially defined by Latin Americans – an incredibly diverse population including presidents, dictators, militaries, landlords, clergy, industrialists, the middle class, wage workers, slaves, peasant farmers, women community leaders, LGBTQ activists, shantytown dwellers, migrants, and hundreds of ethnic groups. U.S. experiences with Latin America have often helped to shape both U.S. society and its interactions with the rest of the world, making this history of vital importance for understanding much of global history. The course places a special focus on close readings of primary source documents, including declassified government memos, speeches, newspaper reports, political cartoons, and the voices of some of the people who have opposed U.S. policies.

HIST 394AI Age of Crusades (IE)

Anne broadbridge | mwf 10:10-11:00am.

You will gain an understanding of the history of the Age of the Crusades (1090s-1290s). You will investigate the eight major crusades to the Levant and North Africa, including their history, the key male and female personalities involved on both sides, the ideologies that spurred participants into action, and the most important military and logistical challenges that each side faced. You will study the European Crusaders and those Muslims, Christians and Jews who were “Crusaded Against” in the Middle East, as well as cultural interactions and exchanges among all sides. We will also investigate European Crusades against other Europeans, and will sum up with Crusades of later centuries. By the end of the course, you will be able to discuss all of this complicated history with confidence and flair, and you will be brilliant additions to parties and gatherings. Fulfills the IE requirement for History majors, Middle Eastern Studies majors.

HIST 394RI Comparative Revolutions in the Modern Era

Dan gordon | tuth 10:00-11:15am.

Students will learn about the French and American Revolutions and also embark on the study of a third revolution of their choice. The focus will be on revolutionary ideas--visions of change--as expressed in political pamphlets and other primary sources. We will also learn about how historians and social scientists "compare" revolutions. Is there a single model or is it more important to draw out contrasts. Are some revolutions more "radical" than others? More "successful"? Finally, throughout the course, attention will be paid to the place of violence in revolution thought and action. Fulfills the IE requirement for History majors.

HIST 396W Navigating Washington

Bob larussa (jessica keene is instructor of record on spire) | f 12:00-2:00pm.

  This independent study is designed to give students preliminary understanding of how history, politics, economics, and the legislative and administrative processes in Washington shape US public policy, and the impact this has on US international relations. Students will be asked to analyze the impact of recent international trade decisions by the Trump Administration, with a focus on what and who drove these decisions, both inside of Washington and out. The course will focus on events that are happening now, including how the politics of the mid-term congressional elections have shaped policy. In the process, students will discover who influences these policies and a range of potential career paths in this area.

NOTE: Interested students should email Jessica Keene for enrollment at  @email .

Junior Year Writing Seminars

Hist 450-01 the enlightenment in europe and america, dan gordon | tuth 2:30-3:45pm.

This Junior Year Writing Seminar focuses on politics, philosophy, and literature in the eighteenth century. Major figures covered include Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Baron Montesquieu, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Immanuel Kant. Students will read works by these authors as well as competing scholarly interpretations of the era. What is the relationship between the Enlightenment and the revolutions of the late eighteenth century? Did the Enlightenment critique of religion have the effect of secularizing European and American culture? How did the French Enlightenment differ from the Enlightenment in America? Why do scholars and political leaders still consider the Enlightenment to be important? In accordance with guidelines for all Junior Year Writing courses in the History department, students will write a research paper of 18-20 pages.

HIST 450-02 History Writing and Political Engagement

Sigrid schmalzer | tu 2:30-5pm.

This seminar will challenge the notion that good historical writing must be politically neutral. We will read different types of historical writing that pursue explicit political agendas or advocate for specific causes, and we will discuss how the authors manage (or fail) to take a stand while upholding rigorous standards of evidence and argument. Students will write several papers (including a short opinion piece, a historiographical essay, and a longer argument paper with primary sources) on topics political interest to themselves in a historical context they have previously studied or are currently studying. Success in the class will depend on the student's willingness to complete weekly assignments in a timely manner, recognition of the need for both political passion and scholarly responsibility, and ability to identify a promising topic and pursue it on a semi-independent basis (with guidance from the professor).

HIST 450-03 Maps, Politics, and Power

Heidi v. scott | mw 2:30-3:45pm.

In the 21st century we tend to take maps for granted. Even as paper maps become increasingly rare in everyday life, many of us interact with digital maps on a regular basis (think, for example, of Google Maps, Google Earth, and Apple Maps), and it has become increasingly easy for “ordinary” people to create their own maps using digital tools. But what is a map? How have maps, and the purposes they serve, varied over time and in different places and societies? Why should historians be concerned with the study of maps? And in what ways are maps “political”? We begin by discussing these broad questions and then go on to explore a range of case studies of how maps and map-making have been connected to politics and the exercise of power in society between pre-modern times and the twenty-first century.

A central purpose of this seminar, in addition to learning about maps and their role in history and society, is to develop and improve your skills in writing and research. Compared to many 400-level seminars, the required reading for class is relatively light. You will, however, complete numerous writing assignments, ranging from 500-word essays to an exploratory paper that is based on your individual research. We also dedicate time to reflecting on the  processes  of reading, writing, and research in class. Peer review – that is, reading and commenting constructively on the written work of your class peers – is another key feature of this course.

HIST 450-04 Monsters, Foreigners, and Outsiders

Anna taylor | mw 4:00-5:15pm.

Idealized and despised, outsiders, both real and imagined, define a society through negative and positive examples. By placing primary sources in their historical contexts, we will examine the ways that a society represents and uses its outsiders. The structure of the class will be roughly chronological, but will also proceed thematically to examine different kinds of outsiders. The subjects of our inquiry will be the fantastic – such as zombies, revenants, and wild men – but we will also consider the related representations of real peripheral groups and individuals. We will also take comparative approaches, examining the representations and uses of the monstrous in various cultures. In the first part of the course, you will become grounded in the topic while working on aspects of research and written style. During the last section of the semester, you will research and write a long paper (5000 words plus footnotes and bibliography) on a topic of your choosing related to monsters and the monstrous (topic is subject to professor’s approval).

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In ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,’ a very different impossible-missions force gets the assignment

N ot himself a great director, Guy Ritchie is something almost as rare: a director who’s his own genre. Ritchie makes distinctively, even unrelentingly, guy movies (no pun intended) that are slick, violent, jokey, and jokily violent.

His previous outing, “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (2023) — talk about giving credit where due! — was an exception: violent, yes, jokey, no. His latest, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” plants him firmly, almost parodically, back in his genre.

Based on a true story from World War II, “Ministry” depicts a daring British raid in West Africa against the Nazis. Actually, “depicts” isn’t the right word. It embroiders, stretches, reworks, and plays fast and loose with that story. Actually, “fast” isn’t the right word. Surprisingly draggy, “Ministry” plays slow and loose with the story.

Operation Postmaster, the mission the movie is based on, really did happen; and some embroidery, if not stretching and reworking, is to be expected, maybe even welcomed. The idea of a Guy Ritchie docudrama does not quicken the pulse. That said, the Nazis didn’t conquer the Canary Islands or West Africa. A group of senior advisers did not threaten Winston Churchill with removal from office if the operation failed. Past a certain point, all the inaccuracies become a distraction. If the movie were better, they’d be harder to notice.

So here’s the assignment for this impossible-missions force. The Axis have some ships on an island off the coast of Nigeria, servicing U-boats. Britain is on the verge of defeat (it is?) because of all the tonnage being sunk. “If we lose here, we lose control of the Atlantic,” a character says.

A rag-tag group is assembled to slip in and sink the ships. The mission is “unsanctioned, unauthorized, and unofficial,” announces Churchill. Let’s just say Rory Kinnear shouldn’t expect to win an Oscar for playing the PM, the way Gary Oldman did, for “Darkest Hour.” Ian Fleming, James Bond’s creator, figures as a character, too. Even as it trades on history, “Ministry” flouts it.

Bits and pieces of other movies surface, if not float. “Casablanca” and “The Dirty Dozen” get alluded to; and if you want to think of “Ministry” as a poor-man’s anglophile version of “Inglourious Basterds” (Churchill makes an appearance there, too, remember), you wouldn’t be wrong.

“Ministry” offers all kinds of collateral nonsense to pad the main nonsense. An attack on the Canaries (it’s on the way, after all). An unnecessarily elaborate bag switcheroo on a train. A well-timed appearance by a U-boat. A fancy costume ball, which gives Eiza González (“3 Body Problem”) an excuse to wear a slinky-skimpy Cleopatra costume and sing a very bad version of “Mack the Knife.”

Her character’s on the island to help set things up for the ungentlemanly warriors’ arrival. They’re led by Henry Cavill (Superman in various D.C. movies). How to do justice to his beard? The Schweppes guy meets Zack Galifianakis. Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”) has a beard, too, though his is less architectural. He mainly puffs on his pipe and blows stuff up. Alan Ritchson plays a seriously buff Dane whose favorite Marvel character would appear to be Hawkeye. Alex Pettyfer and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Ralph’s nephew) round out the crew. Overseeing things back in Whitehall is Cary Elwes. He smokes a pipe, too.

The actors get to say things like “The first domino falls,” “We’re outnumbered 200 to five,” and “Remember, gentlemen, try to have fun.” You’ll not be surprised to learn that four writers are credited with the script. Cavill speaks that “have fun” line. It’s one of the few times he doesn’t end a sentence with “old boy.” The hopeless-tosh factor in “Ministry” is considerable. If the upper lips here were any stiffer you’d think facial rigor mortis had set in. Playing veddy-English understatement off against overblown visuals is the key to the movie’s humor (if not wit).

“Overblown visuals” is a euphemism for violence. Nazis suffer death by — in alphabetical order — arrow (you thought I was kidding about Hawkeye), ax, explosion, grenade, knife, machine gun, mortar, rifle, submachine gun. It’s nice that the good guys have such good aim and so well-stocked an arsenal, but still.

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE

Directed by Guy Ritchie. Written by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, and Ritchie; based on “Churchill’s Secret Warriors,” by Damien Lewis. Starring Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes. At Boston theaters, Kendall Square, suburbs. 120 minutes. R (It’s not even the extent of the violence so much as the nauseating casualness of it). In English and German, with subtitles.

Ashley Moyer-Gleich will be 1st woman to referee NBA playoff games since 2012

Moyer-gleich is just the second woman ever to be picked by the nba for a playoff assignment, by tim reynolds | associated press • published april 18, 2024 • updated on april 19, 2024 at 11:34 am.

Ashley Moyer-Gleich checked her email just before heading to the airport on Saturday for a trip to what she thought would be her final game of the season.

That's when the news came in: She has more games to do.

Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game . She was one of 36 referees announced by the league Thursday as its referee selections for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend.

“It's surreal,” Moyer-Gleich said. “It really is.”

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She joins Violet Palmer as the only women picked by the NBA for a playoff assignment. Palmer worked nine playoff games between 2006 and 2012.

Moyer-Gleich, a former Division II player at Millersville University in her native Pennsylvania, was promoted to the full-time NBA officiating ranks in November 2018. She's worked more than 200 regular season games in her six seasons and is one of three first-time playoff selections by the league this year — Marat Kogut and J.T. Orr are the others.

“I worked four games as an alternate last year, so obviously, my goal was I wanted to be an alternate again because that’s just sustaining the growth that I’ve had in my career," Moyer-Gleich said. "And then to see my name on list of working floor officials ... I mean, my mom was with me, she came with me on my last two games for a little trip, and to open that email and have her there with me and share that news, it was really quite amazing.”

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© Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox DFA Veteran Hurler After Inconsistent Stint In Organization

Boston may lose the reliever after recently designating him for assignment

• Author: Patrick McAvoy

In this story:

The Boston Red Sox made a roster move on Friday involving a veteran hurler.

Boston recently called up reliever Joe Jacques to the big league club and he made one appearance. Jacques pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Guardians and allowed one earned run.

Although he was just called up to the big leagues, the Red Sox designated him for assignment after just one outing, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Red Sox designated Joe Jacques for assignment," Cotillo said.

Jacques was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round of the 2018 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft out of Manhattan College. He worked his way up through the Pirates' farm system and made it all the way to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

Pittsburgh didn't protect Jacques from selection in the Rule-5 Draft and Boston selected him ahead of the 2023 campaign. The lefty shined in the minor leagues and compiled a 2.54 ERA and 35-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 39 innings pitched with the Worcester Red Sox and earned his first promotion to the big leagues.

Jacques appeared in 23 games last season with Boston and had a 5.06 ERA and 20-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 2/3 innings pitched.

Now that he has been designated for assignment, clubs will have one week to place a waiver claim on him. If he goes unclaimed, he could either return to the Red Sox's farm system or possibly enter free agency.

No matter what happens next, hopefully, he is able to find success.

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The Unessay

A Creative and Audience-Focused Assignment

Bryan A. Banks | Sep 20, 2023

F rom sewing projects to art installations, original songs to experimental dance, unessays have become a staple of the historian’s teaching toolbox. If you have spent any time on Twitter in the last five or six years, you likely have encountered the unessay , a creative project students complete in place of writing a paper. Emily Suzanne Clark and Christopher Jones were some of the first to popularize the unessay for historians, and ever since, each semester, teachers post their students’ projects online for all to see. Jessamyn Neuhaus even organized an entire open-access issue of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods on the assignment in 2022. But I see the unessay as more than an assignment type. It is a call to arms.

For a world history survey, Sean Hall created a comic that explored mutinies, democracy at sea, and the expansion of mercantile capitalism around the Atlantic Ocean. Sean Hall

The unessay should ask students to think about the audience in ways that we historians should be doing too. In 2019, an AHA national survey asked where the American public learns about history. More than 50 percent of respondents pointed to documentary film and television, fictional film and TV, TV news, online sources, and journalism as their sources for learning about the past. College courses came in dead last, and academic journal articles did not even make the list. Nonfiction history books, the gold standard for tenure purposes , are in the middle of the pack. If we know how the public prefers to learn about history, then why not teach students to meet these audiences where they are? If the majority of Americans do not consume history by reading, then why do so many history educators still assign a “final essay”? Whether an individual research project or a synthesis of what was learned in the course, essays require students to make an argument using evidence in writing. An unessay has equal potential to lay out an argument and mobilize evidence but allows students to explore other mediums and genres, ones that the American public, at least, may find more appealing.

This assignment intends to undo what some students perceive as the stale essay format, which is still the assessment mode of choice for most history educators. Critics of the way historians teach and interact with the public have boomed in the past decade , in large part because history majors in colleges and universities have been on the decline for some time. This downward trajectory has forced historians to rethink how they present their work, what kinds of audiences they reach, and ultimately how they train the next generation of historians. The unessay is just one step in rethinking what a history education means, and it’s a powerful tool to get students to think through the future of the discipline with us.

A naysayer might focus on the perceived lack of “rigor” of unessays. This assumption is fallacious. If done right, the unessay can motivate students to surpass the level of work, critical thinking, and creativity to which a traditional research essay may lead. If one goal of a history course is to foster an interest in history, then tapping into their passions seems obvious. With an unessay assignment, the film major can write a script for a historical nonfiction television episode, paired with a short analysis of the choices they made. If the art major wants to become an animator or illustrator, then why not have them design their own comic book (like Sean Hall created in my World History since 1500 survey). These projects challenge them to think through the purpose of their research in creative ways without sacrificing rigor. If anything, figuring out how to employ a new medium to make a research-based argument means students have to exercise more critical thinking than when writing a paper.

I wanted students to see that different sorts of publications were each rendered in a specific format that revealed much to the informed.

Just as the mode is malleable to the students’ interests, so too can the unessay be pliable to the teacher’s learning objectives. In intro courses, the goal is to reach students with wide-ranging disciplinary interests, and the unessay has the advantage of leveling the performance playing field for students unfamiliar with the traditional college essay. In a class for history majors, you might limit the types of assignments to a select few. Increasingly, I have focused on the two main career trajectories our majors take—either into the classroom or public history. Students interested in teaching create lesson plans, classroom activities, or playground games to get them thinking about how to prepare and put into practice their content knowledge when they become educators. Those more interested in public history design museum exhibits, memorials, or informative websites; edit Wikipedia pages; or produce podcasts or YouTube video content. In a recent section of my online World History since 1500 course, I asked students to translate their research for a public audience. In a YouTube video, Jiane Louella Rabara examined one of the most infamous cases of cannibalism and what it tells us about the legal cartographies of imperialism. Her project is a case study of a successful and engaging unessay project.

Jiane Louella Rabara’s entertaining and educational YouTube video, “R v Dudley and Stephens, Cannibalism, and the British Empire,” is an exemplar of a project that addresses a public audience. Jiane Louella Rabara

Unessays offer a real opportunity to think about your learning objectives. The history discipline is overwhelmingly concerned with originality and method. The “so what” question, as we often call it, drives students toward innovation, but this often comes in the form of overspecialization or parochialism. The search for lacunas limits the audience in the name of novelty. Unessays give us a chance to leave the lacunas be for a moment precisely because the unessay inverts the relationship between the “so what” and “for whom.” It is not that students should cease being original thinkers, but rather they need to consider where the audience for history content is. The most successful unessays find ways of using the chosen form to enhance the function of the unessay itself. Instead of writing a paper on African American culture after the Civil War, a student might make a quilt, illustrating their understanding of cultural history using a medium meaningful to their subjects. For my colleague Caroline Newhall’s Civil War history class, Janetta Crawford showed how quilting allowed African Americans to tell their family and community’s story, making it an ideal medium to unpack the complexities of existing in the Reconstruction era and after. While designing their projects, the students should be asking themselves what the audience will expect to see and learn from such a medium—a question that they usually ignore when writing a traditional paper for their professors.

Janetta Crawford’s unessay described how quilts could be used to convey messages secretly on the Underground Railroad.  Courtesy Caroline Newhall (Oberlin Coll.)

Historians talk about how history education provides transferable skills, so let us give students the chance to transfer their skills with guidance. Structure is key with unessays, just as it is with essays. Just as students often need to have the rules of a primary-source-driven persuasive essay mapped out for them, so too do they need scaffolding to ensure that their unessays meet the instructor’s expectations. Some might fear that this means the unessay might prove more laborious for the instructor—but teaching writing requires deliberate introductions and guidance through the assignment as well. In designing an unessay assignment, I suggest the following:

• Make prompts pen-ended. The tendency is to start an assignment by describing as the instructor what you would like to see. This limits the creativity of the student.
• Have them write a proposal. What students produce or how they deliver it will differ with each student. A written proposal may be sufficient, whereas an oral proposal may be more useful if the student is, for example, preparing a monologue. This step gives you a chance to emphasize early in the process what you see as integral to the success of that unessay and what students think the audience will expect to see.
• Provide feedback on “drafts.” This step is essential for survey students but still important for history majors. Regular and substantive feedback is key for helping students provide an interpretative unessay that makes an argument and shows their research.
• Have students “present” their unessays to the class or outside groups. Not only does this give students more extrinsic motivation to work on their projects, but it also gives them a chance to reflect on just how well they captured their subjects and made their cases in different mediums. For students who suffer from anxiety, instructors should encourage them to develop an unessay that can be “presented” without putting them in an unnecessarily stressful situation.
• Reflection is key. If you want students to realize what they did was important for their growth beyond the classroom, they need time to reflect on their work afterward in a guided way. In taking this last step, students will likely connect what they’ve produced to their greater ambitions. It is a chance to internalize the value of history.

In many ways, assessment is the sticking point for historians teaching with unessays. Most of us were not trained to assess monologues, urban-planning maps, or poetry. Assessment models differ. You might create a general rubric and have the students tell you how they fulfill each requirement. You can do this with a more traditional paper, or you might have students give oral presentations and share their creativity with the class to foster even more reflection. Instead of looking for a thesis statement, identify an argument. Look for the ways that students incorporated their evidence into their unessay. Since attention to detail is just as important in an unessay as grammar is in an essay, ask students to explain how they “edited” their project. If this seems like a stretch beyond your training to the point of discomfort, remember it is okay to decenter yourself in the learning process and rely on the student or students in the class at least during the time spent working on or presenting unessays.

While designing their projects, the students should be asking what the audience will expect to see and learn from such a medium.

For an example assignment sheet, please visit the AHA’s Classroom Materials webpage .

Bryan A. Banks is history department chair and associate professor at Columbus State University. He served as an assistant director of experiential learning (2019–22) and acting director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (2022–23). Find him on Twitter @BryanBanksPhD.

Tags: Features Teaching & Learning K-16 Education Teaching Resources and Strategies

The American Historical Association welcomes comments in the discussion area below, at AHA Communities , and in letters to the editor . Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.

Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.

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FAA investigating Rockies charter flight for unauthorized personnel in cockpit, airline 'deeply disturbed'

Video surfaced on social media that shows a rockies coach in the cockpit 'at cruise altitude'.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United Airlines have opened an investigation after a video surfaced on social media showing unauthorized personnel in the cockpit during a flight chartered by the Colorado Rockies to Toronto, according to CNN .

"We're deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged," United Airlines told CNN in a statement. United also confirmed that they've reported the incident to the FAA. Both pilots have been sidelined.

"The FAA is investigating this event," a spokesperson told Denver's KDVR FOX affiliate . "Federal regulations restrict flight deck access to specific individuals. We do not comment on the details of open investigations."

A video originally posted from hitting coach   Hensley Meulens' Instagram that appears to match the description provided by United Airlines has since been shared on social media. CBS Sports has been unable to confirm its authenticity, but it shows Meulens in the pilot seat, next to one of the pilots and with the flight in the air. Later, another individual makes their way into the flight deck. The caption on the since-deleted Instagram post reads: "Had some fun in the cockpit on our flight from Denver to Toronto. Thanks to the captain and the first officer of our United charter that allowed me this great experience."

"[Meulens], he apologized," Rockies manager Bud Black told MLB.com . "I can't comment any further because there's what's being called an investigation of the matter. As far as Bam Bam goes, he apologized to the Rockies organization, to United and to the team."

It's perhaps notable that the violation took place just weeks after the FAA announced it would increase its oversight of United Airlines' compliance with safety regulations . One must reason that this is not the kind of activity that will help reduced the FAA's scrutiny of United's operations.

The Rockies have opened this season with a 4-15 mark, placing them in last place in the National League West. 

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