Graduate Course Descriptions
Browse graduate History course descriptions covering diverse geographic regions, historical periods, and methodological approaches. Courses support the Master's and Doctoral degree's and emphasize critical thinking, research, and analytical writing.
Doctoral Degree Requirements Master's Degree Requirements BA/MAT Degree Requirements MAT Degree Requirements
Fall 2026 Graduate Course Descriptions
Lecture: M 3:30-6:20pm
This is the first half of a year-long course that provides an intensive introduction to historical methods and theory based around the graduate program’s themes. The second semester includes the immersive experience of completing a major research project under close faculty supervision. this year-long course provides an intensive introduction to historical theory and applied research based around the graduate program’s themes. In addition to reading and discussing a wide range of historical works, students in this foundational seminar embark on a major research project under close faculty supervision. The Core Seminar is offered as a Fall/Spring sequence only. All full-time students in the PhD program are required to take it during their first year. This course meets over the entire academic year, for 3 credits per semester, and is mandatory for all new Ph.D. students. For Academic Track MA and PhD students only, advanced Academic Track MA students should consult with their advisor prior to enrolling.
Instructor: Professor Mohamad Ballan
Lecture: M 6:30-9:20
This seminar will introduce you to important issues and approaches in medieval and
early modern European history. It aims to both provide a critical survey of the history
of the period (ca. 800–1700), and to discuss debates among historians about key historical
developments. We will proceed both chronologically and topically, focusing on dominant
themes and significant historiographical questions that have animated historians of
medieval and early modern Europe. Specific topics to be covered include the emergence
of the concept of “Europe” itself (and its many definitions); the social and political
organization of European society; kingship, sovereignty, and the different forms of
government; borderlands and frontiers; gender and sexuality; conflict and coexistence
in a Europe characterized both by diversity and increased persecution of difference;
the rise of urbanism and bureaucratic monarchies; overseas expansion and contact with
people in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; changing attitudes towards knowledge and
belief in Renaissance and Reformation Europe; Inquisition and repression; ideologies
and practices of absolutism; and the significance of the Scientific Revolution. We
will read select primary sources as well as a variety of scholarly perspectives, including
both traditional and revisionist works of cultural, intellectual, political, and religious
history. 3 credits Grading Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.) History MA & PhD students
register for HIS 501; Social Studies MAT students register for CEG 516.
Lecture: W 6:30-9:20pm
Intro to US History to the Civil War is a graduate field seminar designed as an introduction to the history and historiography of America from pre-colonization to the Civil War. Its purpose is to introduce students to major themes, interpretations, and methods of inquiry. It is intended to provide a broad (rather than deep) command of the field. During the semester, we will discuss key concepts and arguments in the literature, and explore the way historians interpret events, activities, and ideas from the past. We will proceed through the material with each session examining an approach, theme, concept, or debate that has been of particular interest to American historians. Enrollment in History MA/PhD program or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Professor Nurlan Kabdylkhak
Lecture: Tu 3:30- 6:20pm
Course Description Coming Soon...
Thematic Cluster: States, nations, political cultures
Instructor: Professor Christopher Sellers
Lecture: M 3:30-6:20pm
Course Description Coming Soon...
Lecture: W 3:30-6:20pm
A Research Seminar is offered every semester which gives students the opportunity to pursue individual research projects, using primary sources related to their developing scholarly interests. Research seminars are generally taken during the second and third years, and may be used to begin preliminary dissertation work. Through a diverse set of readings on global intellectual networks, empire and migration, science and technology, and the circulation of goods and knowledge, students will critically assess how transnational and global perspectives reshape historical interpretation. Particular attention will be paid not only to processes of global integration but also to moments of rupture, fragmentation, and de-globalization. The course foregrounds key analytical concerns such as spatiality, the (de-)territorialization of regulatory regimes, and the asymmetrical power relations that structure transnational mobility and exchange. Throughout the semester, we will engage the challenges of writing history beyond “methodological nationalism,” exploring alternative frameworks capable of capturing interconnected yet uneven historical processes. The seminar culminates in a polished 20-page research paper, in which students apply transnational or global approaches to their own research questions or fields of specialization. Enrollment in HIS PhD program or Permission of Instructor.
Instructor: TA Instructor
Lecture: Various Times
Registration accompanies a student’s TA assistantship. Students register under the
faculty section number of the faculty they will TA for during each individual semester.
Course may be repeated. Grading S/U
Instructor: Professor Sara Lipton
Lecture: Th 3:30-6:20pm
Practicum in teaching methods for TA/GA/RA assistants. Required for all PhD students.
This Course is only offered in the Fall Semester of each Academic Year. This course
is designed for those preparing to teach students-especially at the post-secondary
level-about the past and its contemporary relevance. We'll explore a wide range of
issues related to pedagogy, and important professional and personal skills for today's
educators in an ever-changing political and digital landscape. Topics will include
teaching strategies for lectures and seminars; grading; effective classroom management;
innovative pedagogical approaches; new educational technologies; and resources to
support students' learning and well-being. In addition, we'll reflect on some of the
opportunities and challenges in teaching history for today's educators. Course requirements
include mandatory attendance, required readings, active participation in class discussions,
short writing assignments, developing a sample syllabus and teaching statement (as
part of a teaching portfolio), and teaching a practice class. History PhD students
only. Grading S/U