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KANSAS UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

Studying history at the University of Kansas will expand your mind. Our course offerings introduce students to medieval witches and Samurai warriors, conspiracy cranks and Chairman Mao, Native American activists and the Black Panther Party. Students can take courses on the history of sexuality, or, if that isn’t exciting enough, courses on natural disasters, wars, and plagues. With 26 tenured and tenure-track faculty, the Department of History covers the globe.

 
Degrees Degrees
Why History? Why History?

Introducing:

The Constitution Reflection Award
The History Department is pleased to announce the creation of the Constitution Reflection Award, to be awarded to an undergraduate student annually.
Submission Eligibility & Requirements
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Explore Undergraduate Courses

Our Course Catalogue has gone digital. Not sure what History has to offer? Let our course page be your guide!

Browse our Spring 2023 Course Page

Senior Spotlight

Get to know our Seniors! Find out what inspired our seniors to major in history, what courses had the greatest impact on their lives, and what advice they would give to anyone studying history.

A woman in a blue shirt with white stripes smiling at the camera.

"I’ve always loved history and I think its so important to take the past and learn from it. I also enjoy learning about old things. The professors in the KU history department are so fun and so passionate about what they teach - I couldn’t help but change my major."

Audrey Kerbs
Senior History Major, Graduated Fall 2022
Meet our Seniors

Upcoming Events in KU History

  • Thursday, April 20th 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

    As a part of The Hall Center for Humanities Resident Speaker Series, Assistant Professor of History, Elaine Nelson will present her new work, "Dreams and Dust in the Black Hills: Tourism, Performance, and the American West in National Memory."

Our Department at a Glance

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Prominent Faculty

Professors in the department are internationally recognized leaders in their field; they bring this advanced knowledge to their teaching.
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Small Classes

Courses are usually small, and the larger courses always include Graduate Teaching Assistants to give feedback. All students take at least two seminars of no more than fifteen students, and honors students work one-on-one with a faculty member.
Student overlooking KU

Study What You Want

Politics, gender, environment, art, labor, literature, rebellion, war, food, etc. It's all on the table.
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Flexible Courses

Few courses have prerequsites, so History can be an easy minor or second major!
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Let's Make History, Together.

Apply to KU