"Our past is your future…" Studying history at the University of Kansas will expand your mind. But studying history is more than just an entertaining adventure.
Our course offerings introduce students to medieval witches and Samurai warriors, conspiracy cranks and Native American prophets, Chairman Mao and the Black Panthers. Students can take courses on the history of sexuality, or, if that isn’t exciting enough, courses on natural disasters, wars, and plagues. With 35 tenured and tenure-track faculty, the Department of History covers the globe. Training
in historical research, analysis, and writing develops skills that are essential in our information economy, and this preparation is especially useful to students planning to pursue graduate training and careers in law, public policy, business, journalism, education, and a universe of other possibilities, as our recent undergraduate and graduate alumni throughout the world can attest. The Department of History at KU offers an outstanding undergraduate program with approximately 250 majors and an additional group of History minors. These students are taught by faculty who consistently win awards for their teaching as well as their research. Beyond the introductory level, class sizes are small, including two required seminars that are capped at fifteen students each, and the optional Senior Honors Thesis, which features direct one-on-one advising with a faculty mentor. Our graduate program has consistently ranked in the top 25 among public research universities. With an average of 80 graduate students enrolled, we are primarily a doctoral program, granting Ph.D. degrees in standard geographical areas such as the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, as well as in thematic fields such as military, environmental, and gender. Recent Ph.D. recipients have gone on to tenure-track positions at research universities, liberal arts colleges, junior colleges, and a variety of non-academic careers. Finally, faculty in the Department of History are nationally and even internationally known for their research. The books and articles they have published just in the last two years are too numerous to list here, but you can scroll through the faculty page to gain a sense of their significance shaping our knowledge about the world. Their productivity plays an important role in helping KU maintain its position in the prestigious American Association of Universities. Take some time to search through our website. You’ll find information about our programs, our courses, and our prolific faculty, and you can hear the voices of undergraduates and graduate students who have passed through the Department. Please feel free to contact any of the administrative staff and faculty with your questions.
08/12/2026
The Berks are in excellent hands with Dr. Marie Grace Brown as Treasurer for the 2026-2028 cycle! Congratulations Dr. Brown. 🎉✨
Congratulations to our new officers and trustees!
Executive Committee, 2026-2028 Cycle
Traci Parker, President
Rachel Jean-Baptiste, President-Elect
Audra Jennings, Vice President
Karla Strand, Secretary
Marie Grace Brown, Treasurer
Incoming and Re-elected Trustees, 2026-2029 Cycle
Febe Pamonag, Western Illinois University
Rachel Feinmark, American Museum of Natural History
Leisa Meyer, William & Mary
08/11/2026
Kinda chic to make history.📜✨
08/06/2026
📰 We’re extremely excited to share that Dr. Rachel Schwaller has been featured by the KU News Service for her upcoming exhibition!
Tomorrow (8/7) marks the opening day of Dr. Rachel Schwaller’s exhibit “Unsettled Lawrence” at the Watkins Museum of History. This exhibition, co-created with photojournalist and Indigenous Studies M.A. graduate Molly Adams (‘26), is the result of their research documenting the histories of a diverse community of unhoused and encamped individuals from Lawrence’s past and present. This public history project grew out of research supported by KU’s Racial Equity Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award. Together Schwaller and Adams were recognized as one of four recipients in 2024.
KU History is thrilled to see this project come to life! We very much hope you’ll take the opportunity to experience this important project.
The exhibit is located on the third floor of The Watkins Museum of History and is free for the public to visit. Explore the exhibit anytime Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm starting tomorrow August 7, 2026 until February 6, 2027. 🎟️
New Article Alert! 🚨Please congratulate Dr. Nathan Wood on his most recent publication. 📝🦬🎉 Read it here. ⤵️
Congratulations to Dr. Nathan Wood (History) on the publication of his article "Returning “Our Royal Animal” to its “Fatherland”: The Near-extinction and Restoration of Bison in Poland after World War I" in the Slavic Review 85.1 (July 2026)!
Faculty Research | Dr. Tiffany González Selected for Big 12 Faculty Fellowship 🌟
We’re extremely pleased to relay that Dr. Tiffany González is one of six faculty members that will elevate their research and creative work this year through exciting opportunities at fellow Big 12 institutions. She will be hosted by Texas Tech University in Spring 2027.
To learn more about Dr. González’s upcoming book project read the piece by Elizabeth Barton: https://bit.ly/GonzalezBig12
07/23/2026
Graduate Research: Alicia Houser | A Year in Tanzania ✈️🇹🇿
PhD Candidate, Alicia Houser, examines how women across different economic spectrums have constructed their lives and reconstructed the city of Moshi, Tanzania since its independence from British rule in 1961. Houser received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award, allowing her to spend a year in Tanzania conducting research. 365 days, 17,000 miles traveled, and a wealth of experiences later, Houser captures what research and life in Moshi was like.
Congratulations to Dr. Tiffany González! 🎉 Dr. González is one of six faculty members that will elevate their research and creative work this year through exciting opportunities at fellow Big 12 institutions. She will be hosted by Texas Tech University in Spring 2027.
To learn more about Dr. González’s upcoming project read the piece by Elizabeth Barton using the link below.
07/16/2026
🎉We have excellent news to share. We are thrilled to introduce: Dr. Brenna Pritchard🎓
Yesterday afternoon Dr. Pritchard successfully defended her dissertation, "Futurian Masculinity: Masculinism and Dissonance in Science Fiction Fandom, 1920-1960." Our department is so proud of Brenna’s hard work, dedication, and success. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Pritchard on being ! 🎉
Brenna is pictured here with her committee members (L-R): Andrew Denning, Amiee Wilson, Christopher Forth (Advisor), Brenna Pritchard, and Nathan Wood
Dr. Pritchard also authored and crafted a zine to accompany her defense which you can read here: https://bit.ly/DrPritchardZine 🔗💫
07/15/2026
📢 Undergrads! This week is your last chance to enroll in CLSX 505 / HIST 506: Roman Republic. This course is taught by Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Jared Hudson, who comes to KU from a decade of teaching at Harvard University. Hudson is an expert on the history and Latin literature of the Republic. This is a unique opportunity for History students to learn about this fascinating period in Roman history from an expert!
We’re thrilled to share that in late June, Dr. Sean Seyer gave a keynote address for the International Association of Policy Professionals (IAPP) Conference, Navigate 2026: Digital Policy Leadership Summit, which took place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 🗨️🌐
Navigate 2026 connected leaders in industry, government, academia, and civil society to thoughtfully discuss AI Policy. During his keynote Dr. Seyer discussed material from his first book, "Sovereign Skies: The Origins of American Civil Aviation Policy" to place current debates over state sovereignty and AI in an historical context. 🗣️🛩️
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