Courses
The history department offers a variety of graduate courses in European, North American, and trans-Atlantic history, as well as courses in the field of Public history. Courses generally fall into three types:
- readings,
- research, and
- methods or studies (including internships).
A list of history course offerings for the current semester can be found by consulting the VCU Schedule of Classes.
Spring 2021 Course Offerings
HIST 615: Readings in European History: Reformation
Andrew Crislip, Ph.D.
Mondays, 7:00-9:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
During the century after October 31, 1517, Christianity underwent its most radical changes since Constantine legalized the religion some 1200 years before. These changes in religious practice and belief transformed the political, intellectual, and cultural history of Europe. Following Martin Luther’s protest, the glue that held western Europe together for centuries (or as it was called then, Christendom), the Catholic (or Universal) Church, lost much of its strength, and within a couple generations the religious and political landscape had change irrevocably, now home to rival churches of Catholics, Lutherans, Reform churches, Anglicans, and Anabaptists—a multiplication of creeds and practices that has only increased to this day. This course will focus on the religious, intellectual, and cultural history of the 16th and 17th centuries to explore the dramatic changes in ritual, theology, discipline, and spirituality that men and women brought to Christianity, set within the context of the social, political, and economic history of early modern Europe.
In addition to providing an overview of the important sources and historical debates in Reformation history, this course will focus on several current historiographical themes which take the study of the Reformation beyond its traditional emphases on theological and ecclesiastical history; these include the history of the “self” (e.g., C. Taylor), religion and secularization (B.S. Gregory), ritual and emotion (S. Karant-Nunn), visual culture and iconoclasm (E. Duffy), and the Reformation in a global perspective, especially focusing on Counter Reformation history in Asia and the Americas (C. Eire and others)
Online/Synchronous means that your class will meet online via Zoom at the same time and day listed here & in the course catalog.
HIST 623: Readings in Virginia and the South*
Brian Daugherity, Ph.D.
Wednesdays 7:00-9:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
This course examines the historiography of Virginia from the colonial era to the present. It includes significant elements of social, political, legal and race relations history, and will place particular emphasis on public history. In addition, there will be consideration of military, economic, religious, and cultural influences. In assignments and discussions, we will examine and analyze a variety of historical accounts of this era—examining the methodologies, archival sources, and arguments used to narrate the history of Virginia, and reflecting on how historians have represented this period. The goal is to obtain a better understanding of the history of Virginia, Virginia’s impact on national affairs, and the historical profession more broadly.
*Eligible for the Certificate in Public History
Online/Synchronous means that your class will meet online via Zoom at the same time and day listed here & in the course catalog.
HIST 627: Readings in African-American History: American Slavery
Michael Dickinson, Ph.D.
Mondays 4:00-6:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
This course will examine trends in slavery scholarship covering bondage from the colonial era to the antebellum era. Readings will focus on understanding how historical thinking surrounding slavery has changed over time and explore major shifts in slavery scholarship. Vibrant new pathways of modern slavery studies will also be highlighted including comparative slavery, gender and slavery, and the legacies of slavery. Through the course, students will be challenged to critique how historians have investigated the institution and enslaved populations as well as encouraged to consider how we can better understand both bondage and bondspeople.
Online/Synchronous means that your class will meet online via Zoom at the same time and day listed here & in the course catalog.
HIST 638: Research in Transatlantic History: Cold War
Christopher Ewing, Ph.D.
Wednesdays, 4:00-6:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
This course will guide students in the history of the Cold War as they develop independent research topics related to the central global conflict of the second half of the twentieth century. We will take seriously a transatlantic framework that examines how US and Soviet forces brokered power on the European continent. In addition, we will also discuss approaches to studying political, social, and cultural connections between countries that seemed to lie at the periphery of the US-Soviet conflict, but were in fact integral to its development, particularly in moments when the Cold War got hot. This course will integrate methods from political and social history, allowing students to focus on a range of topics from foreign policy to domestic arrangements, while also borrowing from other approaches to historical study, including the history of gender and sexuality, oral history, and postcolonial history in order to understand connections between geopolitics and the histories of everyday life. In so doing, students will develop the tools necessary to critically assess primary and secondary sources and make original interventions into the historiography of the Cold War.
Online/Synchronous means that your class will meet online via Zoom at the same time and day listed here & in the course catalog.
HIST 691: Digital History*
Ryan Smith, Ph.D.
Thursdays, 4:00-6:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
Digital history involves the application of modern technology to historical research and presentation. What have the related innovations meant for the study of the past? As the field has matured over the past several decades, it has offered scholars, institutions, and the general public a wide array of new possibilities for exploring the past, even as it has brought new costs. This course throws us into the terrain, with a view toward both the theory and practice of this essential component of public history. We begin with the foundations of the field and move on to consider a variety of media, platforms, and projects. We will pay particular attention to the digital initiatives in our own region and the practitioners behind them. We will have some hands-on training in web literacies and other skills, including sound editing, map editing, and text mining, building toward presentations of final student digital projects that employ at least one new skill. By the end of the course, students should gain a basic understanding of the field’s advantages and challenges along with enough technical expertise to begin participating in it, given their own interests and needs. Above all, the course should enhance students’ engagement with the past, not distract from it.
No special expertise is needed to start this class, merely a computer and a willingness to learn new routines.
*Eligible for the Certificate in Public History
Online/Synchronous means that your class will meet online via Zoom at the same time and day listed here & in the course catalog.
Relevant Courses of Interest
PADM 650: Principles of Nonprofit Management*
Nancy Stutts, Ph.D.
Online/Asynchronous
Explores the history, theories and dynamics of not-for-profit organizations in the United States, with focus on organizations with local or regional services areas. Emphasizes political, legal, cultural and constituent environments; revenue generation; decision-making, communications leadership; and organizational models. Compares the mission and operations of nonprofit organizations, government organizations, and for-profit enterprises in the delivery of services.
*Eligible for the Certificate in Public History
And, as always, History 693 Internships are available at a wide variety of public history institutions in the area. See Professor Brian Daugherity or Professor Emilie Raymond for more information.
Complete Graduate History Course Descriptions
HIST 511 Studies in American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Study of a selected topic in American history, primarily through lectures and readings. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 515 Studies in European History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Study of a selected topic in European history, primarily through lectures and readings. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 519 Studies in Ethnic and Social History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Study of a selected topic in ethnic or social history, primarily through lectures and readings. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 523 Studies in Virginia and Southern History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Study of a selected topic in Virginia or Southern history, primarily through lectures and readings. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 527 Studies in African-American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Study of a selected topic in African-American history, primarily through lectures and readings. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 591 Special Topics in History
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 9 credits. An intensive study of a selected topic in history.
HIST 601 Historiography and Methodology
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the development of history as a discipline from ancient times to the present. The course examines the evolution of historical theory and philosophy, great historians, schools of interpretation, and problems of historical methodology. This course is a prerequisite for research seminars.
HIST 611 Readings in American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of major studies and interpretative trends in a particular area of American history through readings and class discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 615 Readings in European History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of major studies and interpretative trends in a particular area of European history through readings and class discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 619 Readings in Ethnic and Social History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of major studies and interpretative trends in a particular area of ethnic or social history through readings and class discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 623 Readings in Virginia and Southern History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of major studies and interpretative trends in a particular area of Virginia or Southern history through readings and class discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 627 Readings in African-American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of major studies and interpretative trends in a particular area of African-American history through readings and class discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 631 Research in American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of American history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 635 Research in European History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of European history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST638 Research in Transatlantic History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of transatlantic history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 639 Research in Ethnic and Social History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of ethnic or social history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 643 Research in Virginia and Southern History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of Virginia or Southern history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 647 Research in African-American History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Analysis of significant problems in a particular field of African-American history through research, writing, in-class presentations and discussions. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
HIST 651 Public History: Theory and Practice
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An overview of the field of public history, intended to introduce students to the range of professional historical activities practiced outside the classroom. Explores methods and skills including archival work, documentary editing, historic preservation, museum studies, and oral history. The course also involves a sustained consideration of the theoretical issues that arise from public history work, defined as history of, for, by, and/or with the public.
HIST 652 Documentary Editing and Scholarly Publishing
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An overview of the processes by which historical scholarship is disseminated by publication. Students will practice editing scholarly editions of historic documents and reviewing manuscripts for publication in academic media. Special consideration will be given to the digital humanities and new technology's relation to the traditional publishing trade.
HIST 653 American Material Culture
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Material culture is a term encompassing all things created or modified by people - such as clothing, tools, furniture, works of art, buildings, and even landscapes. This course introduces students to the field of material culture studies and challenges them to study the American past through examination of its artifacts and architecture. Students will explore a range of disciplinary approaches and time periods, as well as the role of politics in the preservation and exhibition of material culture.
HIST 654 Oral History: Theory and Practice
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introduction to the practice and theories of oral history, a method employing interviews or sound recordings of people with personal knowledge of past events. Students will consider the benefits and limitations of the method as well as learn the general legal issues involved. Students will conduct their own interviews and practice the transcription of oral history.
HIST 691 Special Topics in History
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits. An intensive study of a selected topic in history.
HIST 692 Independent Study
Semester course; 1-3 credits. Maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair. Requires an analysis of a historical problem or topic in depth under faculty supervision.
HIST 693 Internship in History
Semester course; variable hours. 2-4 credits per semester. Maximum of 6 credits. Determination of the amount of credit and permission of departmental internship coordinator must be procured prior to registration for this course. Students receive credit for work on historical projects with approved agencies.
HIST 698 M.A. Thesis
1-6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.