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.
Fall 2021 Course Offerings
HIST 601: Historiography and Methodology
John Herman, Ph.D.
Tuesdays, 7:00-9:40 pm
In Person
Historiography and Methodology is the only required course for students enrolled in the M.A. program. One aim of this course is to look at how historians have attempted to understand and make sense of the past, and to examine the changes in the methods, interpretations, and conclusions by historians over time – historiography. Our study of historiography will emphasize how historians are influenced in their interpretations of the past by opinions, values, and ways of thinking prevalent during their own day. Another aim of this course is to focus on how historians gather evidence, formulate hypotheses about the past based on evidence, and rigorously test their hypotheses – methodology. Fundamental to both historiography and methodology is critical thinking, and this course is designed to challenge students to think critically about the history and historians presented in class, and to think critically about how you, the historian, approach your topic of study.
HIST 611: Readings in American History: The Vietnam Era
Emilie Raymond, Ph.D.
Mondays, 7:00-9:40 pm
In Person
“This not Johnson's war. This is America's war. If I drop dead tomorrow, this war will still be with you.” ~Lyndon Johnson
This course examines American involvement in the Vietnam War within the framework of President Johnson's assertion. We will consider the Cold War political culture, and presidential decision-making, as well as the experiences of the American & Vietnamese soldiers on the ground and the impact of the war on the home front by reading and discussing contemporary histories, memoirs, and recent scholarship. We will also work with the Virginia War Memorial to research biographical information of soldiers named on the Shrine of Memory.
HIST 615: Readings European History: Great Thinkers from the Age of Reason to Beyond Modern Irrationality
Joe Bendersky, Ph.D.
Wednesdays 7:00-9:40 pm
In Person
Through readings, discussions, and research, this course examines the emergence, trajectory, and effects of the major intellectual currents of the modern Western World. Students will study certain secondary works on various subjects including those on the Enlightenment, Darwin, and the Frankfurt School originators of Critical Theory. However, the focus of this course is on reading classic thinkers ranging from Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche to Freud, Ortega y Gasset, Schmitt, de Beauvoir and Foucault. The culmination of the course will be an analytical paper interpreting the intellectual course of the Modern West based upon these original sources.
HIST 638: Research in Transatlantic History: Revolutionary Atlantic
Brooke Newman, Ph.D.
Thursdays, 4:00-6:40 pm
In Person
The purpose of this course is to produce an original work of historical scholarship focused on a topic/region of your choice related to the wave of revolutionary activity that swept across and transformed the Atlantic world during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Students will consider why, how, and to what extent revolution and revolt became generalized in the Atlantic world from circa 1760 to 1830. Seminar participants will assess what these various revolutions had in common and how they were diverse, and you will also consider what factors make it possible to categorize this period as distinctly “revolutionary.” Students will be guided through the process of posing a question grounded in the secondary literature, conducting relevant primary research, and writing a polished, original research paper.
HIST 654: Oral History*
Christopher Ewing, Ph.D.
Wednesdays, 4:00-6:40 pm
Online/Synchronous
Oral history is an important tool for historical research, particularly in the documenting and archiving of experiences that have often been excluded from the historical record. This course will introduce students to the many possibilities oral history methods offer, as well as methods and best practices of executing successful oral history projects. Students will learn how to design projects, conduct interviews, and analyze interviews both as historical sources and collaborative endeavors between narrator and interviewer. Students will also engage with the work of historians who have incorporated oral history methodologies into an array of research topics.
*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 691: Museums, Cultures and Communities*
Karen Rader, Ph.D.
Mondays, 4:00-6:40 pm
Hybrid/Synchronous
This course focuses on the changing theory and practice of museum and public display work within cultures and communities (primarily in the US but some internationally) from the late 1800s forward. We will discuss how museums have constructed themselves as institutions in relation to other institutions of historical knowledge production, as well as their community identities, histories of place, and cross-cultural relations – a domain of interdisciplinary knowledge often referred to as “new museology” or “new museum theory.” The purpose of the class is to gain a methodological understanding of historical and current issues in museum studies and how they relate to museum practice.
*Eligible for the Certificate in Public History
Relevant Courses of Interest
ARTH 722: Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Art: Visualizing Empire
Catherine Roach, Ph.D.
Tuesdays, 1:00-3:40 pm
Synchronous; Modality TBD
This course explores the visual culture of the British empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when diverse peoples used objects and images to construct and to resist imperial authority. Close examination of the histories of significant objects in a wide range of media—including a wooden ship model, an oil portrait, a marble monument, and a silk gown—will lead us to consideration of issues of race, class, gender, and power in the British imperial world.
PADM 650: Principles of Nonprofit Management*
Nancy Stutts, Ph.D.
Mondays, 4:00-6:40 pm
In Person
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. Internships are eligible for the Certificate in Public History.
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 655 Digital History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course explores the ways technology can change the way historians research, analyze, write, discuss, and produce history. Beginning with the foundations of digital history, the course will consider a variety of media, platforms, and projects, and will pay particular attention to the digital initiatives in our own region. Students will experience hands-on training in web literacies and other skills, including sound editing, map editing, and text mining, building toward presentations of final 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.
HIST 657 Controversy in Public History
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. It is essential for practitioners of public history to feel comfortable addressing controversial or difficult topics, whether in teaching, writing, or developing public history products. To offer such preparation, this course will focus on ways that history has been contested, and the role of historians in mitigating these clashes in the broader political culture. Just as these battles may play out at the national level, they similarly unfold in communities, institutions, and workplaces. Students will learn—through readings and class discussions, practical exercises, and meetings with professionals from the field—strategies for understanding and accommodating various perspectives and for interpreting controversial historical material. This course encourages disagreement and respectful dialogue.
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.