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Department of History

Offering doctoral, master's, public history, and bachelor's programs.

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The World Is Open to AU History Majors

History classes hone our students' research, writing, and analytical skills. Our home in Washington, DC, offers students unparalleled resources for research, internships, and jobs. The nation's capital is our classroom.

Our outstanding faculty are not only exemplary teachers and scholars, but they are also actively involved with archives, museums, government institutions, and non-profits in DC, across the United States, and around the world. Whether you are interested in working in government, private industry, non-profits, or academia, AU's Department of History offers a stepping stone to a promising career.

The History Department offers a BA,听补 minor, a combined BA/MA, an MA in History, an MA in History 飞颈迟丑听Public History听Concentration, and a PhD.听

Fast-Track Your Way to a BA and MA in History

猫咪社区app University's Combined BA/MA Degree program allows students to complete both their BA and MA in History in as little as听5 years. Students in the BA/MA program save upwards of $22,000 in tuition costs by sharing credits between the two degrees.听

Students may pursue either the General MA program or the Public History Concentration. Inquire at history@american.edu to learn more about our BA/MA program.

Fall 2024 Special Topics Courses

HIST 301 001

3 credits,听Dr. Richter, Mondays & Thursdays, 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

Soccer, more widely known as football, is the most popular sport in the modern world and arguably more important than any form of organized religion for many fans of club and national teams. In this course, football and soccer are used interchangeably while accounting that only in the United States is the sport primarily known as soccer. The course explores how and why global football has influenced and been influenced by politics, economic, and cultural relationships. It focuses on the transnational history of football, with an emphasis on players and managers such as Pele and Diego Maradona as global figures who have impacted local cultures in numerous locations during their careers. The course covers the intertwined histories of the sport in Europe, Latin America, the United States, Africa, and Asia.

HIST 302 001

3 credits, Dr. Vester, Tuesdays & Fridays, 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

This course explores a diverse range of cultural phenomena in the nineteenth century United States, reflecting on how clothes, interior design, child rearing philosophies, nutritional advice, travel literature, and pets can shape society and politics.

HIST 305 001

3 credits,听Dr. Runstedtler, Mondays and Thursdays, 12:55 PM - 2:10 PM

This course is a critical study of sport. Beginning with the premise that sports are more than simply entertainment, the course explores their influence on U.S. life and culture as political technologies of domination, resistance, and meaning-making. Drawing on theories and concepts in the broad fields of Black Studies, Ethnic Studies, and 猫咪社区app Cultural Studies, the impact of racecraft, racism, and racialization on individuals, ideologies, and institutions across the changing landscape of U.S. sports are examined.

Crosslist: AMST-320-001.

HIST 344 001

3 credits,听Dr. Strauss, Wednesdays, 11:20 AM - 2:10 PM

This course explores Jewish participation in 猫咪社区app electoral and advocacy politics, examining its significance for minority rights in the United States. The course begins by addressing religious freedom in early America, but focuses mostly on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with case studies that address larger issues.

Crosslist: GOVT-396-001 JWST-320-001.

HIST 449 001

3 credits, Dr. Lichtman, Thursdays, 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

听This course examines from an interdisciplinary perspective the history of voting and elections in America from the constitutional era through the present. It examines both theories of voting and elections and struggles for the vote by minority peoples, women, and other groups. These struggles have taken place in the streets, in the halls of legislatures, and in the courtrooms. It concludes by exploring ways to improve access to voting and conduct of free and fair elections in the United States.

Crosslist: HIST-649-001.

Bulletins

  • The 2023-24 Department of History Newsletter is now available! Read about department events from last academic year, faculty research, alumni achievements, and more. Read the newsletter.

  • Laura Beers听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听 (W. W. Norton and Company, 2024).

  • M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska was chosen for a 听to support a longform article on local and federal efforts for Bicentennial planning in D.C. and her on-going research on tourism to Washington, D.C.听

  • Peter Kuznick spoke with CGTN, Izvestia, TVC Russia, WION News, RT International, and RTVI about a variety of topics ranging from 猫咪社区app foreign affairs to the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

  • Gautham Rao (History) co-authored a for consideration in the Trump v. 猫咪社区app case.

  • Congratulations to Prof. Alan Kraut on reaching 50 years of dedicated service in the AU Department of History!

  • History Alumnus Matthew Skic听was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer for his He is currently the Curator of Exhibitions at the Museum of the 猫咪社区app Revolution.听

  • PhD History Alumnus听Dr. Thomas Hauser听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听Flying in the Shadows: Forging Aerial Intelligence for the United States Army听(猫咪社区app Government Publishing Office, 2023).

  • Prof. Peter Kuznick spoke with Progressive Magazine, WION News, CGTN Europe, Radio Sputnik, Republic TV (India), NTV Russian Television, Izvestia, Al-Sharq News, Axios, and Spectrum News about a variety of topics ranging from nuclear weapons history to ongoing conflicts in the world.听

  • Prof. Pamela S. Nadell was the Jewish Studies Consultant for the Shakespeare Theatre Company鈥檚 production of

  • Prof. Allan Lichtman听delivered keynote addresses at the Brazilian Financial Conference and the Conference of Metropolitan Water Authorities. He published 飞颈迟丑听Social Education听in their Jan/Feb 2024 issue. The eigth edition of his "Keys" series,听听(Rowman & Littlefield), is set for publication in July 2024

  • Prof. Emerita April Shelford 辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听听(Cambridge, 2023).听

  • Prof. Anna Kaplan 辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听 in Study the South.

  • Prof. Allan Lichtman delivered keynote addresses at the Asian Financial Conference, , and the . He was also the lead author in an The brief听was filed in the Supreme Court in the Colorado ballot diqualification case.

  • Peter Kuznick spoke with RTVI, The World Radio (Boston), Radio Sputnik, Izvestia newspaper, NTV, Zvezda, Japan鈥檚 Newspaper Asahi Shimbun, WION News, acTVism Munich, REN TV, Channel One (Russia), NTV, and TVC about a variety of topics ranging from the upcoming United States presidential election to ongoing conflicts in the world.

  • Rebecca Graham wrote an article for听 about the antisemitic symbolism and imagery in the movie Santa Claus is Comin鈥 to Town.听
  • PhD Student Paul Kutner released a 5-episode podcast with Yeshiva University,听.听The Podcast discusses the various manifestations of Holocaust distortion with distinguished guests who work to ensure accurate teaching of the Holocaust. All 5 episodes are available on Spotify.听
  • Professor Dan Kerr and the AU Humanities Truck were in the Fall 2023 issue of 猫咪社区app Way of Life (AWOL) magazine, a student-run publication.
  • PhD Candidate听Reza Akbari听presented at the Middle East Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada. His presentation,听听argued that America's drive to keep Iran's nuclear program peaceful began decades before the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
  • AU History Alumna听Kelly Maranchuck听was听听for her hard work and dedication as a BASIS DC听Public Charter School administrator.
  • PhD Student听Andrew Sperling听published "," detailing the events of an antisemetic attack on Jewish teens at a Halloween party in 1950.听
  • Theresa Runstedtler's new book on how Black ballplayers of the 1970s and '80s set the once-troubled NBA up for success:Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA听(2023). She discussed the book on The Ringer's听听podcast.
  • MS Alumna听Katrina Lashley听spearheads听Anacostia Community Museum鈥檚 new Center for Environmental Justice.
  • AU鈥檚听Pamela Nadell听explains听alarming rise of antisemitism and how it鈥檚 moving mainstream.
  • Video:听
  • Malgorzata J. Rymsza-Pawlowska听appeared in Netflix鈥檚听D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!听to give expertise on 1970s history and culture.
  • M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听听in the听Washington Post.
  • Laura Beers听published 鈥溾 on听CNN听discussing how 鈥1984鈥 and terms like 鈥淥rwellian鈥 have been used and abused for decades, and how they relate to current events.
  • Peter Kuznick听spoke to听CGTN, Political Misfits, RT TV, Postscript TVC, Sputnik News听about a variety of topics ranging from rising tensions between the 猫咪社区app and China to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
  • Pamela Nadell听spoke to the听Christian Science Monitor听about the great replacement theory in 鈥.鈥
  • Michael Brenner听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听听(Princeton University Press).
  • Doctoral alumna听Wendy Lower听won the 2021 National Jewish Book Award in Holocaust Studies for听The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed. See her 2021听.
  • Doctral alumna听Rebecca DeWolf听has published听(University of Nebraska Press).
  • Pamela Nadell听discusses how antisemitism fuels white nationalism on PBS鈥.鈥
  • Alumna听Rebecca DeWolf听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听.
  • Alumnus听John Schmitz听(CAS/PhD '07) 辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听.
  • Pamela Nadell听featured in听:听How Antisemitism Fuels White Nationalism from PBS.
  • Andrew Demshuk听辫耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲听.
  • Justin Jacobs听completed filming 24 episodes for his听Great Courses听series on UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A Chinese translation of his latest book,听The Compensations of Plunder: How China Lost Its Treasures听is being published serially in the journal听Xiyu wenshi.
  • Malgorzata Rymza-Pawlowska听has been named to the board of directors of DC Humanities and served as program chair of the DC History Conference and as series editor for the NCPH and NPS鈥檚 猫咪社区app Revolution 250th commemoration forums.
  • Kate Haulman听was named a distinguished lecturer by the Organization of 猫咪社区app Historians and her book exploring the long 鈥渁fterlife鈥 of Mary Washington is under contract with Oxford University Press.
  • Jonah Estess听(PhD student) presented his paper, "Mo鈥 Money, Mo鈥 Problems: The 猫咪社区app Revolution and the National Origins of the Politicization of Money" as part of the panel听at this year's Business History Conference.
  • Public history students听Leah Baer, Jack Cunningham, Sarah Fling, and Cameron Sandlin听presented their practicum project, "Behind the Arch: Residency, Resilience, and Relevance in DC's Chinatown," at the annual National Council on Public History conference in March.
  • PhD candidate听Carmen Bolt听worked on an NEH-funded project mapping the impact of the interstate highway system across the 猫咪社区app.
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Top image credit: Teddy Roosevelt (right of man in white vest) watches the laying of the cornerstone for AU's McKinley Building, 1902.
AU Archives. Read more about AU's presidential past.