Department of History

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About the History Program

Purdue’s approach to the study of history is equally varied among politics, society, culture, gender, race, war, diplomacy, science, and technology. The Department of History is deeply involved in educating students to think critically, with courses that teach not only what happened in the past but also how the past informs the present. History majors acquire skills in critical thinking and communication.

Historians inform modern discussions about the future of science and technology, medicine and public health, politics, society, culture, gender, race, war, and diplomacy. We do this in part by preparing students for graduate studies and careers in law, public policy, government, education, business, and many other fields. In our courses students acquire skills-how to research, read critically, write effectively, communicate verbally-and a sense of judgment that serve them well at Purdue University and prepare them for careers in a wide range of fields and occupations. 

Within the history program, you also have opportunities to take honors courses, study abroad, do internships and research projects, and learn from our award-winning faculty. We invite you to come learn more!

Faculty

Department of History Directory

Contact Information

Department of History
University Hall, 672 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2087
Phone: (765) 494-4132
Fax: (765) 496-1755
history@purdue.edu

Please visit the Department of History for more information.

Graduate Information

For Graduate Information please see History Graduate Program Information .

Programs

• History Honors, BA
• History, BA

• Medical Humanities Certificate

• History Minor

Courses

• HIST 10300 - Introduction To The Medieval World
• HIST 10400 - Introduction To The Modern World
• HIST 10500 - Survey Of Global History
• HIST 12300 - History At Work
• HIST 15100 - American History To 1877
• HIST 15200 - United States Since 1877
• HIST 20100 - Special Topics In History
• HIST 21000 - The Making Of Modern Africa
• HIST 21100 - The Global Field: World Soccer And Global History
• HIST 22100 - History Behind The Headlines
• HIST 22800 - English History To 1688
• HIST 22900 - English History Since 1688
• HIST 23005 - Hitler’s Europe
• HIST 23800 - History Of Russia From Medieval Times To 1861
• HIST 23900 - History Of Russia From 1861 To The Present
• HIST 24000 - East Asia And Its Historic Tradition
• HIST 24100 - East Asia In The Modern World
• HIST 24300 - South Asian History And Civilizations
• HIST 24600 - Modern Middle East And North Africa
• HIST 25000 - United States Relations With The Middle East And North Africa
• HIST 27100 - Introduction To Colonial Latin American History (1492-1810)
• HIST 27200 - Introduction To Modern Latin American History (1810 To The Present)
• HIST 27800 - Money, Trade, And Power: The History Of Capitalism
• HIST 30000 - Eve Of Destruction: Global Crises And World Organization In The 20th Century
• HIST 30105 - Big History: Time And Scale
• HIST 30200 - Historical Topics
• HIST 30305 - Food In Modern America
• HIST 30400 - America In The 1960s
• HIST 30505 - The United States In The World 1898-Present
• HIST 30605 - Technology And War In U.S. History
• HIST 30701 - History Of Artificial Intelligence: Minds And Machines
• HIST 30705 - History Of Data: How Data Became Big
• HIST 30805 - History Of Life Sciences
• HIST 30902 - History Of Biotechnology
• HIST 30905 - History Of Environmental Science
• HIST 31005 - The Civil War And Reconstruction, 1850 To 1877
• HIST 31205 - The Arab-Israeli Conflict
• HIST 31305 - Medical Devices And Innovation
• HIST 31405 - Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (STEM) And Gender
• HIST 31505 - American Beauty
• HIST 31700 - A History Of The Christian Church And The Expansion Of Christianity I
• HIST 31905 - Christianity In The Global Age
• HIST 32105 - Spain: The First Global Empire, 1469-1713
• HIST 32300 - German History
• HIST 32400 - Modern France
• HIST 32501 - Twentieth Century Europe Through Autobiography
• HIST 32900 - History Of Women In Modern Europe
• HIST 33205 - The Nuclear Age
• HIST 33300 - Science And Society In Western Civilization I
• HIST 33400 - Science And Society In Western Civilization II
• HIST 33505 - Nationalism And Socialism In East Central Europe
• HIST 33700 - Europe In The Age Of The Cold War
• HIST 33805 - History Of Human Rights
• HIST 33900 - Traditional China
• HIST 34000 - Modern China
• HIST 34300 - Traditional Japan
• HIST 34400 - History Of Modern Japan
• HIST 34505 - Arabs in American Eyes
• HIST 34705 - History Of Religion In America
• HIST 34901 - The First World War
• HIST 35000 - Science And Society In The Twentieth Century World
• HIST 35100 - The Second World War
• HIST 35205 - Death, Disease And Medicine In Twentieth Century American History
• HIST 35305 - Sports In America
• HIST 35400 - Women In America To 1870
• HIST 35500 - History Of American Military Affairs
• HIST 35900 - Gender In East Asian History
• HIST 36105 - History Of Science, Technology, And Environment In Pre-Modern East Asia
• HIST 36305 - The History Of Medicine And Public Health
• HIST 36600 - Hispanic Heritage Of The United States
• HIST 37005 - Queens And Empresses In Early Modern Europe
• HIST 37100 - Society, Culture, And Rock And Roll
• HIST 37200 - History Of The American West
• HIST 37500 - Women In America Since 1870
• HIST 37600 - History Of Indiana
• HIST 37700 - History And Culture Of Native America
• HIST 38001 - History Of United States Agriculture
• HIST 38105 - American Indians And Film
• HIST 38200 - American Constitutional History
• HIST 38300 - Recent American Constitutional History
• HIST 38400 - History Of Aviation
• HIST 38505 - Media, Politics And Popular Culture
• HIST 38605 - Land Of The Indians: Native Americans In Indiana
• HIST 38700 - History Of The Space Age
• HIST 39400 - Environmental History Of The United States
• HIST 39500 - Junior Research Seminar
• HIST 39600 - African American History To 1877
• HIST 39800 - African American History Since 1877
• HIST 40000 - Great Books And The Search For Meaning
• HIST 40300 - Europe In The Reformation
• HIST 40500 - The French Revolution And Napoleon
• HIST 40600 - Rebels And Romantics: Europe 1815-1870
• HIST 40700 - Road To World War I: Europe 1870-1919
• HIST 40800 - Dictatorship And Democracy: Europe 1919-1945
• HIST 41005 - History Of The American Presidency
• HIST 41300 - Modern European Imperialism: Repression And Resistance
• HIST 41505 - Gender And Politics In Early Modern Europe
• HIST 42100 - Honors Historical Methods
• HIST 42200 - Honors Thesis In Historical Research
• HIST 42300 - Advanced Topics In Modern Germany
• HIST 43900 - Communist China

Return to: College of Liberal Arts