Share our enthusiasm for the study of past societies and cultures

History unlocks important insights into the world we inhabit. But we also find intellectual satisfaction, and wisdom, in understanding the past on its own terms. Because of the geographical breadth of our courses, history students develop a global consciousness as they develop key transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and empathy.

The World is Calling: History Majors

History is the centerpiece of a humanities education. It's about problem-solving, gathering evidence, and fitting that evidence together to understand what happened in past societies - and why those things happened.

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Iowa Native Spaces

History Writing Center

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News and announcements

John Eicher

History PhD Alum, John Eicher releases 10-part Lecture Series

Thursday, May 30, 2024
John P. R. Eicher (PhD, 2015), Associate Professor of European History at Penn State University and a 2023-24 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, has released a ten-part YouTube lecture series titled, "Western Civilization (1500-Present): From Dawn, to Decadence, to Disillusionment."
Alyssa Park

Associate Professor Alyssa Park Awarded NEH Grant

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Alyssa Park, associate professor in the Department of History, will use the funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities to travel to South Korea to conduct research for her upcoming book.

History Faculty and Staff win UI Awards

Monday, April 8, 2024
Heineman, Howard, Kelley and Warren honored
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Upcoming events

Indigenous Peoples Day: Book Talk by historian Dr. Eric S. Zimmer promotional image

Indigenous Peoples Day: Book Talk by historian Dr. Eric S. Zimmer

Monday, October 14, 2024 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with "RED EARTH NATION", a book talk by historian Dr. Eric S. Zimmer. 4:30 pm on Monday, October 14, Native Nations room at Iowa Memorial Union. Sponsored by University of Iowa Native American Council.
Religion & Reproductive Politics Virtual Speaker Series promotional image

Religion & Reproductive Politics Virtual Speaker Series

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 11:00am to 12:00pm
Virtual
Spooky Night @ The Museum promotional image

Spooky Night @ The Museum

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Old Capitol Museum
Visit the Old Capitol Museum after hours for some spooky history, snacks, and a special photo-op with the Ghostbusters of Iowa.
Out of the Dark Archives: Books Bound in Human Skin and the New Science of Old Books promotional image

Out of the Dark Archives: Books Bound in Human Skin and the New Science of Old Books

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 6:00pm to 7:00pm
University of Iowa Main Library
Come join us for Iowa Bibliophiles fall semester guest lecture with Megan Rosenbloom!
Classics Colloquium: "The Queerness of the Iliad's Temporality" promotional image

Classics Colloquium: "The Queerness of the Iliad's Temporality"

Friday, October 18, 2024 4:30pm to 6:00pm
This lecture offers a new reckoning of time in Homer’s Iliad by drawing upon queer theorizations about temporality, which distinguish normative “straight time” that is structured by reproductive heterosexuality and looks towards a future associated with children from “queer time” that is shaped by different logics and either disallows the future altogether or imagines a radically unfamiliar future. It argues that the Iliad constructs a straight temporality of patrilineal continuity as a valued...
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