Why Iowa?

With the geographical breadth of our courses, our students develop a global consciousness along with key transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and empathy.

Build a foundation

Expand your horizons

Learn from experts

See Yourself Here

Share our enthusiasm for the study of past societies and cultures to unlock important insights into the world we inhabit.

Everything has history behind it

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.

Write Your Story

Become an expert in analyzing and contextualizing the past to guide decisions for today and future. With our programs in history, you’ll find intellectual satisfaction and wisdom in understanding the past on its own terms.

Stephen Warren working with a student

Iowa Native Spaces

Until recently, Iowa Native history was not a big part of social studies curricula in Iowa’s public schools. That is changing, and the University of Iowa is helping drive the change.

Writing Center staff member and student

History Writing Center

The History Writing Center is available to any student in a history course needing assistance with a writing assignment. 

Old Capitol

History Corps

History Corps is a graduate student-led, online digital and oral history project based out of the Department of History at the University of Iowa.

News and announcements

Professor Colin Gordon

History Professor named 2026 UI Distinguished Chair

Friday, March 6, 2026
Colin Gordon, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named the 2026 University of Iowa Distinguished Chair.
Jamison Stone

History Undergraduate Chosen for Research in the Capitol Program

Friday, February 27, 2026
Jamison Stone, an undergraduate honors student, was selected as one of just 20 Iowa students to participate in the prestigious Research in the Capitol program.

Upcoming events

Iowa Women's Archives Women's History Month Lecture: Finding Black Joy in the Iowa Women’s Archives promotional image

Iowa Women's Archives Women's History Month Lecture: Finding Black Joy in the Iowa Women’s Archives

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Iowa City Public Library

Dr. Ashley Howard, assistant professor of history at the University of Iowa, will discuss her experiences researching and teaching with the Iowa Women's Archives at the University Libraries. By integrating rich depictions of Black life and joy, Howard amplifies stories of Black Iowans as they see themselves, celebrating a child’s birthday, dancing at a party, or devouring a great book. In the process, she also addresses critical issues around archives, historical practice, and the Black Midwest...

The Great American Bison Road Trip promotional image

The Great American Bison Road Trip

Sunday, March 15, 2026 1:30pm to 3:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
Join the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History during their day as a stop on the national bronze bison road trip!
Winifred Tate | Art After the Unspeakable: Reflections on Works by Doris Salcedo and Jeremy Frey promotional image

Winifred Tate | Art After the Unspeakable: Reflections on Works by Doris Salcedo and Jeremy Frey

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art

This talk examines mourning and worldmaking through community action and art in the wake of violence, dispossession, and collective loss. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with communities in southern Colombia and rural Maine, Tate considers the intersections, possibilities and limitations of rights activism and art through an exploration of the visual repertoires and material practices of Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo and Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey. This program is free and open to all...

Rapid Response History: Battles over the American Past promotional image

Rapid Response History: Battles over the American Past

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Schaeffer Hall
Rapid Response History
Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research — 2025–26 Obermann Symposium promotional image

Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research — 2025–26 Obermann Symposium

Thursday, March 26 to Friday, March 27, 2026 (all day)
Iowa City Public Library

Directed by Brian R. Farrell, Daria Fisher Page, and Ryan T. Sakoda (UI College of Law), Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research will bring together scholars, community leaders from across the U.S., and professionals who work with rural populations and in rural spaces. During the symposium, attendees will be invited to collaborate in theorizing rurality, share how it impacts their work, examine how rurality is represented and celebrated, and begin to discuss challenges...

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