History

students sitting on lawn in front of Schaeffer Hall studying

Centerpiece of a Humanities Education

With its global scope, history helps us to understand today’s crises as well as today’s success stories.

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.

Iowa Native Spaces

Native American history is complex and requires multiple perspectives—especially the Native perspective—to tell accurately. Until recently, however, Iowa Native history was not a big part of social studies curricula in Iowa’s public schools. That is changing, however, and the University of Iowa is helping drive the change.

Iowa Native Spaces

History Writing Center

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

History Writing Center

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.

History Corps

News and announcements

Group photo of Bob Cargill, Paul Dilley, Sarah Bond, and Brenda Longfellow

Sarah Bond appointed Holtsmark Associate Professor

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

History Professor Sarah Bond is one of two faculty members appointed to the Holtsmark Associate Professorship. She was one of four CLAS faculty recently honored with new named professorships in classics.

History Professor to Serve as Academic Year Freiburg Director

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Professor Michaela Hoenicke Moore will serve as Academic Director for the Academic Year Freiburg (AYF) program during the 2023-24 academic year.

PhD Candidate Sam Boucher awarded Fulbright to Paraguay

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Sam Boucher will go to Paraguay in 2024 to further his research on his dissertation, “Unlikely Brethren: Indigenous-Mennonite Cooperatives in Paraguay, 1940-1980.”