University of Wyoming buildings exterior and trees with snow on them

Welcome to History

 

 

Native American peoples inhabited and visited the landscape encompassed within Wyoming for centuries prior to the founding of the University of Wyoming (UW) in 1887 and we would like to acknowledge the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Lakota, Shoshone, and Ute, on whose land we stand today.

Long committed to the history of the American West, the History Department at UW is uniquely positioned to situate this field in a global context. Drawing on expertise ranging from Europe, East and Central Asia, Africa, and the Americas, we strive to explore historical questions with thematic as well as comparative approaches. Our goal is to give students a truly global perspective on history.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A HISTORY DEGREE?

 At the most basic level, history teaches how to assess evidence, to access conflicting interpretations, to arrive at convincing arguments, and to speak and write about these arguments to a wide variety of audiences. These skills make history one of the foremost majors that graduate and professional schools and employers seek when they admit graduate students or hire employees. Viewed from a practical perspective, a history degree provides lifelong skills that are in demand in fields ranging from teaching and law to government and business administration. History is a very useful degree.

History is a foundational discipline that blends the methodologies and perspective of the humanities and social sciences in order to engage with the history of human culture on a global scale. UW's History degree program emphasizes interdisciplinary teaching and research and provides course work, research experiences, and internships on both American and international topics. The History program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree major and minor, and a Master of Arts degree.

WHY STUDY HISTORY?

Who hasn’t heard someone say, “I just love history?” Maybe that person is you? History is a vibrant and fascinating study of people, events, and institutions in the past and, for many people, that’s reason enough to earn a history degree. But there are larger and more practical reasons to choose history as your major. Here are a few of those reasons that historian Peter Stearns complied for the American Historical Association:

  • History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
  • History Helps Us Understand Change
  • History Helps Us Understand How the Society We Live in Came to Be
  • History Provides Identity
  • Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship

In addition to the historical content obtained in your coursework, a degree in History also provides excellent training in rigorous analysis and research skills, and the oral and written skills necessary to achieve success in any top-flight professional career. Typical career paths for History graduates include work in museums and archives, national security agencies (the FBI, CIA, and NSA all love to recruit History B.A. students), and the Department of State. The History major is also excellent preparation for various professional schools, such as law and medicine, as well as post-graduate work in the humanities and social sciences.  We pride ourselves on placing our graduates in highly competitive careers and post-graduate masters and doctoral programs.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Bachelor's Degree (B.A.)

The History Department Faculty has identified the specific objectives of its undergraduate curriculum. The following are the learning outcomes that each History major should learn. We are continuously and actively assessing our program to ensure that these learning outcomes are being met.

1. Students shall be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills by analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating historical information from multiple sources.

2. Students will develop the ability to distinguish between different culturally historical perspectives.

3. Students will produce well researched written work that engages with both primary sources and the secondary literature.

4. Students will develop an informed familiarity with multiple cultures.

5. Students will employ a full range of historical techniques and methods.

6. Students will develop an ability to convey verbally their historical knowledge.

7. Students will demonstrate their understanding of historical cause and effect along with their knowledge of the general chronology of human experience.

8. Students will develop an understanding of the concepts of historical theary and/or conceptual frameworks and be able to use these in their own studies. 

 

Graduate Degrees (M.A. and M.A.T.)

The History Department offers two distinct graduate programs. Any field of study offered by the Department can be accommodated within either degree program.

The M.A. degree is designed to prepare the student for employment opportunities and PhD-level work. This degree program is also suitable for students interested in careers as community college instructors as well as for lifelong learners who seek formal advanced education.

 

Students who graduate with an M.A. in History will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the theories and methodologies of the discipline of History.

2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the historiography of their field of specialization.

3. Demonstrate some understanding of comparative and/or thematic methods, approaches, and theories.

4. Conduct original research based on primary sources and construct an argument based on that research.

5. Write graduate-level expository prose and orally present their ideas at an advanced level.

 

The M.A.T. degree is designed to enhance the teaching of history and related disciplines by secondary and middle school teachers. This is a non-thesis degree, designed to provide breadth of preparation rather than specialization. Applicants are expected to have already completed their certification and pedagogy courses.

Students who graduate with an M.A.T. in History will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the significance of historical topics with reference to broader historical context, historiographic trends, or contemporary relevance.

2. Construct original historical arguments using a blend of primary and secondary source material.

3. Demonstrate a superior quality of writing both in terms of mechanics and in developing an argument effectively.

4. Convey a broad understanding of historical material suitable for teaching.

EVENTS & NEWS


Upcoming Events: 

 

 

News:

The Department of History is searching for an Asian Historian. Please click here if you are interested!

 







front of the History building

Contact Us

History Building
Dept. 3198
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-5101
Email: uwhistory@uwyo.edu
Find Us: UW Campus Map