Reading Seminars are designed to develop these skills by introducing students to important historiographical issues in different fields, so that they can better appreciate why historians have dealt with these issues in different ways over time. They aim to show students that engaging with other scholars in debate about how to interpret historical events and trends, and learning how to weigh those conflicting interventions in developing one’s own analyses, are important parts of being a historian.

Reading Seminars may focus on a particular problem, period, event, and/or region; they may be comparative,transnational, and/or thematic—in any given semester, students may find Seminars on such diverse topics as revolutions, gender in American history, environmental history, colonial encounters, the German Reformation, and so on. The department is committed to offering approximately ten Reading Seminars every term, offering students considerable variety and flexibility in their course selection.

Reading seminars are generally designed for freshmen and sophomores, and concentrators are strongly advised to take at least one prior to the junior spring. They may, however, be taken at any time, and more advanced
students will find much of interest to them as well. Students should expect to take at least one Reading Seminar in a field prior to taking a Research Seminar (see below), as Reading Seminars will typically provide the background knowledge necessary for success in the Research Seminar. Students may want to note that Reading Seminars, which are taught entirely by faculty, are limited to twelve students each, meaning that it may not always be possible to enroll in the Reading Seminar of one’s choice in the semester of one’s choosing.

All students enrolled in Reading Seminars are encouraged to seek the assistance of the Departmental Writing Fellow for help with their written assignments; more information HERE.

Research Seminars feature weekly two-hour meetings led by faculty, close instruction by both the professor and a Tutor through the stages of a research project, written (and often oral) presentation of works-in-progress and peer review. They culminate in a lengthy (20-25 page) and original research paper. Whenever possible, the professor and the Tutor will steer students toward promising sources in University (or other local library or archival) collections, so that students will be able to experience the full spectrum of research challenges and opportunities confronted by practicing historians.

The department offers at least ten of these Seminars per semester, spread across a variety of different fields, eras, and approaches. Enrollment will be limited to fifteen students each, and some preference will be given to concentrators, particularly those taking one for the first time. Research Seminars are aimed primarily at juniors and seniors with prior experience in the field (via a Reading Seminar or lecture course, for example), though other well-qualified students may be admitted at the discretion of the professor. Concentrators planning to write a senior thesis must take a Research Seminar by the end of the junior year, so as to be prepared for the research and writing demands of the thesis. Students not considering a thesis may instead take a Research Seminar in the senior year as an alternative capstone experience.