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History

History at Huron is a dynamic and exciting department that explores the rich and varied landscapes of the human past. A sense of the past is essential to personal identity, national unity and international co-existence. Yet, modern society makes the past increasingly elusive. The study of History produces an awareness of the fragility of our knowledge of the past, and the critical tools we need to examine the many versions of the past offered to us.

Studying History cultivates empathy, bring precision and energy to your writing, and connects you to professional networks. Our programs offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on archival research, digital scholarship, research travel, local and global partnerships, and collaboration with faculty. In a world rocked by questions about truth, evidence and the nature of human understanding, history matters.

History Brochure

 

Alumni Stories

Our History alumni have outstanding records in graduate and professional studies after Huron, and are employed in a range of fields, from digital communications, management, law, education, journalism, film and publishing to urban planning and global health policy.

Read more about our outstanding History graduates.

  • Huron's experiential learning opportunities enabled me to extend my knowledge far beyond what I learned in class. This helped me develop a robust understanding and skillset that I am able to apply to my pursuits of Leadership with Heart.
    Emily Abbott
    History & Political Science
    Read More

Program Options

Huron's History Department offers flexible and innovative programs of study: Honours Specialisation, Major, Specialisation and Minor modules in History, and a unique set of interdisciplinary minors that add breadth and depth to your degree. Our joint program in Public History is the first of its kind in Canada, and one of only a handful of undergraduate Public History programs in North America.

Our new Huron Community History Centre connects global themes to local history, and provides collaborative, community-based research internships and opportunities for Huron History students in and beyond the classroom. History courses offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on archival research, digital scholarship, research travel, local and global partnerships, and collaboration with faculty.  History courses offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on archival research, digital scholarship, research travel, local and global partnerships, and collaboration with faculty. 

Honors Specialization
Specialization
Major
Minor

History and memory are at the heart of all human experience. Studying History is key to understanding contemporary culture, and to unlocking hope for a future that holds endless capacity for change. 

Our courses offer global perspectives, taking you to the leading edge of historical scholarship through our faculty research expertise, and award-winning teaching. 

History builds flexible and practical skills in research, writing, crafting argument, collaboration, public engagement, and a sense of empathy. History students at Huron have unparalleled opportunities for hands-on historical research, travel, and experiential learning in the local community and through international collaboration and study. Our programs easily combine with study in a range of other disciplines, or with our unique and innovative minors, including Public History, and History of the Book. 

Learn more about History programs:
Honors Specialization
Specialization
Major
Minor
Combined Honors Specialization Faculty of Arts and Social Science at Huron/HBA

Huron’s Minor in Public History--the first undergraduate Public History program in Canada—promotes critical reflection about the meaning of the past, and develops digital communication and research skills. Students learn through community-based and active history partnerships with museums, heritage organizations, libraries and archives. 

A joint program offered by Huron University College, King's University College and Western University, Public History at Huron will teach you new ways to communicate about history in and beyond museums, archives, historical sites, film, fiction, on the web, and public discourse and policy making.

You can combine the module with a History Honors Specialization, Major or Specialization, or with modules in other disciplines at Huron or at Western such as Archaeology, Classical Studies, Geography, Visual Art, Museum and Curatorial Studies, and Media, Information and Technoculture.

Learn more about the Joint Minor in Public History.

The new Minor in History of the Book is a joint program Huron’s English and Cultural Studies at Huron. Courses introduce you to the field of book studies, provide opportunities to create digital scholarship, and give you new perspective on historical study and evidence.

The program features collaborative workshops, community-based research, and a capstone course in Huron’s new Letterpress Studio.

Learn more about History of the Book.
 

Pacific Rim Studies offers interdisciplinary and cross-regional studies of East Asia and North America, focusing on the common, comparative, and interactive aspects of the lives of the peoples in the Pacific Rim region. 

While encouraging students to find commonalities between disciplines, Pacific Rim Studies Minor will also introduce them to a diversity of approaches, primary sources and intellectual traditions that shape this dynamic transnational and interdisciplinary research area.

The minor will benefit students interested in the fields of law, education and policy making, and any field which builds on the connections between the regions which form the Pacific Rim.

Learn more about the Pacific Rim Studies minor.

This interdisciplinary module offers the only program in African history in the Western family of history departments. Learn critical perspectives on the histories of Africa, histories of the African Diaspora in the Americas, and the histories of Africa and African Diasporas in a global context.

Choose from our unique-to-Huron courses in African history, and from courses across a range of programs at Huron and Western, including English and Cultural Studies, Global Studies, Theology, Women’s Studies, Geography, and Political Science.

Learn more about the Histories of Africa and the African Diasporas minor.

Designed for students completing a major or specialization in a discipline or program other than History, this module offers global perspectives that draw on our unique suite of world history courses.

Including electives from across Huron programs, the World History minor complements modules in a wide range of fields, including Management and Organizational Studies, Global Studies, Philosophy, and Political Science.

Learn more about the World History minor.

Study empire and colonialism, enslavement and dispossession, and the power of resistance movements to challenge and dismantle the structures of imperial power through the global history courses and cross-disciplinary options in the Studies in Imperialism minor.  Understanding the history of imperialism is key to understanding the contemporary world, including Canada’s place in a global context.

Learn more about the Studies in Imperialism minor.

Study the interconnected cultures, literatures, and histories of the Atlantic World through a module that includes elective courses from across the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at Huron. The courses in the module highlight theme of revolution, slavery, emancipation, imperialism and post-colonial movements, Enlightenment, and women’s activism. 
 
Learn more about the Atlantic World minor.

This module includes engaging and unique-to-Huron courses in the history and culture of China. The minor is designed to complement studies in a range disciplines, including BMOS, Global Great Books, and Governance, Leadership and Ethics.

Learn more about the Chinese History minor.

Professors

We are a diverse and international group of scholars.  As a collegial unit, we thrive on collaborative and innovative teaching and support each others' impressive publication records. Our research, which is focused on the modern era, links the study of the past with vital social and political issues of today: indigenous rights, gender equality, the environment, education, modern slavery, citizenship and issues of law and justice.  

 

  • China has a rich history that spans countless centuries, making a study of its cultural practices over time an extraordinarily interesting academic endeavour. I look forward to supporting my students to learn about the significant political, military and social discourses that have shaped this world power - and its many dynamic dynasties ...
    Jun Fang, PhD
    Professor, History
    Read More
  • My goal when I teach is to transform how my students think. In particular, I want students to recognize the importance of historical context to understanding the contemporary world
    Geoff Read, PhD
    Provost and Dean of Arts and Social Science
    Read More

History Department

Faculty

Program sessional and per course instructors 

Professors Emeriti

History Courses

Our classes emphasize the connections between historical study and the world we live in today. Faculty research expertise addresses North America, China, and the British and French Empires, framing contemporary debates about slavery, freedom and race; the struggle for gender equality; indigeneity, empire and colonialism; and the parameters of law in the global context of individual freedoms. 

2020-2021 Courses

1000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 1800F  – The People's Histories Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 1815G – Histories of Love Bell View course outline
HIS 1816F – Histories of Violence Fang View course outline
HIS 1817G – History in the Headlines Blocker View courses outline
HIS 1818F – Objects of Desire Compeau View course outline

2000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 2125F – Northern Enterprise Krats View course outline
HIS 2127G – In Search of Canada Krats View course outline
HIS 2204G – Crises and Confederation: The Making of Modern Canada Blocker View course outline
HIS 2302G – American Modern: The United States in the Twentieth Century Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2602G – Pre-Colonial Africa Read View course outline
HIS 2603E – China: Tradition and Transformation Fang View course outline
HIS 2610G – Women in East Asia Fang View course outline
HIS 2701E – Patterns and Perspectives in World History Compeau View course outline
HIS 2709F – Race, Rights, and Revolution Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2710F – Red, White, Black et Blancs: Early North American History McCorkindale View course outline
HIS 2811F – Historians, Communities and Past Compeau View course outline
HIS 2821F – Jewish History to 1492 Clark View course outline

3000 - 4999 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 3201E – First Peoples and Colonialism Melle View course outline
HIS 3410F – Sex, Books and Violence Bell View course outline
HIS 3801E – The Historian's Craft Bell View course outline
HIS 4296G – Selected Topics in Canadian History Halpern View course outline
HIS 4422F – London UK: Crime and Disorder Bell View course outline
HIS 4606F – Sex, Law, and Society in Imperial China Fang View course outline
HIS 4802G – Masculinity and Modern History Compeau View course outline
2019-2020 Courses

1000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 1801E – Blood, Sweat & Gold: Controversies in Global History Peace/Compeau View course outline
HIS 1815F – Histories of Love Bell View course outline
HIS 1816G – Histories of Violence Bell View course outline

2000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 2125F – Northern Enterprise: Canadian Business and Labour History Krats View course outline
HIS 2127G – In Search of Canada: Postwar to Present Krats View course outline
HIS 2204G – Crises and Confederation: The Making of Modern Canada Peace View course outline
HIS 2302F – American Modern: The United States in the Twentieth Century McCorkindale View course outline
HIS 2413E Europe and the Paradoxes of Modernity  Compeau View course outline
HIS 2604G – European Imperialism in Africa van Tol View course outline
HIS 2610F – Women in East Asia Fang View course outline
HIS 2710F – Red, White, Black et Blancs: Early North American History Peace View course outline
HIS 2712G – Tyrants: Historical Profiles in Oppression and Resistance  Compeau View course outline
HIS 2713G – Republic of Letters: Enlightenment in the Atlantic World  Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2813F – Making Waves: Women's Activism in the Atlantic World   Reid-Maroney View course outline

3000-4999 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 3296F – Special Topics in Canadian History Peace View course outline
HIS 3410G – The British Empire: Sex, Books and Violence Bell View course outline
HIS 3706E – Political Assassinations Fang View course outline
HIS 3801E – The Historian's Craft Bell View course outline
HIS 4202F – Land, Literacies & Learning Peace View course outline
HIS 4605E – War & Memory in Modern East Asia Fang View course outline
HIS 4810F – Engaging With the Past: Practicing Active History Compeau View course outline
2018-2019 Courses

1000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 1801E – Blood, Sweat & Gold: Controversies in Global History Peace/Compeau View course outline
HIS 1815F – Histories of Love Bell View course outline
HIS 1816G – Histories of Violence Bell View course outline

2000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 2125F – Northern Enterprise: Canadian Business and Labour History Krats View course outline
HIS 2127G – In Search of Canada: Postwar to Present Krats View course outline
HIS 2204G – Crises and Confederation: The Making of Modern Canada Peace View course outline
HIS 2302G – American Modern: The United States in the Twentieth Century Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2701E – Patterns and Perspectives in World History Compeau View course outline
HIS 2710F – Red, White, Black et Blancs: Early North American History Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2712G – Tyrants and Tyranny Compeau View course outline
HIS 2810F – Gender in Modern Europe van Tol View course outline
HIS 2811F – Historians, Communities and the Past Compeau View course outline

3000-4999 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 3201E – Fist Peoples and Colonialism in Canada Peace View course outline
HIS 3313G – The Movement: Civil Rights and African American History in the 20th Century Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 3705E – Current Crises in Historical Perspective Charbonneau View course outline
HIS 3801E – The Historian's Craft Bell View course outline
HIS 4307F – American Dreams: Radicals and Reformers Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 4414F – Secrets, Spies and Surveillance Compeau View course outline
HIS 4422G – London UK: Crime and Disorder   Bell View course outline
HIS 4802G – Masculinity and Modern History Compeau View course outline
2017-2018 Courses

1000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 1801E – Controversies in Global History Peace/Read View course outline
HIS 1816F – Histories of Violence Fang View course outline

2000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 2125F – Northern Enterprise: Canadian Business and Labour History Krats View course outline
HIS 2127G – In Search of Canada: Postwar to Present Krats View course outline
HIS 2204G – Crises and Confederation Peace View course outline
HIS 2302G – American Modern: The United States in the Twentieth Century Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 2413E – Europe and the Paradoxes of Modernity Compeau View course outline
HIS 2602F – Pre-Colonial Africa Read View course outline
HIS 2603E – China: Tradition and Transformation  Fang View course outline
HIS 2604G – European Imperialism in Africa 1830-1994 Read View course outline
HIS 2710F – Red, White, Black et Blancs: The Americas to 1867 Peace View course outline
HIS 2811F – Historians, Communities and the Past Compeau View course outline
HIS 2821F – Jewish History to 1492 Clark View course outline

3000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 3311F – Slavery and Freedom: African American History 1600-1896 Reid Maroney View course outline
HIS 3411E – The British Isles from 1688: Glories Revolution to 'Broken Britian' Compeau View course outline
HIS 3497F – Criminals, Crime Scenes and Punishment in Medieval Britian Duggan View course outline
HIS 3801E – The Historian's Craft Reid-Maroney View course outline
HIS 3898G – Selected Topics: Art and the Holocaust Halpern View course outline

4000 Level Courses

Course Instructor Course Outline
HIS 4605E – War and Memory in Modern East Asia Fang View course outline
HIS 4702F – European Imperialism Read View course outline
HIS 4810G – Engaging with the Past: Practicing Active History Peace View course outline
HIS 4414G – Secrets, Spies and Surveillance in Modern British History Compeau View course outline

 

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History Careers

History leads the humanities as preparation for careers in law, management, public service, and education. Beyond those pathways, a Huron History degree gives you the flexibility and experience you need to take on any career you can imagine. Our programs will take your studies to the leading edge of research in the humanities and transform the way you think about the past, the way you see the present, and the way you frame your future. 

Also, visit the Canadian Historical Association's website to delve deeper into where a degree in History could take you! 

Visit CHA Now

Canadian Historical Society
Where will a degree in History take you?
  • Business
  • Journalism
  • Publishing
  • Marketing 
  • Tourism
  • Finance
  • Digital communications
  • Curriculum development
  • Public service
  • Heritage
  • Film
  • Teaching
  • Law
  • Social work 
  • Administration
1

Key Contacts

Nina Reid-Maroney, PhD

Chair and Associate Professor, History
519.438.7224 ext. 358
nreidmarhuron.uwo.ca
A305

Sahana Mazumder, MES

Program Assistant, Faculty of Arts and Social Science
519.438.7224 ext. 277
smazumd2uwo.ca
A116

 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.                  Monday - Friday