Department of History | University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences

History of Race: History of Race

Students in this field investigate how racial identities have been constructed and contested over time, shaping social interactions and setting the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in various regions of the world. Faculty strengths lie in early modern understandings of difference, slavery in the Americas, Native American history, free people of color in the United States and Latin America, and the role of race in shaping the Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras in the United States.
Alumnus Matthew Downs Inspires Students at the University of Mobile: Alumnus Matthew Downs Inspires Students at the University of Mobile

Department alumnus Matthew L. Downs is carrying on the University’s tradition of teaching excellence and leadership at the University of Mobile, where he is Assistant Professor of History and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Gender and Women’s History: Gender and Women’s History

Women’s and gender history is an active field of study at UA. Faculty teach courses in a variety of geographic locations and time periods, enabling students to gain transnational and comparative perspectives on the diversity of gender roles and on how a gendered analysis changes our understanding of historical problems.
Religious History: Religious History

Graduate students will find the History Department an intellectually stimulating environment for studying the role of religious ideas, behaviors, people, and institutions of the past. The department offers a wide variety of courses in religious history, and students can work on religious history topics in many subfields, including Southern history, Early and Modern American history, and Medieval and Early Modern European history.
Latin American History: Latin American History

Stretching from the early Atlantic world to modern and contemporary Mexico, UA has great strengths in South American, Central American, and Caribbean history. Issues of cross-cultural relations, race and ethnicity, national and regional identity, and popular and political culture are widely investigated. Latin American History also benefits from the Alabama-Cuba Initiative, which gives faculty and students opportunities to study in Cuba.
Professor Emeritus George Rable Featured in Documentary: Professor Emeritus George Rable Featured in Documentary

Professor Emeritus George C. Rable was recently featured on the American Heroes Channel’s documentary series Blood and Fury: America’s Civil War, where he was interviewed for their “Battle of Fredericksburg” episode.
Summersell Center Sponsors Upcoming Public History Internships in Community: Summersell Center Sponsors Upcoming Public History Internships in Community

The Summersell Center for Southern History’s Public History Initiative is sponsoring a series of local internships with organizations in the community during the Spring 2017 semester.
Military and Naval History: Military and Naval History

Students in military history study the full range of conflict, from the ancient world to contemporary problems. Graduate study of military history at UA is especially strong in colonial and Civil War America and Early Modern and Modern Europe, with a strong emphasis on naval history, diplomacy, international relations, and the home front.
Department Alumna Donna Cox Baker Builds Career in Historical Publishing: Department Alumna Donna Cox Baker Builds Career in Historical Publishing

Dr. Donna Cox Baker, a 2014 graduate of the University of Alabama’s History PhD program, is the editor-in-chief of Alabama Heritage magazine, serves as the acquisitions editor, recruiting history titles for The University of Alabama Press, and co-chairs the Statewide Initiatives Committee for the Alabama Bicentennial Commission.
Southern History: Southern History

The history of the U.S. South is an area of particular strength, as the department boasts seven specialists in the field. Course offerings and faculty research investigate all areas of southern history, from politics and labor relations to the history of race, gender, religion, and the environment. UA is also conveniently located near many important archival resources for the study of the South.
Meet 2017 John Fraser Ramsey Award Recipient Charlotte Watters: Meet 2017 John Fraser Ramsey Award Recipient Charlotte Watters

Tuscon’s Charlotte Watters, a junior at the University, is majoring in History and Political Science and serves as a peer mentor.
European History: European History

The department has a longstanding history of excellence in areas of German, Central European, and Russian history, French history, English history, Medieval history, and Early Modern and Modern history. Faculty specializations range across political, diplomatic, social, cultural, gender, intellectual, religious, imperial, and economic history, as well as the history of science and medicine.
United States History: United States History

UA promotes robust inquiry in all periods of American history. Our strength in social, cultural, and political history is complemented by specializations in African American history, Native American history, military and diplomatic history, constitutional history, intellectual history, religious history, economic and business history, and gender history.
Department Hosts Prospective Graduate Students: Department Hosts Prospective Graduate Students

The Department of History recently hosted a Graduate Visit Day, where prospective graduate students were able to learn more about the program and talk with professors, faculty, and current students.
Dr. Lawrence Kohl to Deliver Retirement Lecture on April 19: Dr. Lawrence Kohl to Deliver Retirement Lecture on April 19

Join us on Wednesday, April 19th at 5:00 pm. in room 30, ten Hoor Hall to hear Dr. Lawrence Kohl’s retirement lecture, “Life, History, and Teaching.”

Dr. Kohl will be reflecting on his life as a teacher over the last thirty years.