The History Department at the University of Kansas offers hundreds of courses that combine diverse viewpoints on History. We invite you to explore our web site and learn more about our department, our faculty, our courses, and what makes the KU History Department extraordinary.

Studying history at the University of Kansas is fun. A sampling of our course offerings will introduce students to Roman generals, medieval witches, Samurai warriors, Native American prophets, conspiracy theorists, and Chairman Mao. Students can take courses on the history of sexuality, or if that is not exciting enough, we offer courses on natural disasters, wars, and plagues. Studying history can be an entertaining adventure, but it is much more than that. Through individual research, writing, and teaching, our faculty collectively prepares students to understand the complicated origins of today's world and its challenges. Studying history trains one to appreciate the complexity and diversity of the human experience, to question simple explanations, and to make intelligent decisions about the future.

The KU History Department offers an outstanding undergraduate program. Students graduate with an in-depth knowledge of the major events and movements that have shaped our world. They will develop the analytical abilities to identify weak and strong arguments as well as the communication skills to write and speak effectively in support of their own points of view. Such training will prepare them for a variety of different careers and is especially useful to students planning to pursue graduate training in law, public policy, and education. Click for information on the Undergraduate Program.

Our graduate program is also strong, and offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in standard areas such as the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America as well as global fields such as military, environmental, and gender. Our doctoral program has been consistently rated in the top-25 among public research universities, and our recent Ph.D. recipients have gone on to tenure-track positions at both research universities and liberal arts colleges. Click for information on the Graduate Program.

There is much more information about our program on this website. Please follow the links for more details about particular faculty members and programs, and please feel free to contact any of us about questions you might have.

Welcome to our department!

Paul Kelton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair

Please join us in welcoming Paul Kelton as our new Department Chair for the next four years. We are also pleased to be joined by new faculty members Adrian Lewis, Roberta Pergher and Lindy Eakin.

In 2007 the History Department moved into our new offices in a newly refurbished section of Wescoe Hall with commanding views of the Wakarusa Valley south of Mount Oread. Contact information for individual History faculty members can be found here. A staff directory can be found here.

Department of History / 3650 Wescoe Hall / 1445 Jayhawk Blvd. / The University of Kansas / Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: (785) 864-3569 Fax: (785) 864-5046

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Paul Kelton, Department Chair, pkelton@ku.edu
Elizabeth MacGonagle, Associate Chair/Scheduling Officer, macgonag@ku.edu
Luis Corteguera, Director of Graduate Studies, lcortegu@ku.edu
Kim Warren, Director of Undergraduate Studies, kwarren@ku.edu