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Department of History

Offering doctoral, master's, public history, and bachelor's programs.

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The World Is Open to AU History Majors

History classes hone our students' research, writing, and analytical skills. Our home in Washington, DC, offers students unparalleled resources for research, internships, and jobs. The nation's capital is our classroom.

Our outstanding faculty are not only exemplary teachers and scholars, but they are also actively involved with archives, museums, government institutions, and non-profits in DC, across the United States, and around the world. Whether you are interested in working in government, private industry, non-profits, or academia, AU's Department of History offers a stepping stone to a promising career.

The History Department offers a BA, minor, a combined BA/MA, an MA in History, an MA in Public History, and a PhD.

Fast-Track Your Way to a BA and MA in History

American University's Combined BA/MA Degree program allows students to complete both their BA and MA in History in as little as5 years. Students in the BA/MA program save upwards of $22,000 in tuition costs by sharing credits between the two degrees.

Students may pursue either the General MA program or the Public History MAprogram. Inquire at history@american.edu to learn more about our BA/MA program.

Fall 2024 Special Topics Courses

HIST 301 001

3 credits,Dr. Richter, Mondays & Thursdays, 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

Soccer, more widely known as football, is the most popular sport in the modern world and arguably more important than any form of organized religion for many fans of club and national teams. In this course, football and soccer are used interchangeably while accounting that only in the United States is the sport primarily known as soccer. The course explores how and why global football has influenced and been influenced by politics, economic, and cultural relationships. It focuses on the transnational history of football, with an emphasis on players and managers such as Pele and Diego Maradona as global figures who have impacted local cultures in numerous locations during their careers. The course covers the intertwined histories of the sport in Europe, Latin America, the United States, Africa, and Asia.

HIST 302 001

3 credits, Dr. Vester, Tuesdays & Fridays, 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM

This course explores a diverse range of cultural phenomena in the nineteenth century United States, reflecting on how clothes, interior design, child rearing philosophies, nutritional advice, travel literature, and pets can shape society and politics.

HIST 305 001

3 credits,Dr. Runstedtler, Mondays and Thursdays, 12:55 PM - 2:10 PM

This course is a critical study of sport. Beginning with the premise that sports are more than simply entertainment, the course explores their influence on U.S. life and culture as political technologies of domination, resistance, and meaning-making. Drawing on theories and concepts in the broad fields of Black Studies, Ethnic Studies, and American Cultural Studies, the impact of racecraft, racism, and racialization on individuals, ideologies, and institutions across the changing landscape of U.S. sports are examined.

Crosslist: AMST-320-001.

HIST 344 001

3 credits,Dr. Strauss, Wednesdays, 11:20 AM - 2:10 PM

This course explores Jewish participation in American electoral and advocacy politics, examining its significance for minority rights in the United States. The course begins by addressing religious freedom in early America, but focuses mostly on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with case studies that address larger issues.

Crosslist: GOVT-396-001 JWST-320-001.

HIST 449 001

3 credits, Dr. Lichtman, Thursdays, 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

This course examines from an interdisciplinary perspective the history of voting and elections in America from the constitutional era through the present. It examines both theories of voting and elections and struggles for the vote by minority peoples, women, and other groups. These struggles have taken place in the streets, in the halls of legislatures, and in the courtrooms. It concludes by exploring ways to improve access to voting and conduct of free and fair elections in the United States.

Crosslist: HIST-649-001.

Bulletins

  • The 2023-24 Department of History Newsletter is now available! Read about department events from last academic year, faculty research, alumni achievements, and more. Read the newsletter.

  • Laura Beersܲ (W. W. Norton and Company, 2024).

  • M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska was chosen for a to support a longform article on local and federal efforts for Bicentennial planning in D.C. and her on-going research on tourism to Washington, D.C.

  • Peter Kuznick spoke with CGTN, Izvestia, TVC Russia, WION News, RT International, and RTVI about a variety of topics ranging from US foreign affairs to the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

  • Gautham Rao (History) co-authored a for consideration in the Trump v. US case.

  • Congratulations to Prof. Alan Kraut on reaching 50 years of dedicated service in the AU Department of History!

  • History Alumnus Matthew Skicwas featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer for his He is currently the Curator of Exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution.

  • PhD History AlumnusDr. Thomas HauserܲFlying in the Shadows: Forging Aerial Intelligence for the United States Army(US Government Publishing Office, 2023).

  • Prof. Peter Kuznick spoke with Progressive Magazine, WION News, CGTN Europe, Radio Sputnik, Republic TV (India), NTV Russian Television, Izvestia, Al-Sharq News, Axios, and Spectrum News about a variety of topics ranging from nuclear weapons history to ongoing conflicts in the world.

  • Prof. Pamela S. Nadell was the Jewish Studies Consultant for the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of

  • Prof. Allan Lichtmandelivered keynote addresses at the Brazilian Financial Conference and the Conference of Metropolitan Water Authorities. He published ɾٳSocial Educationin their Jan/Feb 2024 issue. The eigth edition of his "Keys" series,(Rowman & Littlefield), is set for publication in July 2024

  • Prof. Emerita April Shelford ܲ(Cambridge, 2023).

  • Prof. Anna Kaplan ܲ in Study the South.

  • Prof. Allan Lichtman delivered keynote addresses at the Asian Financial Conference, , and the . He was also the lead author in an The briefwas filed in the Supreme Court in the Colorado ballot diqualification case.

  • Peter Kuznick spoke with RTVI, The World Radio (Boston), Radio Sputnik, Izvestia newspaper, NTV, Zvezda, Japan’s Newspaper Asahi Shimbun, WION News, acTVism Munich, REN TV, Channel One (Russia), NTV, and TVC about a variety of topics ranging from the upcoming United States presidential election to ongoing conflicts in the world.

  • Rebecca Graham wrote an article for about the antisemitic symbolism and imagery in the movie Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.
  • PhD Student Paul Kutner released a 5-episode podcast with Yeshiva University,.The Podcast discusses the various manifestations of Holocaust distortion with distinguished guests who work to ensure accurate teaching of the Holocaust. All 5 episodes are available on Spotify.
  • Professor Dan Kerr and the AU Humanities Truck were in the Fall 2023 issue of American Way of Life (AWOL) magazine, a student-run publication.
  • PhD CandidateReza Akbaripresented at the Middle East Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada. His presentation,argued that America's drive to keep Iran's nuclear program peaceful began decades before the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
  • AU History AlumnaKelly Maranchuckwasfor her hard work and dedication as a BASIS DCPublic Charter School administrator.
  • PhD StudentAndrew Sperlingpublished "," detailing the events of an antisemetic attack on Jewish teens at a Halloween party in 1950.
  • Theresa Runstedtler's new book on how Black ballplayers of the 1970s and '80s set the once-troubled NBA up for success:Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA(2023). She discussed the book on The Ringer'spodcast.
  • MS AlumnaKatrina LashleyspearheadsAnacostia Community Museum’s new Center for Environmental Justice.
  • AU’sPamela Nadellexplainsalarming rise of antisemitism and how it’s moving mainstream.
  • Video:
  • Malgorzata J. Rymsza-Pawlowskaappeared in Netflix’sD.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!to give expertise on 1970s history and culture.
  • M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowskaܲin theWashington Post.
  • Laura Beerspublished “” onCNNdiscussing how “1984” and terms like “Orwellian” have been used and abused for decades, and how they relate to current events.
  • Peter Kuznickspoke toCGTN, Political Misfits, RT TV, Postscript TVC, Sputnik Newsabout a variety of topics ranging from rising tensions between the US and China to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
  • Pamela Nadellspoke to theChristian Science Monitorabout the great replacement theory in “.”
  • Michael Brennerܲ(Princeton University Press).
  • Doctoral alumnaWendy Lowerwon the 2021 National Jewish Book Award in Holocaust Studies forThe Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed. See her 2021.
  • Doctral alumnaRebecca DeWolfhas published(University of Nebraska Press).
  • Pamela Nadelldiscusses how antisemitism fuels white nationalism on PBS’.”
  • AlumnaRebecca DeWolfܲ.
  • AlumnusJohn Schmitz(CAS/PhD '07) ܲ.
  • Pamela Nadellfeatured in:How Antisemitism Fuels White Nationalism from PBS.
  • Andrew Demshukܲ.
  • Justin Jacobscompleted filming 24 episodes for hisGreat Coursesseries on UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A Chinese translation of his latest book,The Compensations of Plunder: How China Lost Its Treasuresis being published serially in the journalXiyu wenshi.
  • Malgorzata Rymza-Pawlowskahas been named to the board of directors of DC Humanities and served as program chair of the DC History Conference and as series editor for the NCPH and NPS’s American Revolution 250th commemoration forums.
  • Kate Haulmanwas named a distinguished lecturer by the Organization of American Historians and her book exploring the long “afterlife” of Mary Washington is under contract with Oxford University Press.
  • Jonah Estess(PhD student) presented his paper, "Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems: The American Revolution and the National Origins of the Politicization of Money" as part of the panelat this year's Business History Conference.
  • Public history studentsLeah Baer, Jack Cunningham, Sarah Fling, and Cameron Sandlinpresented their practicum project, "Behind the Arch: Residency, Resilience, and Relevance in DC's Chinatown," at the annual National Council on Public History conference in March.
  • PhD candidateCarmen Boltworked on an NEH-funded project mapping the impact of the interstate highway system across the US.

Department News

The White House.

Government & Politics ·

To the Point: Do Political Conventions Really Matter Anymore?

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Vice President Kamala Harris opposite former President Donald Trump

Government & Politics ·

Harris or Trump? Allan Lichtman Releases His Prediction

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Top image credit: Teddy Roosevelt (right of man in white vest) watches the laying of the cornerstone for AU's McKinley Building, 1902.
AU Archives. Read more about AU's presidential past.