Everything and Everyone has a History
New Issue of the Undergraduate History Journal at Illinois
The fall 2025 issue of the student-run journal was published this February and features articles from Rachel Mulick, Elizabeth Segel, Paolo Spica, Lyndon Shi, Joe Kapsch, and Liam Crider.
Title
Why Study History?
Take a walk with professor Rosalyn LaPier to learn why the study of history is important today.
Black Music
What is black music, and how do we know what we think we know about it? Examine musical creations pioneered by Africans and individuals of African descent over several centuries and across hemispheres.
History of Africa from 1800
Understand the history of Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, agricultural exchange, growth of Christianity, nineteenth-century European expansion, European colonial rule during the twentieth century, anticolonial nationalism, decolonization, and postcolonial political, economic, social, and cultural developments.
Madness and Modern Society
Explore the development of the mind sciences in modern Europe from the beginning of state-regulated asylums to the advent of pharmaceutical treatment and care in the community.
World War II: A Global History
Trace the political, military, social, and economic history of the Second World War. Understand the collapse of the Versailles system, the Interwar crisis of democracy, the rise of totalitarian regimes, the civilian experience of war, the intersection of ideology and violence, and the onset of the Nuclear Age.
The Caribbean since 1492: From Columbus to Castro
How colonialism, plantation slavery, the age of abolition, and the emergence of national independence movements made the modern Caribbean.
Sport and Society
Examines the history of the roles that sport has played in society through a series of topical foci, as selected by the professor each semester. This semester will explore baseball and integration.
Civil War and Reconstruction
Understand a formative period in U.S. history. During this period, the nation underwent its second revolution—a revolution more radical in its impact than the one that freed it from the British Empire. Much about U.S. history for the next century and more was decided during these critical years.
Roman Republic to 44 BC
Examine the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of Rome from 753 BCE until 14 CE.
Title
Chart Your Own Path
Our program empowers you to explore your interests and passions within history and gives you the flexibility to pair the major with advanced language study, internships, study abroad experiences, undergraduate research, and community engagement.
Title
Conduct Your Own Research
Follow your interests and explore topics that excite you. In our program, you'll learn the critical thinking, research, and analytical skills required to produce historical research. And you'll have access to the resources of the second largest university library in the country.
In the News
The Opinion Pages
Professor Antoinette Burton writes about the value and future of the humanities in the age of AI.
The Opinion Pages
Professor Jerry Dávila writes about the civil response to ICE actions in Minnesota, drawing on the history of protest in Latin America.
Daily Illini
Graduate student Daniel Rodriguez' archival work with the Greater Community AIDS Project was featured in the Daily Illini.
Calendar
Alumni Spotlight: Bradley Harms (1995)
Bradley Harms (BA, '95, history) retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps in June 2025 after 30 years of active duty. He was the longest serving commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, and he served as chief of staff for the White House Military Office during the 2024 presidential election and 2025 inauguration. He is currently working for the aerospace company RTX in propriety programs.