MA Courses

MA students can choose from a wide variety of courses each semester. Browse courses below to watch lecture previews, meet your professors, and see course details.

 

Upcoming Spring Semester Deadlines

  • Courses Start: Thursday, February 8, 2024
  • Course Registration Begins: Saturday, November 18, 2023
  • Course Registration Ends: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

 

Image: Photograph of Illinois Soldiers College, 1866 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC05111.01.0010)

photograph from ca. 1866 of Illinois Soldiers College

  • $750 per Course

  • 8 Courses in Spring 2024

Table of Contents:

Spring 2024 Semester

Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, GLC03583

American Colonies: A Continental History

Alan Taylor, University of Virginia

This course examines Spanish, French, Dutch, and British encounters with Native peoples of North America during the initial centuries of colonization: 1492–1800.

  • AMHI 605
Tanner, Vallance, Kearny & Co. and William Allen The British surrendering their Arms to Gen: Washington...at York Town

The American Revolution

Denver Brunsman, George Washington University

This course will explore the American Revolutionary era, defined broadly. Participants will gain insight into new scholarly approaches to traditional subjects, including American resistance to British rule, the decision for independence, and America’s victory in the Revolutionary War.

  • AMHI 621
Montrésor, John (1736-1799) A Plan of the City of New York & its environs

American Environmental History

Catherine McNeur, Portland State University

This course is an introduction to the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States with a special focus on the history of political, social, cultural, and economic forces that have structured relationships with nature.

  • New Course
  • AMHI 616
Front view of the White House

Presidential Leadership at Historic Crossroads

Barbara Perry, University of Virginia

 Using classic and new scholarship, as well as primary sources, this course will examine the challenges and responses of presidents when they have faced and sometimes constructed historic crossroads.

  • AMHI 609
Engraving of Abraham Lincoln's head

Immigrants and Immigration in the Age of Lincoln

Harold Holzer, Hunter College, CUNY

Through the lens of Abraham Lincoln’s rise in local, regional, and national politics, this course will follow the growing nativist response to the increasing immigration of Catholics in the 1840s through Lincoln’s 1863 and 1864 proposals to expand—and even underwrite—immigration to fill the depleted ranks of Americans in agriculture and industry and the role of German and Irish voters in the crucial presidential election of 1864.

  • New Course
Address of Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama, before the Hamilton Club, Chicago

Jim Crow and Its Challengers

Nikki Brown, University of Kentucky

This course addresses the rise, institutionalization, fall, and lasting impact of racial segregation laws in the United States.

  • New Course
  • AMHI 677
All Spring 2024 Courses

Required Courses (Available Every Semester)

Title page from Mercy Otis Warren's history of the American Revolution

Historiography and Historical Methods

Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and The Graduate Center, CUNY

Students will read and discuss historical interpretations of the American past as they have changed over time.

  • AMHI 698
View of 1903 Stock Exchange Pediment

Capstone in American History

The course is the capstone seminar for students completing their MA in American History and its sole focus is the production of either a substantial original research paper or a capstone project of comparable significance as determined by the MA program director and faculty.

  • AMHI 699

Register for Courses

Enrolled students can register for courses on Campus Experience. If you need assistance navigating the course registration platform, please follow these instructions available as a pdf.

Register for Courses

Previous Course Offerings

2023-2024 Academic Year

Fall 2023

  • Warfare in Early America, Prof. Timothy Shannon, Gettysburg College
  • LGBTQ+ History of the US: 1800 to the Present, Prof. Stephen Vider, University of Connecticut
  • The Kennedy Era, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • The Lives of the Enslaved, Prof. Daina Ramey Berry, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The American Enlightenment: Intellectual History to 1787, Prof. Caroline Winterer, Stanford University
  • American Immigration History, Prof. Madeline Hsu, University of Texas at Austin

2022-2023 Academic Year

Fall 2022

  • The Declaration of Independence, Prof. Eric Slauter, University of Chicago
  • Presidential Leadership at Historic Crossroads: From Founding to Current Challenges, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • Narratives of Illness: The History of Medicine and Public Health in the U.S., Prof. Jim Downs, Gettysburg College
  • The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., Prof. Peniel Joseph, University of Texas at Austin
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2023

  • Black Women's History, Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College
  • Voting and Elections in American History, Allan Lichtman, American University
  • America's First Civil Rights Movement: From Revolution to Reconstruction, Kate Masur, Northwestern University
  • The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, David Blight, Yale University
  • Making Modern America: Business and Politics in the 20th Century, Margaret O'Mara,University of Washington
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2023

  • Capitalism in American History, Prof. David Sicilia, University of Maryland
  • The Great Depression and the New Deal, Prof. Eric Rauchway, University of California, Davis
  • The History of Latina and Latino People in the U.S., Prof. Geraldo Cadava, Northwestern University
  • American Indian History: 1900 to the Present, Prof. Donald L. Fixico, Arizona State University
  • The Presidents vs. The Press, Prof. Harold Holzer, Hunter College
  • The Vietnam War, Prof. Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2021-2022 Academic Year

Fall 2021

  • American Immigration History, Prof. Madeline Hsu, University of Texas at Austin
  • The American Civil War, Prof. Allen Guelzo, Princeton University
  • Capitalism in American History, Prof. David Sicilia, University of Maryland
  • The 1960s in Historical Perspective, Prof. Michael Flamm, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Prof. Michael Kazin, Georgetown University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2022

  • American Colonies: A Continental History, Prof. Alan Taylor, University of Virginia
  • The History of Childhood in America, Prof. Steven Mintz, University of Texas at Austin
  • Social Change in the Civil War Era, Prof. Catherine Clinton, University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Chinese in the United States, Prof. Madeline Hsu, University of Texas at Austin 
  • Making Modern America: Business and Politics in the 20th Century, Prof. Margaret O’Mara, University of Washington
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2022

  • The Declaration of Independence, Prof. Eric Slauter, University of Chicago
  • Presidential Leadership at Historic Crossroads: From Founding to Current Challenges, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • Narratives of Illness: The History of Medicine and Public Health in the U.S., Prof. Jim Downs, Gettysburg College
  • The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., Prof. Peniel Joseph, University of Texas at Austin
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2020-2021 Academic Year

Fall 2020

  • American Indian History, Prof. Ned Blackhawk, Yale University
  • The American Enlightenment, Prof. Caroline Winterer, Stanford University
  • The Fight For Women's Rights: 1820 to 1920, Prof. Catherine Clinton, UT San Antonio
  • The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Prof. Peniel Joseph, UT Austin
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2021

  • Lives of the Enslaved, Prof. Daina Ramey Berry, UT Austin
  • Democracy in the Early Republic, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College
  • The Presidents vs. the Press, Harold Holzer, Hunter College
  • The Vietnam War, Prof. Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2021

  • Legacies of the Age of Revolutions, Prof. Nora Slonimsky, Iona College
  • The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, Prof. David Blight, Yale University
  • Black Women’s History, Prof. Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College
  • The History of American Protest, Prof. John Stauffer, Harvard University
  • Conflict and Reform: The United States, 1877–1920, Prof. Michael Kazin, Georgetown University
  • The Great Depression and New Deal, Prof. Eric Rauchway, University of California, Davis
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2019-2020 Academic Year

Fall 2019

  • Lives of the Enslaved, Prof. Daina Ramey Berry, UT Austin
  • The History of American Protest, Prof. John Stauffer, Harvard University
  • The Civil War Rank and File, Prof. Robert Bonner, Dartmouth College
  • Conflict and Reform: The United States, 1877–1920, Prof. Michael Kazin, Georgetown University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2020

  • American Immigration History, Prof. Madeline Hsu, UT Austin
  • Women in the American Revolution, Prof. Carol Berkin, Baruch College
  • Origins of the Civil War, Prof. James Oaks, CUNY Graduate Center
  • The American West, Prof. Elliott West, University of Arkansas
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2020

  • Black Women's History, Prof. Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College
  • The American Revolution, Prof. Denver Brunsman, George Washington University
  • The Kennedy Era, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • World War I, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
  • World War II, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2018-2019 Academic Year

Fall 2018

  • Women in the American Revolution, Prof. Carol Berkin, Baruch College
  • The American Civil War, Prof. Allen Guelzo, Princeton University
  • World War II, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
  • Race and Rights in American History, Prof. Lucas Morel, Washington and Lee University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2019

  • The American Revolution, Prof. Denver Brunsman, George Washington University
  • The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, Prof. David Blight, Yale University
  • The Kennedy Era, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • The Vietnam War, Prof. Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2019

  • American Indian History, Prof. Ned Blackhawk, Yale University
  • Democracy in the Early Republic, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College
  • Social Change in the Civil War Era, Prof. Catherine Clinton, UT San Antonio
  • Slavery and the Americas, Prof. Jim Walvin, University of New York
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2017-2018 Academic Year

Fall 2017

  • US Presidents, Profs. Julian Zelizer and Meg Jacobs, Princeton University
  • Democracy in the Early Republic, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College
  • Famous Trials, Prof. Jack Ford, Yale University
  • The Era of Theodore Roosevelt, Prof. Bruce Schulman, Boston University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2016-2017 Academic Year

Fall 2016

  • Immigration, Prof. Vincent Cannato, UMASS Boston
  • Civil War, Prof. Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College
  • American Revolution, Prof. Denver Brunsman, George Washington University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2017

  • Amazing Grace, Prof. James Basker, Barnard College
  • Women and Politics in the 20th Century, Prof. Linda Gordon, University of New York
  • American Indian History, Prof. Colin Calloway, Dartmouth College
  • Hamilton’s America, Prof. Carol Berkin, Baruch College
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2017

  • State History, Prof. Rich Loosbrock, Adams State University
  • World War I, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
  • Lincoln and Leadership, Prof. Michael Burlingame, University of Illinois
  • Historiography, Profs. Karl Jacoby, Carol Berkin, David Blight, Nancy Wolloch, Martha Hodes, and Denver Brunsman
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2015-2016 Academic Year

Fall 2015

  • Colonial North America, Prof. John Fea, Messiah College
  • The Age of Jefferson, Prof. Peter Onuf, University of Virginia
  • The World at War, Prof. Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2016

  • African American History since Emancipation, Prof. Peniel Joseph, University of Texas at Austin
  • Women & Gender in 19th-Century America, Prof. Stephanie McCurry, Columbia University
  • The Supreme Court and the Constitution in the 20th Century, Prof. Melvin Urofsky, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2016

  • Black Writers in American History, Prof. John Stauffer, Harvard University
  • Understanding Lincoln, Prof. Matthew Pinsker, Dickenson College
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

2014-2015 Academic Year

Fall 2014

  • How Writers Helped End Slavery, Prof. James Basker, Barnard College
  • The American Civil War, Prof. Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Spring 2015

  • The South in American History, Prof. Ed Ayers, University of Richmond
  • The Global Cold War, Prof. Jeremy Suri, University of Texas at Austin
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History

Summer 2015

  • Emancipation, Prof. Jim Oakes, CUNY Graduate Center
  • The Kennedy Presidency, Prof. Barbara Perry, University of Virginia
  • Historiography and Historical Methods, Prof. Andrew Robertson, Lehman College and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Capstone in American History