We offer graduate training leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. in a wide range of fields, including Early America, Modern America, African-American, Colonial and Modern Latin America, Military, Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, British and British Empire, South Asia, Imperial and Soviet Russia, Traditional and Modern China, Modern Japan, Africa, History of Medicine, and History of Science and Technology.
Upcoming Events
Fri
03
Aug
Data+ 2018 Poster Session
2:00 PM @ Energy Hub Lobby, Gross Hall 100
Fri
21
Sep
Black Muslims and the Black Arts Movement
10:30 AM @ East Duke Parlors
Mon
22
Oct
Gender, Race and Labor in the Academy
3:00 PM @ East Duke Parlors
About Us
Duke’s History Department — among the top programs in the country — regard the creation of knowledge as one of the fundamental missions of a research university. Our world-renowned faculty, who work closely with our students and collaborate with colleagues across disciplines, are at the cutting edge of research in their fields as they address society’s greatest challenges. And our graduate and undergraduate academic programs — designed to help students critically think about the world around them — successfully prepare students for a wide range of careers.
Latest News
Nancy MacLean invited to Senate hearing on Janus
Nancy MacLean was invited by Senators Whitehouse and Stabenow and the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee to open a hearing entitled “After Janus v. AFSCME: Why... read more about Nancy MacLean invited to Senate hearing on Janus »
Bill Chafe writes op-ed "What happens when...
Bill Chaf'e latest op-ed published in the Des Moines Register asks the question, "What happens when dedication to 'civility' is used as a basis for suppressing protest?" You can... read more about Bill Chafe writes op-ed "What happens when dedication to 'civility' is used as a basis for suppressing protest?" »
Trump and the future of our republic: The omens...
By John Jeffries Martin Normally the image would not have crystalized my anxiety. But I happened upon it in a dark time: as Donald Trump began to campaign in earnest for the... read more about Trump and the future of our republic: The omens aren't good »
On the Role of Chinese Religion in Environmental...
By Ian Johnson Prasenjit Duara is one of the most original thinkers on culture and religion in Asia. A 66-year-old historian of China, he was born in Assam, India, and educated at... read more about On the Role of Chinese Religion in Environmental Protection »
The History that Duke Does Not Memorialize
By Laura Edwards The history of Duke University is inseparable from the rich and conflicted history of the South, particularly the history of North Carolina. But the campus... read more about The History that Duke Does Not Memorialize »
Travis Knoll featured on weekly radio program,...
Travis Knoll and Andrew Guinn were featured on WNCU's weekly radio program, The Measure of Everyday Life, on June 24, 2018. Listen here to them discuss their Bass Connections... read more about Travis Knoll featured on weekly radio program, The Measure of Everyday Life »
Eladio Bobadilla writes op-ed on migrant crisis
Eladio Bobadilla published an op-ed in the Durham Herald on the current migrant crisis on the border. You can read it here. read more about Eladio Bobadilla writes op-ed on migrant crisis »
DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS discussion on Ralph Nader
Prof. Nancy MacLean was welcomed to the Ralph Nader Radio Hour to discuss her book, "Democracy in Chains". You can listen to the podcast here. read more about DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS discussion on Ralph Nader »
The Cost of Opportunity: Standing at the...
Travis Knoll, History Ph.D., candidate writes about his participation with the Bass Connections Project, "Cost of Opportunity". You can read his article here. read more about The Cost of Opportunity: Standing at the Intersection of the Avenues of Personal and Political »
Academics
Graduate Program
Undergraduate Program
We offer a Bachelor of Arts major where students can focus their studies in two ways: Thematic Concentrations to explore contemporary issue and themes from historical perspectives, and Geographic Concentrations to explore issues present in specific parts of the globe. A minor is also available.
Featured Courses
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Intro to Global History
HISTORY 101Explore problems in the history of globalization. Learn how contemporary problems and opportunities of globalization reflect long-term processes marked by patterns, interruptions, and continuities even within radical change. Asia, Europe...
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Introduction to the History of Medicine
HISTORY 113DOffers comparative introduction to understandings of medicine, science, and technology in different historical contexts. Explore differences over time and space to better understand what is particular to our own conceptions of knowledge...
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Gateway Seminar: Gandhi, King, Mandela
History 163SFocuses on the words and actions of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, in order to understand the politics and ethics of non-violent civil disobedience across the world; considers local and global forces that...
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GTWY: Imperial Laboratories
History 190S-01Interdisciplinary introduction to global scientific inquiry and experimentation from the Age of Discovery (1400s) to the Spanish-American War (1898). The course examines the history of science in relation to studies of empire, exploring...
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Men, Women, And Sports
HISTORY 311SExamines the way sports have been tied to and expressed ideals of manhood and womanhood, race, class, and nation. Topics will vary but include boxing, Title IX, football, Olympics, baseball, etc. Instructor: Deutsch
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Crime and the City from Dickens to The Wire
HISTORY 313Crime and the City from Dickens to The Wire. Compares representation of crime and the city in two key "texts": Charles Dickens's “Oliver Twist” and the HBO television series, “The Wire.” Juxtaposes the social and political contexts to...
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The Atlantic Slave Trade
HISTORY 316SThe Atlantic Slave Trade. CCI, CZ, R The development of the slave trade from the fifteenth century to its abolition in the nineteenth century; organization and mechanics, impact on Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Instructor: Gaspar....
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The Caribbean, 1492-1700
HISTORY 318The Caribbean, 1492-1700. The Caribbean region from the arrival of Columbus (1492) to the emergence of sugar and slavery as powerful shapers of society and culture, by 1700. One course.
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The New Nation: The United States, 1800 to 1860
HISTORY 338The New Nation: The United States, 1800 to 1860. Examines the transformation of the new republic into a nation, focusing on the development of political institutions, the market economy, western expansion, and conflicts over slavery and...
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The Modern Regulatory State
HISTORY 365DThe Modern Regulatory State. Interdisciplinary inquiry into the origins/evolution of modern regulatory institutions in Western Europe and North America, along with the more recent rise of global regulatory bodies. Examines conceptual...
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Extractive Economies
History 390S-02“There are silver and gold in the mountains and ravines of California [,]” William H. Seward declared in March 1850 as he exhorted fellow senators to ratify the giant new military colony’s statehood. “The granite of New England and New...
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Capstone Seminar: Literature & Terrorism
HISTORY 468SExplores the manner in which terrorism has been depicted in literature. Emphasis on novels written primarily by Russian writers in the 19th and early 20th centuries when that country experienced waves of political violence unmatched...
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Piracy in the Atlantic Basin
HISTORY 543SMaritime Predation and European Imperial Expansion in the Atlantic Basin, 1492-1730. Exploration of the origins, development, and decline of privateering and piracy as systems of maritime predation in the Atlantic basin during the period...
People
Assistant Professor of History
James Chappel is the Hunt Family Assistant Professor of History at Duke University. His first book will appear from Harvard University Press in... read more »
Associate Professor in the Department of History
I am a historian of the United States and Germany, who focuses on questions of militarism, warfare, and empire in the long twentieth century. In... read more »
Professor of History
John Jeffries Martin, Chair of the Department of History, is a historian of early modern Europe, with particular interests in the social,... read more »
