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Welcome to the Department of History

History is an exciting and dynamic discipline that is always asking fascinating new questions about the past and answering important old questions in new ways. The study of history teaches us to think critically about how the past is fundamentally similar to the present, how the past is utterly different from the present, how the past is profoundly influential in shaping the present and how the past is recalled and remembered in the present.

History has long been a popular field of study, and with good reason. What better starting place can there be for thinking about how to act in the present than to understand how people have acted in the past? What better starting place can there be for thinking about the forces that shape people's lives in the present than to understand the forces that have shaped people's lives in the past? And what better way can there be to acquire the skills necessary for succeeding in the twenty-first century -- critical thinking, careful reading, energetic researching, analytical writing, and effective communicating -- than to choose a major or minor in which all of these are emphasized?

Department Executive

The Department of History at York Welcomes Dr Boyd Cothran
Boyd Cothran

The Department of History (LA&PS) is delighted to welcome Dr Boyd Cothran (B.A., University of California at Berkeley; M.A., University of Minnesota; Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 2012), currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in International Studies at Macalester College, to a tenure‐stream position in United States History at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective July 1, 2012.

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  Departmental Hours of Operation

The Department of History is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. In addition, the Undergraduate Director is available on a weekly basis in 2140 Vari Hall to advise students (walk-in, no appointments necessary). Please see below schedule for details.

ADVISING HOURS:


  Important Announcement: Admission to 4000-level History Courses

There is a new system for enrolling in 4000-level history courses! 

Beginning FW 2012-13, History Majors and Minors can use the online enrolment system to register for 4000-level courses IF you have successfully completed at least 84 credits and the course(s) listed in the calendar as prerequisites for the desired course.

If you want to take a 4000-level history course but do not meet the specific requirements for online enrolment, or if you are unable to enrol for any other reason, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for permission. 

The new enrolment procedures apply to both seminars and colloquia.   

Please remember:  All History Honours Majors must take at least two 4000-level history courses, one of which must be a seminar.  Specialized Honours History Majors must take three 4000-level history courses.  Two of these must be seminars, and one of the three courses must deal with history outside the U.S. and Canada.  It is your responsibility to make sure you have completed the requirements for your Major!

  Important Documents

 

  History Department Council Meetings (Winter Term 2012)

 

  Events

For a full listing of upcoming and past events, please click here.

In 2012, the Chair, in collaboration with the Archives of Ontario, has invited Dr. Alan Taylor, award-winning historian to deliver the public lecture on the War of 1812. Dr. Taylor has written The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies

Download Videos/Podcasts of Past Events: