The Historical Review's Blog

Hello Historians! Welcome to our initial fun blog post, one that hopes to show off what the History Department at UW has to offer. I talked to the entirety of our staff and asked them two simple questions, what their favorite area of historical study is, and what their favorite history class at UW has been? I’ll even tell you all when each of those classes is most likely to be offered, just in case anyone is inspired after reading! Hopefully, this gives some insight into the best classes and interesting fields here in our department. If you have any additional questions about any of the classes mentioned, feel free to reach out and we would be happy to talk more. 

Sierra, Editor in Chief: “I like 20th Century US History the best because I like the writing style of pieces from the period and all of the different kinds of media you can use as sources. I also just really enjoy the different movements in the second half of the century especially. My favorite class has been HSTAA210 because Dr. Reid is such a good lecturer and there was so much I did not know!”

HSTAA210 is usually offered every other Autumn quarter.

Patrick, Outreach Officer: “ I’d have to go with the Antebellum period in US History (1830-1860) because of how crazy it was politically and socially. The US was still young but it was growing and expanding and the slavery question loomed over everything. Anytime senators had straight-up duels on the floor of Congress, you know it’s a fun time. My favorite class was probably HSTCMP340: The Cold War with Professor Haddad-Fonda. The way he taught that class was just incredible, and it gave such good insight into the social aspects of the war. Plus, he works for PBS and has access to tons of Cold War footage that he shows throughout the class. It’s awesome.

HSTCMP340 is usually offered in Autumn quarter.

Asa, Layout Editor: “I liked HSTCMP485 on the comparative history of colonialism. Prof. Rafeal is amazing, the class hit on a wide range of subjects and I found it really interesting and relevant to things I’ve learned in other history classes! Filipino History and History of Sex are also close runners up for my favorite class, though!”

HSTCMP485 is usually offered in Autumn and Spring quarter.

Braden, Secretary: “Tie between HSTLAC 282 and HSTCMP 247 both taught by Dr. Adam Warren. HSTLAC 282 focused on the history of Mexico and gave a great overview of the country's past. The course focused on the underrepresented populations of Mexico (especially indigenous populations) from the Mexica/Aztec to present day. HSTCMP 247 was the study of global health histories and is very informative on the major health crisis from the premodern times to the COVID-19 pandemic. We considered how past epidemics and pandemics were handled.”

HSTLAC282 varies but is always taught once per academic year. HSTCMP247 is usually offered every Autumn quarter.

Brenna, Editor: “My favorite period would probably be ancient Europe and Asia! I mainly love learning about the different religions of this era, which predate Greco-Roman Hellenism like Celtic Paganism or Asian/southeast Asian folk religions. My favorite class was HSTAM 370: The Vikings! The content itself was super interesting and I enjoyed the readings we had for the class, which primarily consisted of the prose/poetic eddas that detailed legendary warriors and Norse mythology. Really awesome stuff!

HSTAM370 is usually offered in Winter quarter.

Claire, Editor: “My favorite period to study is the British Empire from the mid-19th century through 1945. It’s fascinating to see how one of the largest empires in history grew to its imperial peak, how it justified its existence, what was going on domestically in the UK, and the interactions between colonizers and colonized peoples. I also love studying decolonization movements in the British colonies - how did people successfully argue against British rule and how did they ultimately overcome it? My favorite class is a tie between HSTCMP 290 on modern mass violence with Dr. Barr & HSTAS 265 on the Vietnam Wars with Dr. Giebel.  Dr. Barr’s class really explained how antisemitism and racism function and the forces in modern society that create the conditions for atrocities like the holocaust and colonialist violence to happen, and Dr. Giebel’s class really made clear how destructive and horrifying the Vietnam Wars were and the consequences of US arrogance & chauvinism abroad.

Unfortunately, HSTCMP290 is no longer offered, but HSTAS265 is offered every Winter quarter.

Makenna, Editor: “I really liked HSTLAC 289 on the Cuban Revolution and HSTEU 444 on Imperial Russia. For HSTLAC 289, Professor Rodriguez-Silva is incredible and does such a great job balancing lecture with discussion, which I thought was really helpful when talking about Cuba. I learned so much and I highly highly recommend any of her classes!!”

HSTLAC289 doesn’t have a set schedule, but hopefully, it will be offered soon. HSTEU444 has not been offered since 2019.

Hallie, Editor: “HSTAA231: Race and American History with professor Moon Ho-Jung. It changes your perspective on America and how different groups of people have been systematically oppressed based on race. Definitely a class that will make you think!”

HSTAA231 is usually offered in Autumn quarter.

Thanks for reading along, we hope that it may have sparked a desire to take any of these fantastic courses. Be on the look out for more content in the coming weeks, and remember, priority submissions for the journal are due January 21st!