Washington and Lee History Department

Washington and Lee History Department Welcome to the official page of the Washington and Lee History Department! Join us!

History examines the past through various lenses––social, political and intellectual; textual and material––enriching us as individuals and preparing us to engage the complexities and ambiguities of the contemporary world. Our department of a dozen faculty members offers a variety of courses and perspectives on the remote and recent histories of the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, th

e Middle East and East Asia. It supports programs in Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Russian Area Studies, and Women and Gender Studies, and offers courses in the history of science. History courses emphasize careful reading and analysis of original sources in order to approach the past on its own terms. But we also stress that studying history is an interpretive process requiring attention to methods, theories, and scholarly debates. The training students receive in research skills, critical analysis, and expository writing prepares them to pursue careers in business, education, law, public service and a variety of other professions. The History major is compact enough that many students choose to double major, add a minor, or just sample broadly the rest of the W&L curriculum.

03/08/2023
Join Prof. Romina Green Rioja as she discusses the Chilean constitution next Wednesday, 9/28 from 12-1 pm in CGL 104.
09/21/2022

Join Prof. Romina Green Rioja as she discusses the Chilean constitution next Wednesday, 9/28 from 12-1 pm in CGL 104.

03/10/2021

The W&L History Department expresses its condolences to the family of legendary journalist, Roger Mudd, ‘50 who passed on Tuesday. Mudd, a history major, was dedicated to his alma mater, and we are grateful for his support over the years. May he Rest In Peace.

Please join the W&L History Department for a conversation with historian and alum, Ty Seidule, about his new book, Rober...
01/26/2021

Please join the W&L History Department for a conversation with historian and alum, Ty Seidule, about his new book, Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause. You can register at go.wlu.edu/ty-seidule-talk

09/05/2020

The W&L History Department expresses full support for our valued friend and colleague, Professor Matthew Gildner. As the Association of American Colleges and Universities has noted, “academic freedom is necessary not just so faculty members can conduct their individual research and teach their own courses, but so they can enable students—through whole college programs of study—to acquire the learning they need to contribute to society.” Our own university, through its Committee on Inclusiveness and Campus Climate, endorsed this statement in 2015; we reaffirm it here in the strongest terms.

We also unequivocally condemn the targeted harassment and intimidation of Professor Gildner and all other university faculty, staff, and students. This kind of harassment has a chilling effect on the institution’s ability to fulfill its mission of developing “students' capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely.” We reject those voices – both from inside and outside W&L – who wish to use their power and platforms to silence and intimidate a member of our community and call on others to do the same.

The W&L History Department wants to share this statement of solidarity, knowing it is only a first step.
06/01/2020

The W&L History Department wants to share this statement of solidarity, knowing it is only a first step.

Students going to Kyrgyzstan this coming spring with Professor Richard Bidlack enjoyed each other’s company while prepar...
02/13/2020

Students going to Kyrgyzstan this coming spring with Professor Richard Bidlack enjoyed each other’s company while preparing and devouring a scrumptious meal of Kyrgyz “plov” and desserts in W&L’s Global Service House. Special thanks to our “head chef” and teaching assistant Bermet Zhumakadyr kyzy, who is from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan!

Check out this awesome article about our very own, Ted DeLaney! Get your tissues ready!
11/06/2019

Check out this awesome article about our very own, Ted DeLaney! Get your tissues ready!

The General is buried at Washington and Lee University. For over a century that was never a problem. Then came Charlottesville.

09/25/2019

Hey History Buffs! Want even more W&L History Department content? Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram !

Barton Myers, the Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and History addressed a packed room for his talk on “A Civil War Mur...
09/13/2019

Barton Myers, the Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and History addressed a packed room for his talk on “A Civil War Murder(?) Mystery: The Death and Burial of Lt. John Rodgers Meigs

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