History at the University of Missouri

Introducing the Department of History

By any measure you might choose the History Department at the University of Missouri is an outstanding one. Our faculty has compiled a distinguished record of scholarship, receiving major awards to support their research from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and many other sponsors of cutting edge scholarship. The department’s professors publish the results of their historical investigations in a wide variety of venues, both popular and scholarly. Their books have won prizes from the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians and other national and regional scholarly organizations. The History department’s teaching record is every bit as distinguished as its record of scholarly accomplishment. Current faculty have won twenty-six different teaching awards, including seven professors who have received the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, the University of Missouri’s highest teaching distinction.

Students of history will find many opportunities to have close contact with this group of award-winning scholars and teachers. History majors conclude their studies with an undergraduate seminar, in which a group of students investigate intensively a special historical topic under the direction of one of the department’s professors. The department’s graduate students work closely with professors in advanced seminars and write theses and dissertations on a wide variety of topics. The teaching opportunities the department offers graduate students prepare them well for dealing with the difficult job market for new history PhDs. Over the last ten years, University of Missouri history PhDs have found positions at more than forty different colleges and universities across the United States.

This web site provides many opportunities to get to know the department. Undergraduates can check out the schedule of courses, investigate the requirements for a history major, and look over the internships, special opportunities and scholarships available to history majors. Prospective graduate students should look at the faculty home pages to see the teaching and research interests of the individual faculty members; and the field pages for the specific areas in which the department offers a graduate program. Also available on-line are application forms and the official degree requirements.

We are also here to serve the people of Missouri and the broader online public as a source of historical expertise. Check the faculty home pages and the research fields page to contact the professors who can answer your particular questions about the past.

We are particularly pleased to welcome departmental friends and alumni to our web site. The Alumni & Friends page contains alumni news, past issues of Historically Speaking, the department’s alumni e-newsletter. Be sure to sign up for regular e-mail delivery of this newsletter, which appears three times yearly.

If you have questions or comments, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Jonathan Sperber
Chair, Department of History

department news:

Viewed Historically, our friends and alumni newsletter (pdf); also see Viewed Historically archives

Memorial for Dr. Julius E. Thompson

The memorial service for Dr. Thompson will be held at the Gaines-Oldham Black Culture Center, Multi-purpose Room, Friday, November 9, 2007, at 2:00-3:00 pm. The family repast will be immediately following the service in the same venue. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Kidney Association and/or Black Studies Program.

Professor Strickland Professor Emeritus Arvarh Strickland honored by MU

In 1969 Professor Strickland was the first African-American to join the University's faculty. To celebrate his accomplishments, MU officials are naming and renovating the General Classroom Building (GCB) in his honor. The ceremony takes place Friday, October 19, at 10:00 a.m. Refreshments will be served at 9:00 a.m. in Brady Commons Mall prior to the event. Read Hall will be closed during this time so that Prof. Strickland’s colleagues and the department staff can attend this event in his honor. See Story >> Professor Strickland >>

Professor MIller Professor Kerby Miller newest Curators’ Professor

The Board of Curators, at their meeting on October 5, 2007, named our colleague, Kerby Miller, Curators’ Professor of History. The appointment takes effect in January 2008. The Curators' Professorship is awarded to the UM system's most successful and prominent scholars, as identified by their departments and their peers in the field. These are prestigious positions, and only outstanding scholars with established reputations are considered for appointment.
Professor Miller >>

Professor Smith
Professor A. Mark Smith receives 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship
see News >>

Professor Huneycutt Professor Lois Huneycutt honored with Kemper Fellowship

On April 4, Chancellor Brady Deaton and Chairman Jim Schatz of Commerce Bank awarded one of the 2007 William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence to Lois Huneycutt, associate professor of History. Deaton, Schatz and a group of professors, administrators and staff paid a surprise visit to Huneycutt's classroom to honor her with the Fellowship, which includes a $10,000 award. Fellowships are awarded to five outstanding teachers at MU each year.
Professor Huneycutt >>

Recent Publications:
Bullion book jacket Professor John Bullion
Lyndon B. Johnson and the Transformation of American Politics
Professor Bullion >>

See News for more >>