The Department is strongest in United States and European history (see the list of professors and their specializations under Faculty); these emphases reflect the need to recover our own national experience and a tradition of attending the Western European sources of American culture. Nonetheless, the Department has a substantial number of faculty members who teach the history of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In addition, the faculty has marked research and teaching strengths in economic, social, medical and women's history.

Several interdisciplinary programs complement the study of history and extend our own departmental strengths. Majors are urged to examine carefully these programs when registering for courses. History faculty who are appropriate contacts are given in parentheses in the short descriptions that follow:

African American Studies program combines the study of Africa with the African diaspora in the Americas. Information about these programs may be obtained from the African Studies office in the International Center and the African-American World Studies Program in the English-Philosophy Building (for addresses and telephone numbers see below). History majors should note that numerous courses in African and African-American studies are cross-listed with History and count towards both the History major and towards the African/African-American major and certificate programs mentioned here.

Center for the Book The University of Iowa Center for the Book is an interdisciplinary program for the study and practice of traditional and nontraditional book arts and for study of the book as a cultural and historical artifact. The center provides a unique configuration of workshops designed for personal work or artistic collaboration and offers an academic and scholarly program that complements the workshops by focusing on the book’s histories, its role in culture, contemporary theoretical approaches to its study, and related research. The Center offers a graduate certificate in book studies/book arts and technologies (see "Center for the Book" in the Liberal Arts section of the Catalog.) Courses open to undergraduates on the History of the Book. The Department contacts are Professors Kamerick, Tachau, Berman.

East Asian and Pacific Studies The University has considerable strength in East Asia. In addition to specialists in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature who offer undergraduate courses in language, literature and culture of Japanese, Chinese and Korean peoples, there are Japan area specialists in the departments and programs of Anthropology, Comparative Literature, and Film Studies and in the School of Religion; China area specialists in the departments of Art History, Comparative Literature, Sociology and in the School of Religion; and Korean specialists in the departments of Sociology and Political Science. The Main Library has a modest collection of primary and secondary literature in all three areas suitable to the research needs of undergraduate history majors. The departmental contacts are Professor Vlastos and Professor Arkush.

Global Health Studies Program The Global Health Studies Program is a 25 semester-hour interdisciplinary certificate program for students in the health sciences and the social sciences (including history) who are interested in careers in or related to international health and the environment. Certificate requirements in addition to classroom study include a period of foreign internship or study abroad and a successfully completed global health research project. Career counseling, scholarships and internships are available to qualified undergraduates. Participating students must maintain a B grade point average. The departmental contact is Professor Greenough.

Latin American Studies The History Department has one Latin Americanist and is searching for another, and several dozen others are found within the social science and humanities departments and in the professional schools. Latin American studies also have great support from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The Latin American Studies Program offers both a certificate (24 semester hours) and a minor (15 semester hours), either of which can easily combined with history work. The certificate is normally awarded upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, but students who hold a B.A. and want to earn the certificate can return to complete the requirements. A dozen study broad opportunities exist for History majors to study history, literature and social sciences in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking settings of Central and South America. Scholarships for studying abroad are available through the Stanley scholarship program as well as through the Presidential scholarship program. The departmental contact is Professor Gobat.

Literature, Science and the Arts The LSA program offers an interdisciplinary BA that can be combined with history as a double major. It requires the study of topics in (a) the natural and social sciences, (b) philosophy, religion and history, (c) literature and fine arts. LSA classes are taught in small classes with two or more professors; there are no teaching assistants. LSA courses emphasize the special contributions of the disciplines, while focusing on important problems of value and judgment in contemporary life. The departmental contact is Professor Greenough.

Medieval Studies Certificate Program The Certificate in Medieval Studies may be earned by any undergraduate student. Students must earn a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit in medieval studies course work from at least three departments and must demonstrate facility in a medieval language. The departmental contacts are Professors Berman and Tachau.

Required Courses:

• 16E:110 Medieval Civilization, offered by the Department of History (3 s.h.).
• 008:101 Literature and Culture of Middle Ages, offered by the Department of English (4 s.h.).
• Course work in a medieval language as outlined in additional information.
• One further course (3 s.h.) from the list of approved courses in the Department of History.
• One further course (3 s.h.) from the list of approved courses in literary studies (in the Department of English or another language).
• One course (3 s.h.) from the list of approved courses from a department other than history or literary studies.

Further elective courses may be necessary to make up the 24 s.h. minimum requirement for the certificate, depending on the number of semester hours used to satisfy the language requirement. These may be chosen from any of the courses approved for the certificate.

Museum Studies (is now a certificate program).

Sexuality Studies Program Sexuality studies examines the nature and construction of human sexualities (i.e. heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality), much as race and ethnic studies scrutinize the constitution of race and ethnicity (e.g. whiteness as well as blackness), and women’s studies analyzes the constitution of gender (e.g. masculine as well as feminine). Like these fields, sexuality studies is broadly interdisciplinary; its practitioners study the operation of sexuality across the full range of human endeavor. While these operations have to be understood in relation to others, especially those of race and gender, they are fundamentally different and thus require their own method and lines of inquiry. Recognition of sexuality as a historical force and an analytic category not only adds to existing bodies of knowledge, but also transforms them. Undergraduates will be able to earn a certificate in sexuality studies by taking at least 18 hours of credit with a GPA of at least 2.00 in courses chosen from the list of required and elective courses approved by the Sexuality Studies Program. The departmental contacts are Professors Schwalm and Schoen.

South Asian Studies Program The history major can be easily combined with a second major in South Asian Studies to take advantage of the University's interdisciplinary resources in the languages and literatures as well as the social sciences of India and nearby nations. Study abroad opportunities exist at several Indian universities and in Nepal, and competitive travel-study scholarships are available to qualified students. The History department organizes the multi-sectioned course, civilization of Asia: South Asia" (16:007), which is strongly urged upon majors interested in India to fulfill their historical perspectives GER. The department contact is Professor Greenough.

Women's Studies The Women's Studies Program is a multidisciplinary program focusing on the study of women in culture, society, and history. By taking courses through many departments, students become acquainted with feminist scholarship and its methodology in the humanities and the social sciences. These courses may be used to establish a field of concentration within the Women's Studies Program, or to apply to majors in other disciplines. History majors may want to take a minor in Women's Studies in order to gain an interdisciplinary approach to the study of women, and gender, in history. Undergraduates interested in Women's Studies may complete a minor by taking 15 semester hours of departmental courses associated with the Program, including at least 12 semester hours taken at the university of Iowa in 100-level courses, and maintaining a 2.0 grade-point average in these courses. It is highly recommended that students contemplating a concentration or minor in Women's Studies take "Introduction to Women's Studies" (131:101). The departmental contacts are Professors Kerber, Hanley, Schwalm and Schoen.