Introduction to the archives profession, covering theory and practice of archives and records administration including appraisal, access, and preservation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025← History (HISTORY)
Easiest courses in History
Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
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40 coursesHistorical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Only courses with at least 100 letter grades are ranked.
HISTORY 680 is a colloquium designed for students writing their honors thesis, requiring concurrent enrollment in a thesis course and Honors program status.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Daniel Ussishkin: Reviewers rated the difficulty as moderate, noting that the thesis process required significant work but was manageable with the professor's constructive feedback.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PUBLIC HISTORY WORKSHOP introduces the practice of public history through collaborative, research-based projects like exhibits and podcasts.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Explores the history of the American West before 1850, covering Indigenous occupation, European invasion, and U.S. conquest.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Workload involves significant reading of primary and secondary sources, weekly paragraph responses, and multiple essays, though grading is described as lenient.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025An advanced seminar focusing on the development of research skills and intensive writing through the analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students must stay on top of a major final paper that spans the entire semester, with most homework consisting of watching movies during the first half.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026#6 ·HISTORY 154
Who Is an American?
3–4 creditsHISTORY 154 explores the evolving definition of American identity from the Revolutionary era to the present, focusing on racial ideologies, citizenship, and inclusion.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2025HISTORY 300 explores how history skills apply to professional employers and guides students in securing internships.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
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Spring 2022–Spring 2026#8 ·ASIAN/HISTORY 319
The Vietnam Wars
3–4 creditsExplores the prolonged cycle of wars in Vietnam and its neighbors from 1940 to the present, examining both local and U.S. perspectives.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course includes one midterm, one final, and a 15-page paper, with fast-paced lectures delivered without PowerPoint slides.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM covers the basic thought, practices and history of Buddhism.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2025Explores the evolution of US mass media within political, social, and economic contexts.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course includes three tests and a large final research paper, with textbooks and novels as required reading materials.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Examines the impact of colonialism, war, and capitalism on Asian immigration to the U.S. and how racial, gendered, and class formations structured these movements.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course demands substantial weekly reading, described as dense or repetitive. Assessments vary by term, including exams with advance study guides, papers, and weekly homework.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025HISTORY 500 is a reading seminar offering advanced exploration of selected topics through small group discussion and intensive engagement with historical materials.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026HISTORICAL STUDIES: INTRODUCTORY introduces elementary-level historical studies with an emphasis on interpretation and critical thinking.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026EDPOL/HISTORY 412 examines the history of education in America from colonization to the present, covering topics like common schools, teacher training, and desegregation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is reading and writing intensive, requiring multiple papers and a final paper instead of exams. While most reviewers describe the readings as intense, one student reported skipping them entirely and completing work during class.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Examines the historical relationships between metropolitan change, economic transformation, and the construction of race to understand their impact on inequality and marginalized communities.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Readings are described as easy and supplemental, with a final project offering significant creative freedom.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines the development of prisons from antiquity to the present in the US and Europe, focusing on marginalized populations and carceral tactics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026HISTORY 139 traces the formation of modern Middle Eastern states and societies, examining the impact of global phenomena on regional politics, culture, and daily life.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course requires only two papers and discussion participation, with no tests. Reviewers characterize the difficulty as very low.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025HISTORY 130 introduces major themes in world history such as empire, trade, and migration.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of H. Warner: The course involves significant reading, though one reviewer found assessments easy while another described quizzes as impossible and self-directed.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026HISTORY 137 critically examines over fifteen war films globally, testing the Truffaut Rule and evaluating movies as historical sources.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Fall 2025Introduction to East Asian History: China surveys major developments in Chinese history from 1500 B.C. to 1949, emphasizing patterns, themes, and equal time for classical/traditional and modern eras.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Zhaoshen Wang: Workload consists of a few straightforward research assignments, an easy midterm, and a final project, with extra credit available.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025A broad survey of American Indian history centering Indigenous peoples and nations within U.S. policy and culture.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The workload is light, involving minimal reading of only two monographs and a small amount of reading overall, with lenient grading.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2025HISTORY 120 covers the political, economic, social, and cultural history of modern Western civilization from 1815 to the present.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Laird Boswell, Mary Roberts: Students report a moderate amount of reading, including novels and short texts, but generally find the workload manageable if they attend lectures and complete the assigned readings.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026#23 ·HISTORY 201
The Historian's Craft
3–4 creditsTHE HISTORIAN'S CRAFT teaches students to conduct original historical research and convey results through archival engagement and communication.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Khaled Esseissah assigns hundreds of pages of reading per class with no rubrics, leaving students unsure of assignment expectations.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026A survey of interactions between people and natural environments in America, covering ecological change, conservation, and public policy.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of William (bill) Cronon: Reviewers note a heavy reading load but manageable overall workload, with fair grading and clear exam guidance. Some students found the essay-style exams and tough six-page papers challenging, preferring paper-based synthesis over fact-cramming for exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025HISTORY 223 is a variable-topic course exploring European history, with specific content determined by the instructor's expertise.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Francine Hirsch: Francine Hirsch assigns a heavy reading load that some students find excessive.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026HISTORY 229 explores transnational and comparative history topics involving at least two continents.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2025Introduction to East Asian civilizations covering China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia from prehistory to the present.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Anatoly Detwyler: Workload involves mandatory attendance and substantial reading, with straightforward quizzes based on those readings rather than complex exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026HISTORY 136 explores the relationship between sport and major trends in American social, political, and economic history.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Isaac Lee: Isaac Lee's course was rated as low difficulty, suggesting a manageable workload for students during his teaching term.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2024HISTORY 102 covers American political, economic, and social development from the Civil War era to the present.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Allison Useche, Athan Biss: Workload expectations vary by instructor. Athan Biss required strict attendance, frequent pop quizzes, and tough essay grading, while Allison Useche involved reading approximately six primary sources weekly.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026HISTORY 115 covers the history of Medieval Europe from the later Roman Empire to the end of the Middle Ages (410-1500).
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students must read multiple books weekly and complete five essays, which constitute half the grade, alongside participation and attendance requirements.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025