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.
29 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
A colloquium for honors thesis writers who are concurrently enrolled in a thesis course and declared in an Honors program.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Daniel Ussishkin
Students reported a moderate difficulty level, describing the course as manageable with the instructor's assistance in completing their senior thesis work.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A workshop introducing the practice of public history through collaborative, publicly focused projects grounded in academic research.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026The Cold War from WWII to the end of the Soviet Empire, exploring geopolitics, ideology, and covert operations across five continents using diverse sources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026An advanced seminar where students apply research skills to a historical topic, producing a project with original analysis through intensive writing and discussion.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Francine Hirsch
The course required a significant amount of reading typical for a History seminar, though students described the volume as substantial but not excessive for the class type.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026History at Work focuses on applying history major skills to professional employment, including internship guidance, resume creation, and communication skills.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Making the American Landscape traces the history and evolution of the American cultural landscape from precolonial times to present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Examines how WWI shaped twentieth-century Europe through social, cultural, and political transformations, analyzing primary sources like memoirs and films to situate 1914-1918 within broader historical contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Daniel Ussishkin
The course required mandatory lectures and papers asking for independent analysis of readings. There were no exams, and the material was not conceptually hard, but effort was needed for good grades.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Fall 2025An advanced reading seminar exploring selected historical topics through small group discussion and intensive engagement with primary and secondary materials.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory course in elementary-level historical studies emphasizing interpretation and critical thinking, with varying topics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026Examines punishment across ancient, medieval, and modern traditions through law, literature, art, and philosophy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Karl Shoemaker
Assignments were easy and straightforward, typically taking five to ten minutes, but the provided readings were relevant yet lengthy and dense.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026Introduces the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies for students interested in careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation, and academia.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ann Smart Martin
Grading standards were inconsistent, with some assignments described as harshly graded while others were not.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines the history of American education from colonization to the present, focusing on education as individual development and cultural transmission.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · William Reese
One student reported the class required a lot of work, with grading based on two exams and a 12-page paper, alongside a heavy volume of reading.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines how metropolitan change, economic transformation, and race construction shaped mass incarceration, inequality, and minority experiences in urban America.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Walter Stern
One student found the workload light, stating that readings were supplemental rather than primary, and appreciated the creative freedom available for the final project.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026An introduction to major themes in world history, including empire, environment, trade, war, migration, gender, race, religion, nationalism, and class.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · H. Warner
One student found the quizzes impossible and felt the instructor expected students to figure everything out independently.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026The Historian's Craft involves conducting original historical research using archival materials, defining questions, analyzing evidence, and presenting conclusions in written and spoken formats.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Daniel Stolz
The homework was described as reasonable in scope.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Survey of political, economic, social, and cultural history of modern Western civilization, focusing on Europe from 1815 to the present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Mary Roberts, Laird Boswell
One student noted there was a good amount of reading but it was not bad, while another advised being prepared for several readings.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A variable-topic seminar on European history where students synthesize and critically analyze primary and secondary sources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Marc Kleijwegt
Assessment varied by instructor and term; one student reported no tests and easy papers, while another found the summer version rushed and difficult without prior knowledge.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Explores transnational or comparative history topics involving at least two continents, with content varying by instructor focus.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2025Multidisciplinary and historical survey of East Asian civilizations (China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia) from prehistory to the present, covering philosophy, economy, governance, social structure, kinship, and geography.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Anatoly Detwyler
Attendance was mandatory and a big factor in the grade. Quizzes were straightforward, testing whether students read the assigned material.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kathryn Sanchez
Lectures delivered a lot of information quickly, requiring diligent note-taking to succeed on tests. One student noted that multiple-choice questions often targeted small details mentioned only once during class.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Covers the background and history of World War II, including the rise of Fascism, National Socialism, and Japanese imperialism, breaking the peace, and problems of peacemaking.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2023Introductory course in historical studies focusing on interpretation, critical thinking, and analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Daniel Stolz
The course involved few assignments, and students reported that the workload was light and easy to keep up with.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory survey of African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments, covering nationalism and social change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · James Delehanty
The workload included a heavy reading load, but exams and a five-page paper were considered manageable if students completed the assigned work.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026This course examines the founding and growth of the US military establishment, the exercise of military art, and military policies in connection with political, social, and economic factors.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Traces the development of higher education and the university in the United States and Europe since the Middle Ages, focusing on its intellectual, political, and social history.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Matthew Farrelly
The workload was described as manageable, typically involving one homework assignment per week plus a final paper and slideshow.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Explorations in American History covers varying topics on North American and U.S. history, focusing on synthesizing and critically analyzing primary and secondary sources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Sean Dinces
There were lots of readings, though students noted you could get away with not doing them. Tests were easy and straightforward.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Survey of US foreign relations with East Asia since 1899, covering topics from the Boxer Rebellion to the North Korea nuclear standoff.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Survey of American political, economic, and social development from colonial founding to the Civil War, focusing on Atlantic context, nation-building, and early tensions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Gloria Whiting
Students reported a decent amount of work, including check-in quizzes and papers, but noted the course setup was perfect for those juggling other classes.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Surveys the development of American law from the Civil War to the early Twenty-First Century, examining its interaction with political, social, and cultural change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026