History Department
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. Join us!
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, the 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.
Department Info
- P: 540-458-8771
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Newcomb Hall
204 West Washington Street
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia 24450
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
W&L’s Tara Trinley ’25 Earns Fulbright to Moldova
Trinley was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Moldova and plans to pursue a career in transnational litigation.
Kameliya Atanasova Publishes Her First Book
The assistant professor of religion and history authored a book titled “Sufism and Power in the Ottoman Empire: The Writings of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653–1725).”
Eight W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
This round of recipients marks a record-setting Gilman Scholar cohort for W&L.
Williams is a self-starter, including founding several small businesses and a club squash team.
W&L Hosts 20th Annual Tom Wolfe Weekend
The weekend’s seminar will feature Jayne Anne Phillips discussing her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Night Watch.”
W&L’s Leticia Fernández-Fontecha Publishes New Book
The visiting assistant professor of history explores the history of children’s pain in relation to social and medical perception.
After 38 years in the federal government, Mark Bradley ’78 has made sure to think beyond himself and serve the greater good.
W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents Stephen Towns’ ‘Loud as the Rolling Sea’
The solo exhibition will open Feb. 17 with an artist’s talk slated for March 4.
Hildenbrand, an American history major on the pre-med track, enjoys being able to explore many disciplines at W&L.
W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents Erica Lord’s ‘The Codes We Carry: Beads as DNA Data’
The solo exhibition will open Jan. 9 with an artist’s talk slated for Jan. 14.
Nneka Dennie to be Presented the MLA Prize for Bibliographical or Archival Scholarship
The assistant professor of history will receive her award on Jan. 10 at the association’s annual convention in New Orleans.