HIST 200

Spring 2026 All Classes

All Classes

Intro Hist Interpretation

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 3 hours.

Through the careful examination of a specific topic or theme, this course provides a thorough introduction to historical interpretation. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography.

May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu.

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HIST 200 class schedule data for spring 2026
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
34113	Lecture-Discussion	B	1:00PM -2:20PM	MW	236 Wohlers Hall	Chaplin, T	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: Topic: Queer Sexualities Description: This course is an introduction to writing the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities. We’ll be looking at how the concept of sexual identity emerged in the modern era and will study how it has been shaped by race, class, gender, politics, religion, economics, media, medicine, and social practice. Topics may include the “invention” of homosexuality, drag, butch/femme, sexual policing, the queer media, the Gay and Lesbian liberation movement, the AIDS crisis, queer activism, same-sex prostitution, queer Muslim identities in contemporary Europe, and transsexuality. The course will focus primarily on the West but will incorporate material from around the globe. Our goal is to understand how both normative and non-normative ideas about sexuality and gender are specific to time and place. Students will write a research paper on a theme related to this course.
34114	Lecture-Discussion	C	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	108 David Kinley Hall	Smith, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: Description: introduces students to historical research and interpretation through an examination of abolition and emancipation. This course will primarily focus on the perspective of abolition and emancipation within the context of the British Caribbean colonies (Jamaica, Antigua, etc.), while also sometimes drawing larger connections to other regions in the Americas, such as the United States. Emphasis will be given to assessing the impact of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (decades before the abolition of the institution of slavery itself), analyzing the myriad debates within the larger abolition movement, and understanding enslaved peoples’ fight for abolition and full emancipation. Over the course of the semester, students will improve their research and writing skills as they conduct their own research and produce a final research project. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography.
39385	Lecture-Discussion	D	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	236 Wohlers Hall	Koslofsky, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: Topic: A History of Skin from the Middle Ages to the Present Description: The surface of the human body has a deep history. In this course we will study the transition from medieval to modern ideas about skin, especially in relation to human difference and identity. We will read and discuss recent scholarship on a wide range of topics, including the history of beauty, blushing, and cosmetics; forms of permanent skin marking such as tattooing, branding, and scarification; the global circulation of tattooing; and ideas about skin color in the history of racism. By connecting diverse fields such as the history of medicine, art history, cultural history, legal history, the history of race and slavery, and the history of religion, this course provides a broad introduction to historical interpretation. Assignments include an in-class unit exam and a research paper.
39387	Lecture-Discussion	F	12:30PM -1:50PM	TR	207 Gregory Hall	Jaimes, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: Topic: Monarchy, From the Middle Ages to the Present Description: This course will examine the institution of monarchy, specifically in the context of European society, but with consideration to some countries outside of the European continent. This course will analyze why monarchy was, and in many cases remains, a predominant form of societal structuring, how monarchs themselves maintain(ed) power, and how everyday people relate(d) to monarchy. In doing so, we will look at how kingship and queenship changed over the centuries, largely in response to significant movements such as the Enlightenment and nationalism and how, even today, monarchs rule over many countries, albeit largely as figureheads. This course is meant to provide students with an introduction to historical analysis by examining both primary and secondary sources, grappling with key terms and concepts, and the construction of an independent project.
39388	Lecture-Discussion	G	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	1026 Lincoln Hall	Trauscht, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: Topic: The History of Work from the Middle Ages to the Present Description: How do we write the history of ordinary people – those artisans, agricultural workers, factory workers, and enslaved laborers who make up the majority of the population? Concentrating on Europe and its colonies, this course investigates how historians use primary sources to write the history of people whose stories never made it into the archives. Students will learn how to handle primary and secondary sources and to develop research and writing strategies related to this ubiquitous if unique group of historical actors.