Harvard to Bring Back Introductory History Course for Fall Semester

The Harvard History department will resurrect an introductory undergraduate History course this fall after almost two decades.

The department previously offered a year-long European history survey course that was mandatory for concentrators, but discontinued the class in 2006. Since then, there has not been an introductory history course specifically designed for new or prospective concentrators.

Though the new course — History 10: “A History of the Present,” co-taught by professors Jill Lepore, Maya R. Jasanoff ’96, and Kirsten A. Weld — shares the same course number as the previous iteration, it boasts a completely new format, methodology, and goal.

“The idea that we would require everyone to do a European history survey just seems like a thing very much of an earlier generation,” Jasanoff said in an interview. “So that went away.”

History Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies Carla Heelan wrote in a statement that the reintroduction of History 10 became a top priority following an annual internal review which found that the department needed a new gateway course.

Each professor will focus on a particular theme in the course. Weld, a historian of Latin America, will teach memory; Jasanoff, an expert in the British Empire, will teach about ancestry and genealogy; and Lepore, who specializes in American history, will teach about rights.

Heelan wrote that the department wanted a class that could appeal to both concentrators and non-concentrators.

She added that the course focuses on teaching students how to think like a historian — a trait that requires a “great deal of empathy” and is “an increasingly valuable tool” across subjects and fields.

In preparation for the course, Jasanoff said that she, Weld, and Lepore looked at other universities around the country for inspiration, but felt that other introductory history courses too closely resembled high school history classes.

Their course, she said, takes a different approach.

To create dynamism and interactivity in the classroom, Jasanoff said, Monday lectures will feature a “question box” where the professors will answer student-submitted questions. On Wednesdays, they will “riff” on recent headlines for a portion of the lecture, she added.

At the end of each course module, Jasanoff added, two of the professors will comment on how they might approach the subject that the third professor taught, and students will be invited to share any approaches they came up with as well.

“One of the fundamental things about history as well is there’s no right answer, and there’s no single answer,” Jasanoff said.

There will be no exams, and the assignments will consist of essays culminating in an end-of-semester portfolio. With these assignments, Jasanoff said “we want to teach students what it is to think historically.”

“I want it to be thought provoking. I want it to be engaging,” Jasanoff added. “I want it to raise more questions than answers. I want it to be dynamic.”