Studying History at Kenyon
Students engage the past as a living, breathing reality that holds real meaning and the potential for clues to understanding contemporary life. Course offerings in history are deep and wide, covering U.S. history, early modern and modern European history, African and Asian history, and Latin American history. More than half of all history classes are taught in a small seminar format, and students join with their teachers as explorers of the past through research, theoretical considerations and integration of coursework.
Featured Courses
History of India
Survey the history of India from the rise of the Mughal Empire in 1526 to the recent past. The course places the history of India in a regional and global context and explores art, film and fiction as mediums for making sense of the past, alongside analysis of traditional documentary sources.
Contemporary Black History
Beginning with Emancipation, this course traces the evolution of Black culture and identity and the continuing struggle for freedom and equality. Topics include the tragedies and triumphs of Reconstruction, interracial violence, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz and blues, and the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.
Reel or Real, History and Film
From “Birth of A Nation” to “Spartacus,” “Milk” or “Seabiscuit,” films “based on a true story” attract scores of audiences to the theater. This course analyzes the birth of cinematography and rise of the film industry, with the goal of understanding the relationship between history and films that represent the past.
Metropolis, the City in American Life and Culture
This course explores the role of the city in American life and tensions between proponents and detractors of the metropolis. We’ll learn how New York became the archetypical American city, from its rise as a global economic, cultural and political center to its fall during the desegregation era and its recent renewal.
Seitz House
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022