Department of History
Discovering Our Past, Shaping Our Future
Whether you are pursuing a career in history or are just passionate about the subject, our courses develop skills that prepare you to become a knowledgeable citizen and pursue a rich career.
In addition to acquiring historical knowledge, you will learn how to interpret complex sources of information, think critically about the relationship between the past and the present and communicate your ideas effectively. In the process, you will also gain a further appreciation of the array of cultures that shapes our world.
Explore Our Programs
History (BA/BS)
Through this degree you will become trained in the discipline of history. You will gain knowledge of the human past, practice historical research and writing, and learn to analyze and interpret evidence and historical interpretations. This program is a good selection if you plan to pursue advanced degrees in history or a career in public history, historic preservation or government service.
History (BA/BS) Teaching Emphasis
This program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to inspire the next generation as a history teacher. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of history. Explore the human past, hone your skills in historical research and writing, and master the art of analyzing and interpreting evidence and historical perspectives.
History (MA/MS)
You will have the opportunity for advanced study in historical interpretation, historical theory and research methods. Earning your master's degree in history opens doors in academia, nonprofit, education and government.
Public History Graduate Certificate
This certificate helps you develop specific skills related to public history. The practical, theoretical and analytical training provided in the certificate program will enhance your ability to compete for jobs in museums, historical societies, cultural resource centers, parks and historic preservation.
Teaching History Graduate Certificate
You can become a certified early college or dual credit instructor with our Teaching History graduate certificate. Local school districts continue to expand their offerings of early college and dual credit history courses. There is a growing need for qualified teachers who can meet this need.
WHAT CONFERENCE
The World History Association of Texas (WHAT) conference provides a forum for the discussion of all aspects of World History. Every year the conference chooses a special thematic focus to drive the various lectures and discussions.
Phi Alpha Theta
East Texas A&M proudly hosts the Eta-Beta chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National Honors Society for History. Phi Alpha Theta promotes research, teaching, and publication in order to increase awareness and knowledge about history. The Eta-Beta chapter provides history students an academic community and professional development opportunities. The organization strives to bring our university's students and teachers together for intellectual and social exchanges related to the field and profession of history.
Though one does not need to be a member to participate, membership is encouraged. To be a member in the Eta-Beta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta undergraduates must have completed a minimum of twelve semester hours of history courses, maintain an overall GPA of 3.0, a GPA in applicable history courses of 3.1, and be a currently enrolled student in good standing with East Texas A&M. Graduate students must also have twelve semester hours of coursework completed, maintain a GPA no lower than a 3.5, while also being currently enrolled students in good standing. If you are already a member of Phi Alpha Theta from another university, or wish to learn more information about the organization and how to join, please contact the faculty advisor or the chapter president.
The Phi Alpha Theta chapter advisor is Dr. Cynthia Ross. For information regarding membership or other details of the organization, please contact the Department of History Office.
In Spring 2018, the Eta Beta chapter held professionalization and writing workshops for undergraduate and graduate students. The chapter hosted the regional PAT conference. East Texas A&M students Mykah Jones-Henschel, Chris Rowback and Michelle Hodge received paper awards.
Alumni Spotlight
Nick Sprenger
Katherine Skrabanek, M.A.
Austin Baxley
Allison Faber
Manuel "Manny" Grajales, Ph.D.
Heather Rodriguez
Meredith "Grace" Slayter
News Spotlights
A&M-Commerce Alums Honored with New Middle School in Forney ISD
The couple are noted Forney ISD alums and educators.
Documentary Produced by TAMUC Faculty Member Premiering at SXSW Film Festival
A documentary chronicling the life of Liz Carpenter that is associate produced by Texas A&M University-Commerce Distinguished Professor Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky is set for its screen debut at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, scheduled for March 8-16 in Austin, Texas. The film, titled “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz […]
TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials
Part 3 of the Spooky Stories Series When we think about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, we may conjure horrific mental images of women being burned at the stake or bound by ropes and thrown into the water. But our assumptions about what happened during that bizarre time in American history may be misguided, and […]
TAMUC Distinguished Professor contributes to Houston Chronicle Article
Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky, distinguished professor of digital humanities and history at Texas A&M University-Commerce, was recently featured in an article in the Houston Chronicle announcing the naming of a new park in Bexar County, Texas. The park is slated to be named Hendrick Arnold Nature Park, in honor of a spy for Texas during the […]
A&M-Commerce Faculty Publishes New Book on Southern Metropolitan History
Dr. Andrew Baker, associate professor of History at Texas A&M University-Commerce, recently published a book examining the histories of southern U.S. metropolises Houston and Washington D.C. “Bulldozer Revolutions” uses historical records, oral history and environmental politics to explore the relationship between the cities and countryside in metropolitan fringe zones. In the book, Baker follows the […]
Alum Bill O’Neal Named to Carthage, Texas Arts Walk of Fame
Historian, author and Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Bill O’Neal was honored last month after being inducted into the city of Carthage, Texas’ Art Walk of Fame. Launched in 2021, the Art Walk of Fame was an initiative created by the Carthage City Commission in order to honor individuals, encourage community pride, foster local identity and […]
TAMUC History Students Present WWII Exhibit at Local Museum
Students in the Texas A&M University-Commerce Department of History have spent the past semester learning just what it takes to work in the field of public history after the completion of their “ETSTC in WWII” exhibit at the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum in Greenville, Texas. The exhibit, which features more than 40 items from […]
Multiple TAMUC Faculty Members to be Recognized at Virtual Ceremony
Eight faculty members at A&M-Commerce will be awarded the 2021 Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize Junior Faculty Award in a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Dean Kimberly McLeod in the College of Education and Human Services will serve as keynote speaker for the event. The award recognizes A&M-Commerce junior faculty who exhibit professional excellence. Candidates […]
PBS Documentary Based on TAMUC Professor’s Research Airing in Dallas
“Citizens At Last,” a documentary based on research and publications by Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky, distinguished professor of digital humanities and history at Texas A&M University-Commerce, has been making its worldwide debut on PBS stations around the globe. The program will air on KERA channel 13 out of Dallas on August 30 at 8 p.m. Co-produced […]
Multiple A&M-Commerce Professors to Receive Junior Faculty Award
The A&M-Commerce Faculty Senate and the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education have selected eight outstanding faculty members to receive the 2021 Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize Junior Faculty Award. The award recognizes A&M-Commerce faculty who exhibit professional excellence. Professors are nominated by department heads or deans based on exceptional teaching evaluations, research, publications […]
Our Research
In addition to teaching, our faculty are always endeavoring to contribute to historical scholarship. Below, find a few of our ongoing and completed projects.
Completed
East Texas War and Memory Project
The East Texas War and Memory Project (ETWMP) is an oral and public history project that collects, preserves, interprets and makes accessible to the public the stories of people affected by war in order to uncover both the lived experience of war and the individual and public memory that surrounds it.
Ongoing
Handbook of Texas Women
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) seeks to shed light on the achievements of Texan women through a massive initiative to expand on the nation's oldest and most successful digital state encyclopedia, the Handbook of Texas. Texas women make Texas history, and the time has come to illuminate the stories of these women.
Completed
Ted Crim Postcard Collection
This collection of postcards depicts buildings on our campus along with locations around the town of Commerce, Texas. It includes prints from nationally known companies such as Curt Teich and Co., National Colortype Cincinnati, Auburn Post Card Mfg. Co, and Bob Wyer Photo Cards. The postcards were donated to Special Collections and University Archives by alumnus Ted Crim.
Ongoing
Occupied Landscapes, Occupied Ecologies
This manuscript, by Dr. Cynthia Ross, investigates the role of scientific inquiry in legitimating and advancing imperial domination of the imperial outpost of Guam. Occupied Landscapes, Occupied Ecologies: Science, Empire, and Control extends this framework beyond the British Empire to explore the role of knowledge production in shaping European and American visions about tropical imperial possessions, specifically Guam in the Mariana Islands of the western Pacific.
Completed
A Dream of the Judgment Day
A Dream of the Judgment Day: American Millennialism and Apocalypticism, by Dr. John Howard Smith, surveys popular belief in a biblical end of the world in colonial America and the United States. Contrary to most studies of the subject, which tend to treat such beliefs as occupying the fringes of American religious culture, this book demonstrates how they are an integral part not just of American religious culture, but of American culture generally, as well.
Ongoing
Here among the Ruins
Dr. Andrew Baker reinterprets the public and environmental history of rural and exurban American landscapes through the framework of ruins—sites where the past actions of both human and nonhuman actors are still perceptible and where both damage and history endure. It examines four particular sites of ruin using the archival research and oral history methods of historical scholarship, the deep-time insight and site-based analytical tools of ecology, and the textured perspectives of the visual arts.
Resources
The History Department and the university provides lots of opportunities to support your studies. Visit the resources below to get more information.
Scholarships will be awarded by the History Department scholarship committee following the criteria listed under each award. No student may receive more than one History Department scholarship in any award year. The committee may withhold awards at their discretion. Applications and all required supplementary materials must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships using the General Scholarship Application by the appointed deadline found on the Office of Financial Aid website. Please do not submit any materials to the History Department Office. Generally scholarship applications are due in the spring and are awarded for the following academic year. Scholarship award values may vary based on the availability of funds. For questions regarding the scholarship award process, contact Dr. Judy Ford.
Charles Ternay Neu Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be admitted to East Texas A&M University as undergraduates, have declared the intention of majoring in History either through filing a degree plan or listing History as their major on their admission documents, and have an overall GPA of at least 3.0. The award will be given to the qualified applicant with the highest overall GPA.
Mattie Baker Prize for Merit
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University, have an undergraduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), have completed at least nine semester credit hours in History (excluding History 1301 and 1302) with a major GPA in History of at least 3.3. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
Frank B. Jackson Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University, have an undergraduate or graduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), be classified as a junior or senior (if undergraduate),must have completed at least nine semester credit hours in History (excluding History 1301 and 1302), and have a major GPA in History of at least 3.3. Applicants must submit a 1-2 page essay that discussing their particular interest in history and how they plan to use the degree. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials and the quality of their essay. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
Jewell and Jesse Guy Smith Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in Texas A&M University, have an undergraduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), have completed at least nine semester hours in History (excluding History 1301 and 1302), and have a major GPA in History of at least 3.3. Applicants must submit a 1-2 page essay that discussing their particular interest in history and how they plan to use the degree. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials and the quality of their essay. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
Joe Fred Cox Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University as full-time students, be in good standing at the university, have an undergraduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), be classified as a junior, and have an overall GPA of at least 3.0. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
Anthony Regenald Heneger Prize
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University as a graduate students, have a graduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), and have a major GPA in History of at least 3.5. Applicants must submit a 1-2 page essay that discussing their particular interest in history and how they plan to use the degree. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials and the quality of their essay. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
W. Eugene Hollon Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University as graduate students, have a graduate degree plan on file with a major in History (any track), and have a major GPA in History of at least 3.5. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on demonstrated mastery of course materials. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate.
Adkins Family History Scholarship
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University as either an undergraduate or graduate student and have a degree plan on file with a major in history (any track). Applicants should submit a 1-2 page essay discussing their particular interest in history and how they plan to use the degree. Eligible applicants will be ranked by the scholarship committee based on the submitted essay. The donor (or his designated agent) will be provided with a copy of the essay for review.
Billie and Otha Spencer “Storytellers” Scholarship
This award is given to assist students in conducting oral history research. To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in East Texas A&M University as either an undergraduate or graduate student and have a degree plan on file with a major in history (any track). Applicants should submit a research proposal of no more than 500 words outlining the project goals, their research process, and how they plan to spend the funds. Proposals will be ranked by the scholarship committee. The award will be given to the highest ranked eligible candidate. Preference will be given to proposals related to the East Texas War and Memory Project. The committee may award multiple prizes at their discretion.
Students who have full admission to the program may be eligible for several forms of financial aid, including Texas Public Education Grants, college work-study, graduate assistantships, housing scholarships, scholarships and loan programs. For more information, please contact Enrollment and Financial Aid Processing at 903.886.5096.
Undergraduate students should direct questions about the program to Dr. Andrew Baker
Graduate students should direct questions about the program to Dr. Mylynka Cardona
Meet our Department
Contact Us
- Department of History
- 903.886.5226
- 903.468.3230
- [email protected]
- Ferguson 111
- P.O. Box 3011
- Commerce, TX 75429-3011