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Welcome to History
History at the University of Waterloo offers recognized excellence in research and in teaching. Diverse learning experiences emphasize innovative thematic approaches, as captured in our undergraduate specializations.
Through courses, as well as Co-operative education, international experiences, and experiential learning opportunities, our graduates possess a unique set of technical, creative, critical, and analytical skills of value to diverse career pathways.
Our graduate program is part of the Tri-University partnership, one of the largest History graduate programs in Canada. We offer both Masters and Doctoral programs with numerous research opportunities.
We invite you to explore our website and learn more about our dynamic department!
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Undergraduate
Curious about studying history? Explore our undergraduate program that offers history courses that not only enrich your knowledge but prepare you for future careers in the field.
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Graduate
Fascinated with history? Learn more about our graduate program and contact our team to walk you through the application process and answer any questions you may have.
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Alumni
We want to hear from you! Share your alumni experience with us and how our programs helped you become passionate for history in your current career.
News
Dr. Talena Atfield named Canada Research Chair in Tentewatenikonhra'khánion (We Will Put Our Minds Together)
The Government of Canada has just announced that Dr. Talena Atfield has been named a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Tentewatenikonhra'khánion (We Will Put Our Minds Together). Dr. Atfield is of Kanien'kehá:ka of the Grand River and mixed settler backgrounds and is an assistant professor in the Department of History.
Indigenous History Month graduate student research panel
On June 28, in honour of Indigenous History Month, the Tri-University Graduate Student Association (TUGSA) and the History Anti-Racism Taskforce (HART) from the University of Waterloo, hosted its final student research panel of the season.
The History Department remembers Dr. Palmer Patterson
Events
MacKinnon Dinner 2025
Named in honour of the late Dr. Hugh MacKinnon ("Father Hugh"), the MacKinnon Dinner is an annual event organized by the History Society, and a primary social event for all members of the department.
This year's event will be held on March 14, 2025, in the SJ2 Academic Center Atrium at St Jerome's University - 290 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G3. Doors open at 5 PM with opening remarks starting at 5:45 PM. Dr. Rebecca MacAlpine, a History Department alumna, will be this year’s guest speaker. Dr. Rebecca MacAlpine's talk is titled: Shaming and Blaming: The Process of Proving Paternity in Seventeenth Century Somerset.
Over the course of the seventeenth century, 1298 women came before the Somerset Quarter Sessions to secure financial resources for the upkeep of their unborn children. In these records, we find marginalized voices of women silenced first by their experiences with the alleged fathers of their children and then by the courts whose objective was to avoid economic responsibility under the new Poor Laws of 1576. As a result, this process ensured that women’s voices were present but ultimately silenced. This talk will explore how we can use Quarter Session records to uncover the lived experiences of unwed mothers in early modern Somerset. It will highlight how the procedural mechanisms embedded in the Sessions further victimized unwed mothers and represents a form of institutionalized gender-based violence.
Tickets for students are priced at $25 and non-student tickets are $35.