News

Provost Nancy Brickhouse and President Linda Livingstone will kick off this year’s Readers Meet the Author series on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at Noon, as Dr. Elesha Coffman converses with Dr. Elizabeth Flowers about "Turning Points in American Church History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and a Faith" in the Schumacher Flex Commons on the first floor of Moody Memorial Library.

Did you know that Baylor held one of the first recorded homecoming games?

Baylor professor, Dr. Felipe Hinojosa, serves as the review editor of a new publication, the Journal of Texas History. The JTxH will showcase the history of Texas and the Greater Southwest and will include the many histories of its people and culture.

Dr. Felipe Hinojosa is presenting three lectures during the month and working on a new book that focuses on the Latino Civil Rights Movement from the 1960s-1990s.

Here are some upcoming events which are free and open to the public. Come support our faculty & students at these events. We hope to see you there!

Graduate student alumnus, Amadi Amaitsa, successfully earns a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship in the Department of History for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Kimberly Kellison, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Associate Professor of History at Baylor University, has been awarded the 2023 Guittard Book Award for Historical Scholarship for her book, Forging a Christian Order: South Carolina Baptists, Race, and Slavery, 1696-1860. 

Have you ever wondered what happened here in Waco? Well there is an app for that and now a scavenger hunt. Dr. Stephen Sloan & Baylor’s Institute for Oral History celebrates the anniversary of Waco’s founding by coordinating a Waco history scavenger hunt. 

Meet the 2024-2025 Department of History Student Ambassador, Krystal Tan. This Senior History major has a passion for learning and is eager to engage with our community.

History doctoral student & Fulbright Scholar, Annie Himler Cheng, describes her research project that is taking her to Cambodia.  

The department is proud to announce the 2024-2025 scholarship recipients. 

The John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair in Latin America & Professor of History, Dr. Felipe Hinojosa, looks to add to this year's Hispanic Heritage Month events by bringing in esteemed guest faculty for three lectures. 

Come enjoy the James Vardaman Lecture featuring Dr. Carolyn Muessig on Thursday, August 29, 2024 in the Armstrong Browning Library from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. 

Dr. Julie Sweet discusses why - and how - she makes history come alive on the Baylor Connections podcast.

Three faculty members and three doctoral students from the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences have received 2024 grant awards from Louisville Institute.

The academic year is complete: finals graded, books returned, students graduated — and Baylor faculty honored! Congratulations to this year’s Baylor professors of the year!

Doctoral student, Allie R. Lopez, received the 2024 John Higham Research Fellowship from the Organization of American Historians. 

History graduate student, Patrick Leech, guest lectures at the University of Gdańsk in Poland as a part of his Fulbright research on Hungarian refugees after the 1956 Uprising using digital humanities methodologies. 

For the second year in a row, a doctoral student in History has won a Fulbright. In addition to this rare achievement, Baylor University can claim a record breaking 34 students named Fulbright finalists this year.

Director of the Institute for Oral History and History professor, Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., was honored for his outstanding contributions to Baylor’s learning environment.

Baylor University's Department of History is happy to announce the addition of two new scholars to its faculty. 

Dr. Julie deGraffenried has been awarded a research fellowship for her current study of antireligious propaganda posters across the twentieth century of the Soviet Union. 

The roundtable will cover a multitude of topics concerning women's history and will be facilitated by Baylor graduate students and professors.

The 2022 Guittard Book Award for Historical Scholarship was awarded to Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg, for her book, Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England, 1300-1640. 

For the second time, Dr. Beth Allison Barr has received the Louisville Institute’s Sabbatical Grant for Researchers. 

“Reflections in History,” a roundtable featuring six panelists from Baylor University's Department of History, is a highlight of Women’s History Month events on campus.

The 45th Charles Edmondson Historical Lectures were presented in February 2024 by Dr. Leslie Alexander, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers University. 

Have you ever wondered, "What do people do with a History degree?" Dr. Daniel J. Watkins, the History Department's Undergraduate Program Director, describes how a history degree impacts our undergraduate student's future careers. 

Dr. Ronald A. Johnson's research on Pierre Toussaint is featured in the New York Times. 

Take a peek behind the curtain and meet our outstanding social media team. 

Baylor University's Graduate Student Association (GSA) serves as a vital support system and advocate for graduate students campus-wide. Within this organization, James Howard is the Vice President of the GSA, bringing with him a strong commitment to advocacy and leadership.

Dr. Elesha Coffman's latest book, Turning Points in American Church History, is a captivating narrative that analyzes thirteen events in Church history as lenses through which to see the relationship between American Christianity and broader historical narratives.

Dr. Jenkins is featured on getreligion.org for his research and subsequent book. 

Isaac Tuttle, Ph.D. student in History, won the 2023 Torbet Prize from the American Baptist Historical Society.

Senior History major Jonathan Niece spent his fall semester in Washington, D.C., with the Baylor in Washington program, a unique engaged learning and professional development opportunity for Baylor undergraduates.

Digital Humanities methods are used for this fellowship to further expand the research of eighteenth-century studies. Dr. Daniel Watkins was one of the five scholars who used an ECCO lab to advance his research.

Meet the 2023-2024 Department of History Student Ambassador, Fiorella Contreras. This Senior History major has a passion for learning and serving her community.

Dr. Jenkins discusses his latest book, A Storm of Images: Iconoclasm and Religious Reformation in the Byzantine World, recently published by Baylor University Press on podcast Currents in Religion.

We share this article about Dr. Rufus Spain, written and published for Veterans Day 2023. In it he recounts his military service, religious upbringing, and thoughts on war.

The Michael Ramsey Prize Longlist featured Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., for her book “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth”. 

From first-gen, veteran student to McNair Scholar and PhD student, Ryan Reynolds' educational journey is a testament to his determination and commitment to academic excellence. 

A 2018 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that three essential attributes companies look for in a potential employee are three primary things that history majors learns here at Baylor University.

This year, the Mayborn is focused on celebrating Native storytelling; Central Texans can experience live performances and meet Native storytellers during November. Plus, the Mayborn Museum will host President Terri Parton and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes for a community conversation on building long-term relations with Waco and Baylor University. 

In a History class this semester, students learned that research can be fun and engaging. With Dr. Julie Sweet leading the way, Baylor students learned all about the Boston Tea Party, then took the campus by storm, marching to the Waco Creek Bridge with a crowd of more than 100 ready for an adventure to watch as students in coattails and stockings reenacted their research, right here on campus. 

Fun classes like Campus Literature and Film Criticism will be offered next spring.

History major Charles Taylor (class of 2025) has been accepted into the inaugural cohort of the Baylor University Challenge-Based Interdisciplinary Scholar (CBI) program.

Dr. David Smith, Senior Lecturer in History, is no stranger to accolades, but his most recent honor as Outstanding Faculty for Teaching caps off an extraordinary year of accomplishments and activity.

The Brazos River may be a far cry from Boston Harbor in both distance and temperature, but that didn’t stop a group of Baylor University history students from recreating the Boston Tea Party in painstakingly accurate fashion Thursday, October 19th.

Dr. Philip Jenkins joins Professor Vrasidas Karalis and Associate Professor Frances Di Lauro, both with the University of Sydney,  for the second part of a discussion with Meredith Lake about iconoclasm on a religion program for Australia's ABC.

Discover more about Baylor's first Jackson Family Chair and what his plans for the spring semester.

The department is proud to announce the 2023-2024 scholarship recipients. 

Alex Ramsland, undergraduate history major, Phi Alpha Theta member, and department travel award recipient, describes her summer in Europe as a researcher and conference presenter. 

Baylor History PhD graduates announced as the Graduate School's 2023-2024 Postdoctoral Teach Fellows. 

Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson, Associate Professor & The Ralph and Bessie Mae Lynn Chair of History, was announced to be one of 22 new speakers added to the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lectureship Program. The 2023 cohort of new lecturers joins a renowned roster of U.S. historians who share their expertise and research with a variety of audiences across the country.

A key step in getting the Baylor in Latin America strategic initiative up and running is to assess what the University already is doing in the region and then filling the gaps. That includes bringing more faculty to Baylor with strong track records for teaching and research in the region, such as Dr. Marilia Corrêa and Dr. Ricardo Álvarez-Pimentel, assistant professors in history.

Did you know that a Waco hotspot appeared in Food & Wine’s list of the best coffee shops in America?  History alum Dylan Washington paired up with fellow Baylor Bear, John David Beard, to roast coffee beans, and the rest is history. 

Texas A&M history professor joins Baylor history faculty Aug. 1, providing additional leadership for Baylor in Latin America initiatives.

As the 2022-2023 Outstanding Senior History Major, Amanda Bernardi sets her sights on studying optometry in Boston.

Historians Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., and Adrienne Cain with Baylor's renowned Institute for Oral History share seven best practices to help family members begin oral history conversations that enrich the recollections of the past.

Baylor History Alumni, Carlton Barnett, discusses how his time at Baylor as a history major has ignited his studies as a historian; his many achievements and pursuit of his PhD included.  

History doctoral candidate & Fulbright Scholar, Patrick Leech, describes his research project that is taking him to Hungary.  

Baylor History lecturer, David Smith, is one of 12 to be honored as an Outstanding Faculty award for 2022-2023.

Josh Borderud, a distinguished alumnus of Baylor University, has accomplished much since completing his B.A. and M.A. in History here at Baylor.

Last year, Baylor set a school record when 13 Bears earned prestigious Fulbright scholarships — almost twice the previous BU record! — as part of the nation’s flagship program for international graduate student and education. And yet — 2023’s student honors may be even more impressive.

Dr. Ronald Johnson, Associate Professor & The Ralph & Bessie Mae Lynn Chair of History, was appointed as the co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. 

Military historian and author David A. Smith discusses the role of Admiral George Dewey in the historic battle.

What do history professors do over the summer? They research.

This year, three faculty in the history department received grants through Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences Summer Research Award Program. They will be doing archival research in different destinations.

Baylor History Grad Student, Katherine Goodwin, wins award to help fund 5-week research trip to the UK.

Baylor University faculty members Julie deGraffenried, Ph.D., department chair and associate professor of history in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Karon LeCompte, Ph.D.,  associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Baylor School of Education, were selected to receive the 2023 Centennial Professor Awards for summer research projects.

Dr. Ronald Johnson, associate professor of history, was chosen to be co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. 

The Baylor Model Organization of the American States (MOAS) team returned to Texas this week after a successful performance at the Washington Model OAS (WMOAS) representing the Republic of Argentina.  

Baylor alum and history major, Victoria Lopez, uses her degree to "dive deeper" into her tech industry career.

Dr. David Smith, senior lecturer in history, has been teaching at Baylor for 20 years, but his passion for history and storytelling extends beyond the classroom. Every Monday morning, his NPR show called “David and Art” airs on KWBU.

Baylor University’s Department of History presents the Spring 2023 Women's History Month Speaker Series featuring Associate Professor of Latin American History at University of Texas El Paso, Dr. Erika Edwards, on April 19th. 

In celebration of their strength, courage, and accomplishments, bronze statues of 1967 graduates Rev. Robert Gilbert and Barbara Walker are dedicated and placed in front of the Tidwell Bible Building.

Dr. Lisa Lacy, an accomplished historian and the daughter of one of Word Record's founders, brings a unique perspective to an oral history project that will shed light on the impact the company had on the Christian music industry and its lasting influence on American culture.

On April 4, 2023, the landscape of the Baylor University campus will change. On that day, the University will dedicate two statues commemorating the late Rev. Robert L. Gilbert and Mrs. Barbara A. Walker – the first Black students to earn their undergraduate degrees from the University.

Bonnie Cantwell Fraase, a Baylor University alumna and history major, prove her experiences at Baylor and beyond have prepared her well for her legal career.

Department of History alum, Kirby F. Warnock produces new documentary, "Brothers in Blues: Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan," an authorized biographical documentary about the musical brothers who grew up in Dallas.

Registration for Fall 2023 opens April 5th. Come check out all the amazing undergraduate courses the History faculty will be teaching!

Three History faculty earned 2023 Summer Research Awards from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Jennifer Throne Seiter (BA’20) talks about her work at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

The Heart of Texas Regional History Fair held its annual competition Thursday morning at The Bill Daniel Student Center holding over 100 student competitors from 11 schools in the surrounding counties.

Baylor University’s Department of History presents the Spring 2023 Black History Month Lecture Series featuring Assistant Professor of History at Emmerson College, Dr. Kaysha Corinealdi, on February 21st. 

On February 1st, Baylor’s History Department scholarship portal for the 2023/2024 academic school year will open to all undergraduate History majors who have completed 12 credit hours of history at Baylor.

Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Sweet are among the first awardees of a new teaching innovation grant from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Baylor University was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students, a recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

A Black History Month Walking Tour, led by the Baylor Institute for Oral History's Assistant Director, Adrienne Cain, and Director and Associate Professor of History, Dr. Stephen Sloan, drew a crowd February 11th. 

Model Organization of American States (MOAS), is a student organization that pushes students to become great leaders and communicators where teams present resolutions to different issues before members of the Organization of American States.

Dr. Stephen Sloan, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Baylor University Institute for Oral History, and his team at IOH won the Texas Historical Commission’s 2023 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation, the highest award given by the THC.

Exciting new book publications are being released from our history faculty.

In Fall 2022, a dinner to celebrate the 100th Guittard Fellow and Guittard Book Award winners was held.

 Ronald Angelo Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor and The Ralph and Bessie Mae Lynn Chair of History at Baylor University, has been awarded the Alpha Chi Distinguished Alumni Award, an annual award given to one alumnus from the organization in recognition of public service that exemplifies the Alpha Chi spirit of making scholarship effective for good. 

Professor Barr was named the Vardaman Endowed Professor in 2022.

Two History doctoral students, Brooke LeFevre and James Howard, successfully pursued a Graduate School BEAR Grant to host workshops dedicated to investigating and improving teaching practices.

News and updates about our retired faculty. 

Baylor’s Department of History releases the Spring 2023 lecture schedule.

The Baylor Department of History is proud to present our new student ambassador, Zoey Babyak.

Our chapter of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society held a book sale benefitting Veterans One Stop.