Department of History

Welcome to the Department of History at Bowling Green State University!

We are a community of faculty, staff, students and alums brought together by pursuit of historical thinking and historical knowledge. Our mission is to further historical thinking to answer problems that matter to our world today. Through our courses our students become creators of engaging, original and rigorous historical knowledge that enrich the conversation in our society. Paired with professional development opportunities, we apply our history education to multiple, rewarding career tracks, such as consulting, education, government, law, museums, public relations, to name a few. Our faculty and alums are recognized for their expertise in historical research and their leadership in the field of policy history.

We invite you to discover our programs for undergraduate and graduate students, our people, and our current activities in our blog and and social media, such as Facebook and Instagram.

FEATURED

What do we learn in History?

News and Stories

"Eclisping History" Podcast is Released and Streaming!

As eclipse watchers gear up for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse over North America, Eclipsing History looks back at eclipses of the past and explores the ways that different people from Canada, Mexico and the United States experienced eclipses. We interview a cast of experts to understand the important role that eclipses played in the development of North America, and what significance they still hold as moments of astronomical wonder.

All episodes of the podcast are out now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube!

Using Family History in the Classroom

Dr. Douglas Forsyth of the Department of History at BGSU presented on how teachers can use their own experiences with family history to inform their teaching. Touching on the implications of expanded access to genealogy research tools like Ancestry and FamilySearch, Dr. Forsyth discussed how the personal experience of discovering difficult truths about ancestors can inform classroom practice.

This lecture was presented in November 2023.

Roma Aeterna Study Abroad Experience

This summer, Dr. Casey Stark taught a study abroad course called Roma Aeterna (“Eternal Rome”) and it was designed to give students an immersive experiential learning opportunity to study ancient Roman history. This course was assisted by BGSU’s partner language school for Italian, the Centro Linguistico Italiano Dante Alighieri (CLIDA).

Updated: 06/11/2025 03:54PM