We invite innovative instructors who teach history beyond the conventions of the classroom and meet the challenges of the moment to contribute to the “History Beyond the Classroom” series at Clio and the Contemporary.
Since the “History Beyond the Classroom” series launched in 2023, AI has presented instructors with new opportunities to define and defend the skills and expertise intrinsic to the history major. Older misconceptions remain: students still often think that the history major is limited to just one career trajectory in K-12 education, and that business and engineering promise more direct lines to employment than humanities. Effective undergraduate history instructors disabuse students of these myths with innovative curriculum and mentorship. The rise of AI presents an added opportunity, perhaps even the necessity, for history instructors to distinguish the work of our field from content generated by machines.
Clio and the Contemporary features commentary on current events from a historical perspective and articles on contemporary academia, teaching, and public history. We also publish syllabi and assignments that are innovative, address recent history, or have a digital component.
The “History Beyond the Classroom” series showcases the creative and pragmatic ways in which educators adapt to the challenges of the 2020s and advance student learning. At Clio, we believe that sharing successful strategies in a public forum amplifies their positive impact and helps other instructors adopt these into their own teaching. We want to hear about your creative assignments, successful field trips, partnerships with local history organizations, use of digital tools, trips to conferences, involvement with Phi Alpha Theta, efforts to build community within your program, interdisciplinary collaborations with other programs, and study abroad opportunities.
The series, by and for instructors, solicits two types of contributions:
1) short pieces about mentorship, including syllabi, assignments, or lesson plans designed to cultivate historical thinking and sharpen students’ skill sets and invite their learning to live outside the classroom;
2) longer pieces including “how-to” advice pieces about successful mentorship strategies that faculty or departments could adopt; argument-driven reflections on the importance of prioritizing specific skill-development; or “think pieces” about how to keep the history major relevant to the needs and interests of students in the 2020s.
Submissions can range in length from 500 to 2000 words and will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 2024. We welcome a pitch or a full draft. We especially welcome graduate students and early career scholars. Our copy-editing process is robust and encouraging, designed to assist authors who may be new to public-facing scholarship. For more information, see our For Authors pages.
Some recent installments in the History Beyond the Classroom series include:
Reconceptualizing the Independent Study
Teaching the History of Chinese Western New York Beyond the Classroom
Legislative and Public Policy Research for Local Government
Consider forwarding this call for papers to the excellent instructors in your orbit. Too often, good teaching goes unrecognized, and a note from a colleague or mentor nudging them to contribute may be a welcomed recognition.
Clio and the Contemporary 
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