The past is present
Fifty years ago the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a Lake Superior storm. But more than the “gales of November” wrecked the Fitz. The ship was also the casualty of a globalizing neoliberal order which wrecked the American industrial economy.
The written and oral portions of your comprehensive exams may seem daunting, but try to remember that when you get to this step you are ready.
When you’re getting ready to draft your dissertation prospectus, your comprehensive exams can be a helpful tool. Here’s some advice on how to use your comps for a great prospectus.
Comprehensive exams are less about recalling every detail of every book than about building a durable system of arguments, interventions, and stakes. Read with precision, take structured notes, test your memory, and lean on community—the process is as much formation as it is evaluation.
Comprehensive Exams, or 'Comps,' can be confusing and intimidating for graduate students, but the first step to conquering Comps, and the fear they elicit, is to understand what they are, what they are designed to test, and how they work.
Embarking on a PhD in history can be incredibly rewarding, but before you apply, it's best to have a clear-eyed view of academia as a whole (including the various types of universities where you might study and work), the life (and limits) of being a PhD student, and the realities of the academic job market.
Considering an MA or PhD in history? This guide helps students figure out what about grad school appeals to them, what degrees they actually need to do the things they love, and whether they're in the right place to start grad school now.
At the 50th anniversary of the fight, the “Thrilla in Manila” emerges as not only the story of two extraordinary boxers’ pushing themselves to their physical limits, but also embodies creativity and entrepreneurship within the African American community, as well as a climactic event in the history of American sports in the 1970s.
Recent attacks on Tom Hanks and American universities highlight parallels between 2025 and the McCarthy era. But our moment has something the Cold War Red Scare didn't: the benefits of hindsight and mass resistance.
T-Pain’s stunning, stripped-down vocal performance on the Tiny Desk version of “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” makes it clear that he’s got the organic vocal chops to “sound good” without any digital assistance. Through T-Pain's example, students see that we must first know what our own voices are capable of to then explore what technology might do to expand, enhance, or embellish our creative endeavors.
Clio and the Contemporary 