Academic Community

Our faculty and students work hard to build community and improve scholarship in a supportive setting.


History Graduate Student Association

The History Students Graduate Association (HGSA) is a group of graduate students committed to supporting graduate student life and community in the History Department

The HGSA Executive is responsible for organizing a number of events — including the Qualicum Conference, and the Burge Lecture as well as internal events for graduate students.

The Qualicum History Conference has been rebranded as the "Shifting Tides Conference".

For more than 40 years, UBC history graduate students have participated in the annual Qualicum Student-Faculty History Conference on Vancouver Island. This conference brings together History faculty and students of the major British Columbia universities for a weekend of intellectual exchange and fun. The conference is generously supported by the Departments of History from the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and UBC.

The Burge Lecture is an annual keynote lecture that provides students, faculty, alumni and community members the opportunity to connect with historians and other scholars engaged in exciting research. Past Burge speakers have included Robert Darnton, Ian Miller, Richard White, Tara Zahra, Natalie Zemon Davis, Ann Stoler, and most recently, Audra Simpson from Columbia University.

At the start of each academic year, the HGSA holds a general meeting to nominate and elect members to the leadership executive positions.

History Department Research Clusters

The History department organizes various regional and thematic clusters that students can participate in.

History Department Colloquiums

The History department organizes a series of colloquium which students can attend:

History Events

Learn about all the latest events in the Department of History:

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