For curious and questioning minds, history courses can open up a world of discovery. Through these 2025/2026 undergraduate course offerings, the UBC Department of History invites students to explore how famous historical figures and everyday people played extraordinary roles in shaping the world as we know it today.
HIST 200: Asia and the World
- Instructor: Dr. Kelly McCormick
- Term 1
- Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 am to 12:30 pm
- Description: Learn about the political, economic, social, cultural, and human interactions between Asia and the world, inter-Asian relations, Asian diaspora, colonialism, war and the social consequences of conflict, decolonization, industrial growth, and developing world issues.
HIST 203: Global War on Terror
- Instructor: Dr. Pheroze Unwalla
- Term 1
- Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 pm to 3:30 pm
- Description: Critically examine the origins, impacts, and legacies of a nebulous research area and concept.
HIST 207: Global Environmental History
- Instructor: Dr. Tina Loo
- Term 2
- Schedule: Hybrid Learning + Thursdays, 11 am to 12:30 pm
- Description: Learn about the impact humans have had on the environment, and the ways in which the physical environment has shaped human history: climate, agriculture, energy use, and urbanization.
HIST 332: Slave Societies in the Americas
- Instructor: Dr. Alycia Hall
- Term 1
- Schedule: Tuesdays, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm + hybrid learning
- Description: A comparative analysis of the institution of chattel slavery, its growth, its effects on slaves and masters, its relation to the larger society, and the causes of its decline, in the various cultures of the Americas.
HIST 361: International Relations Since 1945
- Instructor: Dr. Lara Silver
- Term 1
- Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
- Description: Immerse yourself in the evolution of the contemporary international system from the end of the Second World War to the beginning of the twenty-first century.
HIST 390B: Topics in History: History of Now: News in Historical Perspective
- Instructor: Dr. Michael Lanthier
- Term 1
- Schedule: Tuesdays, 3 pm to 5 pm + hybrid learning
- Description: Learn about the biggest news stories of 2025. History of Now invites you to slow down, zoom out and ask: how did we get here? Each week, a different History professor takes you behind the headlines – wars, elections, climate disasters, cultural flashpoints – to uncover the deeper story. What can the past teach us about the present and the choices we’re facing now?
HIST 391: Human Rights in World History
- Instructor: Dr. John Roosa
- Term 2
- Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30 pm to 5 pm
- Description: Examine changing ideas about humanity and rights by considering the relationship between human rights and the nation-state, imperialism, and capitalism. Learn about efforts to end large-scale human rights violations and the role of the United Nations.
HIST 398: History of Modern Medicine
- Instructor: Dr. Robert Brain
- Term 2
- Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 pm to 5 pm
- Description: The history of health and disease in the modern world, focusing in particular on the emergence and history of modern biomedicine.
