We in the MU History Department hope this message finds you and your family well.  We know it continues to be a trying time for many.  The History Department remains mostly virtual in this ongoing pandemic.  Faculty meetings, staff meetings, office hours, and student advising are all being conducted remotely.  While some of us are present in Read Hall a few days a week, many  continue to do some or all of our work from home.   A little more than half of our courses have a face-to-face component, while others are taught in various online formats.  In my conversations with faculty and their students I continue to be awed by the work my colleagues are doing to transform their courses to meet the needs of the moment, and to continue to give their students a high-quality experience under less-than-ideal circumstances. Racial protests, the elections, and the pandemic have meant that a significant number of our students are more engaged than ever and want to wrestle with the past in understanding the world they are living in today. 

We certainly miss seeing our students and each other face to face, but we are making do. In lieu of our annual Hot Dog Cookout to Welcome New Students we held a socially-distanced mask giveaway, featuring our own History Department branded face coverings.   Continued travel restrictions and temporary archival closures make historical research challenging, but we are hopeful that things may begin to open up again by next summer.  Meanwhile, faculty and graduate students are working with digitized sources, and continuing with ongoing writing projects in the works. Like many of you, our colleagues and students with young children find themselves juggling their professional lives with managing K-12 online learning.

We are continually humbled by the generosity of our alumni supporters. Thanks to all of you who are able to fund student scholarships, lecture series, and faculty research. 

To keep up with department news, blogs, and events, check out our website at history.missouri.edu/.  You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

We would love to hear from you!

Department of History

101 Read Hall

573-882-2481

muashistory@missouri.edu