The University of North Texas History Department

10/21/2026

This Friday, October 23rd, Humanities is hosting its 2nd Annual "What Do the Humanities Have to Say About X?" showcase. This year's showcase has the topic of "Community", with various faculty and student speakers. The event is free and open to all!

The event will be held in the University Theater in the Radio TV Film and Performing Arts building room 110.

10/20/2026

The American Historical Association awarded its 2026 Beveridge Family Teaching Prize to the Texas History for Teachers (TX4T) project, created by 's Dr. Andrew Torget along side Dreanna Belden, Courtney Abubakar, and William Hicks!

TX4T is a free, evidence-based K-12 Texas history curriculum created through a partnership between the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry and UNT Libraries.

Check out the project here! https://education.texashistory.unt.edu/

Congrats to Dr. Torget and everyone involved on their achievement!! History

Texas History for Teachers provides both new and experienced teachers access to unit plans, lessons, and curated primary sources for use in the classroom. TX4T...

10/19/2026

This last Saturday, October 17th, and the hosted the 43rd Annual Alfred and Johanna Hurley Military History Seminar! Hosted every year, this years' event had the topic "The Second Gulf War: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Insurgency".

The speakers of the event included two veterans and prolific scholars in the field, Dr. Frank Sobchak from the U.S. Naval War College and Dr. Samuel Helfont from The Naval Postgraduate School. The event included lectures from each, a provided luncheon, and Q&A from audience members.

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us! Be sure to watch the calendar and our socials for next years' topic and event!

10/19/2026

is hosting a study abroad trip to France and the UK centered around D-Day in WW2! The trip will start in London, with students travelling across the channel to Normandy to explore Operation Overlord in depth, finally ending in Paris. The trip will take place from May 15th 2027 to May 31st.

There are no prerequisite requirement and the course is open to all majors, with the trip counting as both undergraduate and graduate course credit! Financial aid is available. Please reach out to Dr. Majstorovic for more information: [email protected]

The deadline to apply is February 14th, 2027, be sure to apply before the deadline to not miss out on this fantastic opportunity!

10/12/2026

Our 2026 Faculty Colloquium, featuring Associate Professor Dr. Chad Pearson, was a resounding success!

Professor Pearson spoke about his research findings from his upcoming book, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐺𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑙𝑎𝑛'𝑠 𝑊𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑓𝑡 (2027, Verso).

The colloquium brought together faculty from the School of Philosophy and History to enjoy some sandwiches while offering a spirited discussion on the tenets of the Second Ku Klux Klan. The upcoming monograph will be Dr. Pearson’s third book! Be sure to check it out when it releases next year!

10/08/2026

Tomorrow, October 9th, is hosting the Western Conference on British Studies. Our very own Dr. Arunima Datta currently serves as the Vice-President of the WCBS and will be taking over as President of the organization this year!

Be sure to check the QR code below to see the program for the conference!

10/08/2026

Earlier this week, 's Dr. Nick Ballesteros successfully defended his dissertation! His dissertation project is titled "A Confederate Yankee in King Cotton's Court: A Case Study in Transforming Sectional Identity in the Texas Borderlands"

His committee consisted of Dr. Andrew Torget as major professor, with Drs. Todd Moye, Alex Mendoza, and Joseph Locke serving as committee members with Dr. Richard McCaslin acting as his outside committee member.

Congratulations Dr. Ballesteros on your wonderful defense and your incredible achievement!

10/02/2026

Yesterday we hosted Dr. Orquidea Morales, Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre, Film, and Television at the University of Arizona for our Hispanic Heritage Month lecture! Her lecture centered around the 1996 film 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐷𝑢𝑠𝑘 𝑇𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐷𝑎𝑤𝑛 directed by Robert Rodríguez, exploring themes of border violence, Latinx media, and horror.

Thank you to everyone who braves the weather yesterday to attend! Be sure to watch our socials for more events and lectures in the future!

09/30/2026

As part of Denton Halloween 2026, UNT’s School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry and Denton's Harvest House are teaming up to bring the spooky chill of medieval ghost stories here to Texas!

Join UNT students, staff, and faculty on the dark eve of Tuesday, October 20th, where, from 7-9 pm, they will regale you with tales of lost souls, menacing monks, haunted knights, and
cold Viking spirits. Fortifying spirits (hot and cold) and b**r will be on tap for those 21+, as well as a variety of non-alcoholic drinks. Come join us as the Public Humanities thrill and terrify you, the public. If you are interested in the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable, come… pull up a chair and a pint,
and let the shadowy medieval past fill your veins with icy terror (and history).

Harvest House, 331 E Hickory St, Denton, TX 76201

09/28/2026

Last Friday, 's Dr. Kerry Goldmann hosted her "How to Fend off Vampires" talk, the first event of this year's series! Focused around the highly acclaimed, multi-award winning 2025 horror movie Sinners, her talk discussed the "cultural armor" used by communities to vanquish metaphorical vampires through elements such as music and shared culture.

Garlicky snacks were provided to help ward off any vampires that may be around, with fun drinks like "holy water" and punch blood bags for guest to enjoy. It was a truly haunting night to usher us into the spooky season, drawing a large crowd into the space with decorations to match Club Juke from the movie.

Thank you to everyone who attended to her Dr. Goldmann's talk, making it a truly special event!