History courses offer students hands-on learning opportunities

At the University of Minnesota, history students conduct original research, curate public exhibits, and step into the roles of historical actors through games — going beyond the traditional lecture format. Through hands-on learning, they work closely with source material to interpret and understand what life was like in the past and present their findings in compelling ways. 

Guest speakers, study abroad opportunities, and collaborative projects further immerse students in the practice of history.

The History of Tourism

In this fall ‘26 freshman seminar, students will explore what tourism can teach us about past and present societies. The course examines the global history of tourism from the 18th century to the present, but also moves beyond the traditional classroom.

Students will contribute research to a public exhibition for the University of Minnesota Tourism Center planned for 2027 to celebrate the tourism center’s 40th anniversary. They will explore the University of Minnesota Archives, design and conduct interviews, write research summaries, and contribute material to a website and the exhibition. 

“This is a detective kind of work,” says Assistant Professor Igor Tchoukarine, who will teach this class. “Students will be asked to look at the University of Minnesota archives to understand the history of the Tourism Center through papers and what traces that were left.”

The project is in collaboration with Xinyi Qian, director of the Tourism Center, who will help guide the research. Qian envisions herself as both a partner and a learner for this project, she says.

The seminar will also include a paid internship opportunity with the Tourism Center during the 2026–27 academic year. Tchoukarine and Qian are seeking a student who is eager to work, learn, and ask questions.

“We are looking for a highly motivated student who is willing to jump into this adventure with us,” Qian says. 

Students will have the opportunity to develop a range of skills and areas of expertise, Tchoukarine says. The seminar is designed to help first-year students explore different fields and discover what they might want to study. 

Because the seminar is tied to the Tourism Center’s upcoming anniversary, the course will only be offered once — making it a unique opportunity for incoming students.

The Monkey King and His Afterlives

This freshman seminar, also offered in fall ‘26, examines how a single story has been retold and reimagined for centuries. 

The course, taught by Professor Ann Waltner, focuses on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, which follows a monk, a pig, a monkey, and a sand demon, who travel to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. 

“Studying a story that has been retold for centuries helps students understand the durability of great literature and the mechanisms of change within tradition,” Waltner says. 

Students who took the seminar in fall ‘25 watched a livestream of an opera adaptation of the story performed by the San Francisco Opera in 2025, for which Waltner wrote the program notes. 

The seminar also includes field trips to museums and libraries, where students will examine historical texts and artwork related to the novel. 

Medieval Tales and Their Modern Echoes

This course explores dragon-slayers, magic djinn, and the Knights of the Round Table, tracing how medieval narratives influence contemporary fiction, film, games, and the arts. The course draws connections between texts from Europe and other regions of the world, linking Viking sagas and Tolkien to modern role-playing games.

Michelle Hamilton, director of the Center for Premodern Studies and professor in the Spanish & Portuguese studies department, and David Perry, associate director of undergraduate studies in the history department, teach the course, which has 90 students enrolled. 

Atlas Games CEO and co-owner John Nephew — known for his work on medieval role-playing games, including Ars Magica and Dungeons & Dragons — delivered a guest lecture in February ‘26, speaking with students about the evolution and cultural impact of medieval role-playing games.

Hands-on experiences are also built into the course. Students visit the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine to examine historical texts on medicine, herbs, and poisons. They pair recipes with dried ingredients from the library’s collection. 

The Oakeshott Institute brings medieval weapons to class to discuss how they were used and connects physical artifacts to the stories students are reading. 

The course ends with a creative final project in which students produce their own modern echo of a medieval tale, Hamilton and Perry say. Past projects included short stories, artwork, and original songs.

Courses like these offer opportunities to explore history through research, discussion, field trips, and creative projects. Whether analyzing archival documents, examining rare materials in libraries and museums or creating new interpretations of historical stories, these courses invite students to actively participate in understanding how the past continues to influence the world today.

Related stories