Faculty in the Department of History are at the forefront of teaching history in innovative and effective ways - whether it's in large lecture courses, small discussion-based seminars, or asynchronous online classes. Many of our faculty and students have collaborated on preparing individual lesson plans, full course curriculums, or classroom materials that can be used by history educators outside of the University. Making these materials available is core to our mission of engaging in impactful public history and sharing our knowledge and expertise beyond campus. The history teaching materials listed below span a wide range of topics - from Black History in the U.S. to Washington State History to the Silk Road.
Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project
The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project is a collaboration between community groups and UW faculty and students, directed by Professor of History James Gregory. Their website has a robust collection of resources for educators including documentaries, slide shows, primary source document sets, and maps. They also have lesson plans that offer innovative assignments for learning the history of labor organizing and the Civil Rights and Black Power movements in the U.S.
Curriculum Packet: History of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest
Developed by Professor of History John Findlay, this curriculum packet is intended to be used in Washington schools to study the history of our region. It focuses primarily on the three American states of Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, with additional attention to British Columbia, Alaska, western Montana, and California, from the mid-18th to the late 20th century.
UW Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest
The Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest has created and made digitally available packets of curriculum materials for secondary-school courses on the history of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Designed to supplement textbooks and other means of instruction, the packets focus on key issues in Northwest history. The curriculum packets cover topics such as Asian American history, the Cold War in Washington State, Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, and the environmental history of Seattle and Spokane. By providing a wide assortment of primary sources, they allow students to interact with the very materials that historians use to reconstruct the past.
BlackPast.org
Founded by Professor Emeritus of History and the Bullitt Endowed Chair of American History Quintard Taylor, BlackPast.org is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in global Black history. The website has a variety of articles and documentaries created by historians from UW and beyond that could be used in the classroom or in independent research.
Digital History Projects and Websites
History faculty, graduate and undergraduate students are involved in a wide variety of digital history initiatives, touching on diverse thematic, geographic and temporal areas. These digital history websites are useful tools for engaging students, especially in a remote learning environment.