Summer Courses 2026
The Department offers 100-level, 200-level, 300-level, and 400-level History (HIS) courses.
Please Note:
- Course descriptions are not final and may be changed at or before the first class.
- For enrolment instructions, students should consult the Faculty of Arts & Science Summer 2026 Timetable.
- Prerequisites will be enforced rigorously. Students who do not have the relevant prerequisite(s) may be removed from the course after classes begin. Specific questions regarding prerequisites for a course can be answered by the course instructor. Where there are two instructors of a course, an asterisk (*) indicates the Course Coordinator.
**This page will be updated regularly. Please check here for curriculum changes.
Course Timetable
(Course numbers are links to course descriptions). The following courses are in numerical order. The descriptions are fuller than those in the Arts & Science Calendar.
| Section Code | Classes Start | Classes End | Final Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | May 4, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | June 18 - 24, 2026 |
| Y | May 4, 2026 | August 12, 2026 | August 15 - 22, 2026 |
| S | July 2, 2026 | August 12, 2026 | August 15 - 22, 2026 |
Y section code course lectures do not meet the week of June 19 to June 24; term tests may be held.
100-level HIS courses are designed for students entering university. They take a broad sweep of material, and introduce students to the methods and techniques of university study. Each week, students will attend two lectures given by the course professor, and participate in one tutorial led by a teaching assistant. First year courses are not considered to be in an "area" for program requirements.
All 100-series HIS courses are mutually exclusive, with the exception of AP, IB, CAPE, or GCE transfer credits. Students may enrol in only one 100-series History course. Students enrolled in more than one of these courses (or who have completed one of these courses or a previous HIS 100-series course with a mark of 50% or greater) will be removed at any time. First-Year students can also enrol in 200-series HIS courses. ALL students enrolled in a History Specialist, Major, or Minor program must take ONE 100-level HIS course.
| Course Code & Session | Course Title | Temporal Credit (prior to 1800) | Day/Time | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIS115H1-S, L5101 | History Now: How the Past Shapes the Present | - | Monday 6-8 Wednesday 6-8 |
TBA |
200-level HIS courses are surveys that introduce in broad outlines the history of a particular country, region, continent, or theme. Most are essential background for further upper-level study in the area. Students will generally attend two lectures and participate in one tutorial each week. The 200-level courses are open to first year students as well as those in higher years.
| Course Code & Section | Course Title | Geographic Area | Temporal Credit (prior to 1800) | Day/Time | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIS242H1-F, L0101 | Europe in the 20th Century | c | - | Tuesday 1-3 Thursday 1-3 |
TBA |
| HIS264H1-F, LEC5101 | Critical Issues in Canadian History | b | - | Tuesday 6-8 Thursday 6-8 |
TBA |
| HIS280Y1-Y, L5101 (online synchronous) |
History of China | a | 0.5 | Tuesday 7-9 Thursday 7-9 |
TBA |
300-level HIS courses are more specialized and intensive. They deal with more closely defined periods or themes. They vary in format, with some being based around lectures, and others involving tutorial or discussion groups. Most 300-level courses have prerequisites, which are strictly enforced. First year students are not permitted to enrol in 300- or 400-level HIS courses. Although some upper level courses do not have specific pre-requisites, courses at the 300 and 400 level are demanding and require a good comprehension of history.
| Course Code & Section | Course Title | Geographic Area | Temporal Credit (prior to 1800) | Methodology | Focus Law & History | Day/Time | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIS319H1-F, L0101 | Histories of the Horn of Africa | a |
- |
- | - | Monday 11-1 Wednesday 11-1 |
S. Aidid |
| HIS326H1-S. L0101 | Topics in Asian Histories: East Asian Environmental History | a | - | - | - | Tuesday 3-5 Thursday 3-5 |
TBA |
| HIS350H1-S, L0101 (online synchronous) | Topics in European Histories: Digital Approaches to Pre-Modern Europe | c | 0.5 | 0.5 | - | Monday 11-1 Wednesday 11-1 |
TBA |
| HIS389H1-F, L0101 | Topics in History: Queers v. The State: Legal and Social Histories of 2SLGBTQ+ Repression and Resistance in Canada and the United States | b | - | - | 0.5 | Tuesday 11-1 Thursday 11-1 |
TBA |
400-level HIS courses are two-hour seminars that deal with very specialized subjects and are often closely connected to a professor’s research. Most have specific course pre-requisites and require extensive reading, research, writing, and seminar discussion, and in most you will have the opportunity to do a major research paper. All 400-level HIS courses have enrolment restrictions during the first round (must have completed 14 or more full courses, be enrolled in a HIS Major, Specialist or Joint Specialist program and have the appropriate prerequisite). During the second round of enrolment, access to 400-level seminars is open to all 3rd and 4th year students with the appropriate prerequisite. First year students are not permitted to enrol in 300- or 400-level HIS courses.
IMPORTANT: Due to significant enrolment pressure on 4th year seminars, during the first round of enrolment, the Department of History reserves the right to remove students who enrol in more than the required number for program completion (Specialists – 2; Majors, Joint Specialists – 1) without consultation.
Students in 400-level seminars must attend the first class, or contact the professor to explain their absence. Failure to do so may result in the Department withdrawing the student from the seminar in order to create space for other interested students.
| Course Code & Section | Course Title | Geographic Area | Temporal Credit (prior to 1800) | Methodology | Focus Law & History | Day/Time | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIS404H1-F, L0101 | Advanced Topics in U.S. History: Black Deviance, Underground Cultures, and Radical Traditions in 20th-Century U.S. History | b | - | - | - | Tuesday 1-3 Thursday 1-3 |
TBA |
| HIS496H1-S, L0101 | Advanced Topics in History: Towards an Ethical Approach: Transnational History(ies) of Violence | - | - | - | - | Tuesday 11-1 Thursday 11-1 |
TBA |
Summer Abroad - **New History Offerings for 2026**
Enrich your academic experience with an exciting and educational international experience
- Full-year University of Toronto undergraduate degree credit courses from the Faculty of Arts & Science.
- Courses that are relevant to each destination.
- Small classes of about 25 students taught by University of Toronto professors or faculty from the host university.
- All classes taught in English (except language courses).
Applications for Summer 2026 Application deadline is extended for programs until further notice. Please check the website.
| Course Code | Course Title & Description |
|---|---|
| HIS389Y0 |
Iceland and the World: Histories from the Viking Age to the Modern Era (Iceland) The goal of this course is to offer students an introduction to Icelandic history and its relationship to the global Far North. Beginning with early histories of human habitation and international trade in the Viking Age to the rise of migration, equity, cultural regeneration, and sovereignty movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, students in this class will gain new, deeper insight into the evolution of a dynamic, distinct, and geopolitically important country. Lectures, readings, and research labs focus on the ideas, material culture, and everyday lives of Icelanders themselves, from histories of food, fashion, and architecture to how they preserved the Icelandic language and Viking-Age sagas, despite centuries of rule by the Danish Empire. Bringing the lessons of the past into the challenges of the present, students also explore how Icelanders today use historical concepts, language, and collective memory to debate and address modern issues, including human rights, climate instability, and digital governance in the AI Age. Classes alternate between a traditional classroom format and regular immersive, hands-on field trips that bring Iceland’s surreal and storied landscape to life. |