Tuning the History Discipline in the United States
The American Historical Association is coordinating a nationwide, faculty-led project to articulate the disciplinary core of historical study and to define what a student should understand and be able to do at the completion of a history degree program.
The updated map below shows institutions where faculty historians have been involved in the project. The blue locations were part of the first wave of AHA participants, beginning in 2012. The red locations joined the project in January 2015, as part of the second phase of implementation.
This project has brought together accomplished history faculty from a range of 2- and 4-year institutions across the country to define the core disciplinary elements of historical study and the goals of the undergraduate history major. Faculty participants have been working together to develop common language that communicates to a broad audience the significance and value of a history degree. We encourage you to read the 2016 History Discipline Core, which describes core competencies and student learning outcomes, and to learn about the history of the Tuning project.
Join the conversation on Twitter by tweeting about #AHATuning!
Events in Tuning
As part of the AHA's ongoing efforts to support discussions of history curricula across institutions and educational levels, we are working with participants in the Tuning project to organize events around the country.
Upcoming Events:
- January 9, 2022 - K-16 Teaching Workshop: Assignments Charrette at AHA Annual Meeting (Saturday, January 9, 9:00AM-12:00PM)
Past Events:
- January 7, 2021 - Virtual Assignments Charrette (Thursday, January 7, 2:00-5:00PM)
- September 14-25, 2020 - 2020 Virtual Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses (Virtual AHA)
- January 5, 2020 - K-16 Teaching Workshop: Assignments Charrette at AHA Annual Meeting (Friday, January 5, 9:00AM-12:00PM)
- September 20-21, 2019 - 2019 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses (University of Texas at Dallas)
- August 2, 2019 - "Tuning 101: An Introduction to the AHA Tuning Project" (Dan McInerney, Utah State University), Pacific Coast Branch-American Historical Association annual conference, University of Nevada - Las Vegas, Friday, August 2, 3:45-5:15PM
Click here to see all past events.
Learn more about the AHA's History Gateways initiative, an evaluation and substantial revision of introductory college-level history courses.
Tuning Resources
Faculty participants from history departments around the country have reviewed aspects of their home-department curricula. AHA is now able to offer examples of revised curricular materials from a broad range of institutions: rubrics, assignments, statements of course outcomes and degree requirements, survey questions for history majors or alumni, and other types of materials. If you're looking for ideas for your own department, check these out.
2016 Session on Tuning History in General Education
The 2016 "Tuning History in General Education Courses" session considered some of the big questions that the AHA Tuning project has raised about the history major and directed them instead to General Education and entry-level courses for non-majors. Whether we teach at the K-12, community college, or four year level, as history educators we face a common question: What is our purpose in history education? What do we want students to gain from the study of history? Chaired by Lendol Calder (Augustana Coll.), the session featured speakers Daniel J. McInerney (Utah State Univ.), Sarah Elizabeth Shurts (Bergen Community Coll.), and Louis Rodriquez (Kutztown Univ.).
2016 Tuning Core Document
The Tuning Project's History Discipline Core is a statement of the central habits of mind, skills, and understanding that students achieve when they major in history. The document reflects the iterative nature of the tuning process. The most recent version was published in November 2016.
#AHATuningAnnual Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses
What kind of learning should an introductory history course entail in the 21st century? How can introductory history courses support student learning and success across the curriculum? Since 2015, the AHA and local partners have held a two-day conference on college-level introductory history courses to address these and other questions.
Resources from the conference, including recordings of presentations, discussions and recommended readings, are available here.