How to Register
To register for HIST 498, email the instructor for permission (email addresses are indicated below for the instructor for each section). The instructor can then give permission by email to the academic advisor, Paloma Boykin boykin1@arizona.edu, to enroll you in the course.
Capstone Options for Spring 2026
HIST 498: "Seeing History"
Prof. Susan Crane (scrane@arizona.edu)
In Person: T, 2-4:30pm
The past is what happened. History is what we write about. Scholars who are enabled with sight have used that sensory tool to investigate the past, whether to read primary sources or to write about them. This seminar will focus on the experience of vision and how it shapes our historical consciousness. How have visual sources served to illuminate our understanding of the past? How can scholars responsibly use visual historical evidence as more than illustration for interpretations of the past? Students will choose which types of visual sources they want to conduct research on (i.e. photography, film, video, art, advertising, propaganda, or material culture objects) and forms of visual culture from any era (i.e. print media, museums, world’s fairs, ruins, quilts, photo albums…the list is virtually endless and open to creative interpretation, with the approval of the instructor). Final projects may take the form of writing or alternative modes of production, with content forming approximately 25 pages of scholarship based on research.
**Honors History majors may enroll for Honors credit (HIST496H)
HIST 498: "Travelers & Cross-cultural Encounters in World History"
Prof. Dick Eaton (reaton@arizona.edu)
In Person: MW, 3-4:15pm
The culmination of the history major, History 498 allows students to pursue in depth the research interests and skills they have developed in other history classes. This research seminar for majors teaches students to organize, research, and write a substantial paper that actively engages primary evidence with secondary scholarship. Specifically, you will
- formulate a research question
- generate an annotated bibliography of secondary sources
- analyze secondary sources for background to situate your analysis of the primary source
- prepare drafts and a final, revised research paper
HIST 498: "The Global Middle Ages"
Prof. Paul Milliman (milliman@arizona.edu)
Fully Online
TBD
In this course you will research a topic of your choice on some aspect of the history of the world during the Middle Ages (roughly 300-1600 CE). The main assignment for this course is a substantial research project on your chosen topic using both primary and secondary sources. The form in which you present your research is up to you. You may write a traditional 20-page research paper, if you want. But, I encourage you to be creative. Think about alternative media (e.g. digital, gamer, maker, reenactment, etc.) and / or genres (e.g. lesson plans, historical fiction, cookbook, illustrated children’s book, graphic novel, etc.). For example, in HIST 207 I have students present their research in the form of a choose-your-own-adventure game using Twine, and in HIST 405C I have students create a digital cookbook using Adobe Express. You will hone your research and writing skills throughout the semester by actively participating in online discussions, constructively critiquing your classmates’ work in peer review, producing short writing assignments, sharing your findings in presentations, and revising, revising, revising. You will also have five individual meetings with me via Zoom.