Resources & Scholarships in History
We are committed to student success by providing a variety of support and resources to achieve your goals.
The Tools for Success
There are so many opportunities to share your research with a broader audience. Applying to undergraduate journals and conferences help you hone your writing and presentation skills, give you the chance to meet other history students, and–oh yeah–build those resumes!
The Undergraduate Committee is committed to helping you make the most of such opportunities, and we’re happy to offer advice or serve as another set of eyes on a conference proposal, conference paper, presentation, or undergraduate journal submission.
Find out about the generous scholarship opportunities for history students and student success resources available at the department, college, and university levels. Email the History Department for more information!
For Undergraduate Students
Eligibility:
- Resident from Itawamba County, Mississippi focusing on Southern history or Southern literature.
This scholarship is named for Dr. Elmo Howell (1918-2013), a native of Itawamba, MS, who received his B.A. degree from the university in 1940 and went on to earn his M.A. & Ph.D. from the Univ. of Florida. In retirement, Dr. Howell wrote on literature and history; he published three travel guides to the State of Mississippi and several volumes of poetry.
Eligibility:
- Must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A. on all courses.
- Female resident of Yalobusha, Calhoun, Lafayette, or Grenada Counties.
- Major in Classics, English, History, Mathematics, Modern Languages, or Physics.
This scholarship was established in 2004 by the estate of Miss Harriet Jackson, a UM graduate & long-time Latin & French teacher at UM, to honor her mother, Mrs. Hattie Talbert Burke Jackson (1868-1917), of Water Valley
Awarded to one rising senior history major. The department’s top honor.
Eligibility:
- 3.5 GPA overall (36 hours minimum, at least 15 hours in residence)
- 3.5 GPA in History
- [Larry Givens award winner ineligible]
This award memorializes Auvergne Williams (1887-1980), of Eupora, Mississippi, who received a BA in 1907 from UM in Science, Literature and Art before being admitted to the bar in MS in 1911 and practicing law. While a UM student, he served as the historian of the sophomore class and was recognized with an award for oration.
Awarded up to three rising junior history majors.
Eligibility:
- 3.5 GPA overall (36 hours minimum, at least 15 hours in residence)
- 3.5 GPA in History
- 15 hours of total History credit and 9 hours at the 300-level or above.
This scholarship fund was established by Virgil and Maxine Givens of Effingham, IL, in memory of their son, Larry (1941-1990), who taught Latin American history at the university from 1970 until his death in 1990.
Eligibility:
- Awarded for the best paper in Southern history and literature by undergraduate and graduate students.
This award memorializes Col. John W. Odom (1842-1906), of DeSoto County, who fought in the Civil War and served in the Miss. House of Representatives (1884) and in the constitutional convention (1890) after the war.
For Graduate Students
The John Neff Memorial Fund provides an annual fund that supports the academic work of the department’s graduate students, as well as their contributions to the intellectual life of the university and local community.
Information about requirements and eligibility, the application form, and the required post-receipt report form can be found below.
Eligibility:
- awarded to a graduate student researching Southern History.
This scholarship was named in honor of Dr. Charles Reagan Wilson (1948-), of Nashville, TN, who taught at the university from 1981-2014, where he focused on Southern history and memory.
Eligibility:
- $7,500 + tuition waiver awarded to a graduate student writing a dissertation related to the Civil War era.
Eligibility:
- U.S. citizen or national.
- Award up to $24,000 for two years of study toward master’s degree.
- Required participation in the James Madison Foundation’s Summer Institute on the Constitution at Georgetown University.
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation provides a college senior who intends to become a secondary-school American history, American government, or social studies teacher and who wishes to pursue a master’s degree (not Ph.D) in the field of American history, political science, or education. One fellow will be chosen from each state based on the student’s legal residence through a nationally administered competition.
Eligibility:
- $250 awarded for the best undergraduate paper.
This award memorializes Franklin L. Riley, Jr. (1868-1929), the first history professor at UM, where he taught from 1897- 1914. The 1914-1915 yearbook was dedicated to him as one ‘who never spoke but to inspire.’ Dr. Riley was credited with resuscitating the state’s historical society and was instrumental in establishing the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Eligibility:
- $750 awarded for the best non-thesis graduate paper.
This award was named in honor of two history graduate students, L. C. Tennin III of Jackson, MS and Antoine Alexander of Albany, Ga., who died in an automobile accident in November 2001.
Student Success Resources
Department of History
The Department of History provides a number of programs and services to support the success of our students. Here are a few examples:
- Writing Fellows
- Department workshops for professionalization and career preparation
- History seminar courses with primary research papers, an experience employers are seeking
- Field trips and department events to enhance history engagement
College of Liberal Arts
The Department of History is one of many outstanding departments in the College of Liberal Arts at UM. Therefore, students receive support from the CLA Office of Student Services, located nearby in George Hall.
University-Wide Resources
Our university supports students and encourages them to be involved on campus and beyond.
- Arts and culture experiences
- Get involved on campus and grow your leadership
- Opportunities to learn beyond the classroom
- Health and wellness resources
- Registration and Financial Aid assistance
- Student advocacy and support
- Technology and learning resources
History Writing Fellows
Writing Fellows are graduate students in history available to assist any undergraduate students enrolled history courses completely free of charge. They are able to help students at any stage of their outlining, drafting, revising, and editing process. Those seeking help with writing assignments should bring *all* of the assignment instructions, prompts, rubrics, and other relevant materials.
Undergraduates interested in these services can either drop-in during the Writing Fellows’ scheduled office hours or schedule an appointment at a time of their convenience. For more details on office hours and contact info, please reach out to your history instructor, or to the History Department’s main office (Bishop Hall 310, history@olemiss.edu, 662-915-7148).
Undergraduate Journals
In addition to sharing your work at undergraduate conferences, you may want to consider publishing your findings. Below you’ll find a list of several undergraduate journals you may want to consider.
The Crimson Historical Review is an undergraduate, peer-reviewed, research journal, staffed by undergraduate Honors students and History Majors. Submissions are welcome from all majors, but must deal with an historical topic. Submissions must be based on original, primary source research that engages with extant scholarship. Submissions must have been written in an undergraduate class or in a faculty-supervised independent study for credit, and must have the support of a faculty member. The Review publishes two issues yearly and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Proposals for themed and guest-edited issues are welcome. Please see the website for complete submission guidelines.
Website: https://crimsonhistorical.ua.edu/
Contact: crimsonhistorical@ua.edu
The Columbia Undergraduate Journal of History accepts nominations from professors of outstanding research papers produced by undergraduates. This is a great opportunity for undergraduate history students to have their work reviewed, edited, and potentially published. If there are any papers you feel may be worthy of publication or any senior theses of note, please send the names of the students and their contact information. From the nominated papers, the editors will select five to six articles to be published in the Journal, and the top three authors will be invited to the Herbert Aptheker Undergraduate History Conference at Columbia University to give talks on their research. The authors invited to the History Conference will also receive a small honorarium.
The Columbia Undergraduate Journal of History is currently accepting submissions for its 2017 issue. All current undergraduates are eligible to submit one 5000 to 7000 word historical research manuscript. All submissions must also include a professor or teaching assistant nomination, emailed separately to cuhc@columbia.edu. Please email all submissions to cuhc@columbia.edu as a Microsoft Word Document no later than January 15th, 2017. In order to maintain anonymity in the editorial process, the manuscript should contain no personally identifiable information.
Website: http://cujc.columbia.edu/
Contact: cuhc@columbia.edu
The undergraduate academic history journal Foundations is comprised of an undergraduate Editorial Board with an international Faculty Advisory Board, and they publish in association with the Department of History at Johns Hopkins University. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year and the summer.
Contact: foundations@jhu.edu
The Georgetown Journal of History is an academic journal run by undergraduates at Georgetown University, and entering its second year of publication. They publish undergraduate history work covering all regions and eras. Submissions are open to all majors, but must be historically-oriented. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm on January 15, 2017. Please see the website for full submission guidelines. Submissions should be emailed (in Microsoft Word format) to georgetownhistoryjournal@gmail.com
History Matters is an undergraduate history journal, published online annually by the Department of History at Appalachian State University. The journal is edited by undergraduates with the help of a faculty board. At History Matters, their goal is to publish the best undergraduate historical research possible. In doing so, they would like to provide an opportunity for top undergraduates from a variety of schools to be recognized for their work, familiarize them with the publishing process, and encourage student-faculty collaboration. They hope that all students who take part in this process will become better writers and self-editors. In all of their endeavors, they are committed to publishing the papers of students who have worked hard and deserve recognition. They are especially seeking research papers that utilize primary sources. Submissions are due in January.
Website: http://historymatters.appstate.edu/
The Journal of Undergraduate International Studies (JUIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites reflections on a wide range of academic and creative disciplines—from art to economics—from contributors worldwide. They seek to publish the best undergraduate work across the country related to international themes and topics including, but not limited to: international conflict and resolution, environmental issues, economics, development and trade, global security and international health. Submission deadlines come in the fall and spring. Our submissions generally range in length from 5 to 20 pages. Submissions must not have been published in any other publication. Recent graduates are also eligible to submit their work.
Website: http://juis.global.wisc.edu/
The Michigan Journal of History is excited to announce a call for submissions for our 2017 issue. Undergraduate students who have completed original research in any subfield of history are encouraged to apply. They are also happy to read papers that adopt a historical approach in anthropology, political science, law, international studies, area studies, ethnic studies, and gender and sexuality studies, and other related disciplines. Papers must be 10-30 pages (double-spaced) and cannot have been previously published. Please submit submissions to umhistoryjournal@gmail.com by January 20, 2017.
Website: umichjh.com
Contact: Questions, Dylan Nelson dylangn@umich.edu Submissions, umhistoryjournal@gmail.com
Report is a historical review that publishes the work of undergraduate students. They are expanding to include submissions from students at other colleges and universities. They encourage submissions from all undergraduates interested in historical research. Report is published both electronically and in booklet form during the spring and fall semesters. Please do not submit works already submitted to of published by other academic journals, and refer to the Chicago Manual of Style for citation guidelines and footnote form. Please include an email address and phone number with submissions. Contact the editors with any questions.
Website: https://westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/history/history-journal
Contact: Report.USMA@gmail.com
Synthesis is an undergraduate history of science journal based out of Harvard University and publishes work written by undergraduates in the fields of history of science, technology and medicine. As the only undergraduate journal for history of science in existence today, Synthesis is meant to provide a venue for collaboration between undergraduates across the country and the world who are interested and passionate about the history of science and surrounding fields.
Contact: Angelica Clayton- harvardsynthesis@gmail.com
Traces features the work of UNC graduate and undergraduate students, and was founded by Lawson Kuehnert and Mark W. Hornburg in 2011. Traces publishes original research by UNC students, book and film reviews, and essays on the historical profession. Sarah Miles and Emma Rothberg are the current graduate editors; Lacey Hunter and Max Conley currently serve as the undergraduate editors; and Max Owre is the faculty adviser.
Contact: skmiles@live.unc.edu
The Vanderbilt Historical Review (VHR) is the first and only journal of history at Vanderbilt, created in the spring of 2016 by a group of undergraduate students. The publication seeks to show the importance of studying the past through its semiannual publication. Topics may cover a wide range of disciplines, including economic, political, or cultural history. The editorial board leads a blind review process in which historically accurate, interesting, and creative articles are critiqued. In doing so, the journal provides a forum of academic debate over relevant historical questions.
Website: http://vanderbilthistoricalreview.com/
Contact: vanderbilt.historicalreview@gmail.com
The Yale Historical Review, a student-run publication that showcases excellent undergraduate history papers, would like to extend an invitation to your students who love history to submit papers they’ve written over the course of their college careers. Students who are interested in submitting can email their work in an attachment and a selection of papers will be published in our upcoming issue. Besides their basic information, they should include the name of the course for which the paper was written, the name of the professor, and their year in school. Submissions are usually due in October.
Contact: yalehistoricalreview@gmail.com