Gaza ceasefire is a resounding policy victory for Trump
The president's leadership was a key factor in getting the deal done, says professor emeritus Barry Strauss.
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The Department of History thrives on its close relationship with many other departments, centers and area studies programs in the humanities and social sciences at Cornell. The faculty includes more than a dozen prize-winning authors as well as winners of Cornell’s prestigious teaching and advising awards.
History Events
Oct
16
Thursday
02:00 PM
In the Neighborhood of Empire: Baku Communities After World War II
Kennedy Hall
461
Oct
17
Friday
12:20 PM
European History Colloquium: Holly Case
Sibley Hall
115
Nov
19
Wednesday
05:00 PM
Get to know history at Cornell
Department of History News
European History Colloquium - Holly Case
Professor Holly Case from Brown University will be speaking at the European History Colloquium on Friday, October 17 at 12:20 at 115 Sibley Hall. Her lecture is titled "Slurry to Melody: On Bela Balazs, or, How History Makes Order out of Chaos". For a copy of the paper, email: cf476@cornell.edu
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Cornell ‘Swifties’ bond over musical superstar 
The Cornell Swift Club will ring in a new Taylor Swift era with a late-night album release party for “The Life of a Showgirl.”
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HIST 4345 Ancient Empires: From Persia to Rome, 550 BCE to 14 CE
HIST 4345 Ancient Empires: From Persia to Rome, 550 BCE to 14 CE (also CLASS 4645, NES 4345) (HST-AS, SCD-AS) (HPE, HEU) Thursday: 2:00-4:30 plus Independent Research Professor Talia Prussin This seminar explores how ancient empires developed and were administered as well as how the experie...
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HIST 4243 Public History in Place: Interpreting the Environment
HIST 4243 Public History in Place: Interpreting the Environment (also SHUM 4243) (ALC-AS, HST-AS) (HNA) Tuesday: 2:00-4:30 plus Independent Research Dr. Amanda Martin This class moves beyond the traditional disciplinary confines of academic history to examine museums, archival collections,...
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HIST 4076 History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025
HIST 4076 History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025 (also ASIAN 4076, CAPS 4076) (HST-AS, SSC-AS) (HAN) Tuesday: 2:00-4:30 plus Independent Research Professor Peidong Sun How did the U.S. and China reach this precarious moment? Are they on the brink of a hot war, or can diplomacy still preve...
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HIST 3953 Cold War Europe
HIST 3953 Cold War Europe (GLC-AS, HST-AS) (HEU) Tuesday and Thursday: 2:55-4:10 plus Independent Research Professor Cristina Florea This course explores the Cold War's profound impact on Europe, examining how the continent became the primary battleground for competing ideologies and vision...
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HIST 2812 History of Scientific Images
HIST 2812 History of Scientific Images (also STS 2812) (HST-AS) (HEU) Tuesday and Thursday: 10:10-11:25 Professor Jeremy Schneider Science needs images. Natural history books contain drawings of plants and animals, physics books diagrams of atoms, and medical books depictions of the human b...
Read moreAcademic Pursuits
Undergraduate Study
History is valuable as preparation for graduate, professional, or law school and for any career that requires critical thinking and good writing; the reputation of the faculty for scholarship, teaching, and advising; and most of all, the intrinsic interest of the discipline.
Graduate Program
Cornell's Department of History has a topnotch faculty covering a wide range time periods, geographic regions and methodologies. As a student in our program, you will also be able to work with members of the wider Graduate Field of History, which includes scholars whose main appointment is in other colleges and programs at Cornell but who are able to supervise dissertations of Ph.D. students in History.
Connections through history
Public History Initiative
The Cornell Public History Initiative (CPHI) works to stimulate and deepen dialogue among undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and their wider communities about the sedimented histories that shape our contemporary world.