History Degree Shines Light on Alumna's Real Estate Business Career
Department of History
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.
Spotlight on History Alumni
A Career in Corporate Finance ~ How My History Degree Helped Me Get There
AHA Today, the blog of the American Historical Association
Popular Destinations
History Events
Mar
23
Monday
04:30 PM
European History Colloquium - Colin Jones
Mary Ann Wood Dr.
B21
Apr
07
Tuesday
02:00 PM
Apr
08
Wednesday
04:30 PM
European History Colloquium - Atina Grossmann
Mary Ann Wood
B21
Apr
09
Thursday
12:00 PM
Apr
09
Thursday
04:30 PM
European History Colloquium - Dan Edelstein
Mary Ann Wood
B21
Apr
10
Friday
09:00 AM
History News
HIST 1965 Introduction to African History
HIST 1965 Introduction to African History (HST-AS) (HIST-HGS)
Monday and Wednesday: 10:10-11:25 plus discussion
Professor Rachel Sandwell
This course will offer a broad overview of African history from the development of early human societies to the modern era, and a critical introduction to how historians approach the writing of African history. We will think about the origins of the discipline and field of African history, the politics of history writing, and the many sites of historical thinking outside the academy. We will consider major events in the continent’s history, including the emergence of early societies and states; religious transformations; innovations in agriculture; the development of regional and global trade systems; slavery; colonization and decolonization; and African intellectual and artistic productions. The course will familiarize students with methods, concepts, and debates that are central to the field of African history.
HIST 1631 Sex, Crime and the Courts in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800
HIST 1631 Sex, Crime and the Courts in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800 (HST-AS) (HIST-HEU, HIST-HPE)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:05-9:55
Professor Rachel Weil
Why did wives who killed their husbands in early modern Europe get charged not with murder but with petty treason? Did rape victims ever get justice? Why did the witch craze happen when it did? Were female thieves treated with more leniency than male ones? This course considers sexualized crimes, crimes against women, and crimes that women were thought to frequently perpetrate—rape, witchcraft, infanticide, prostitution, crimes against masters and husbands—to see how law interacts with gendered relations of power and the policing of sexuality. We will discuss the reasons why some crimes were associated with women, and learn to analyze primary sources like trial records, news and ballads, and criminal autobiography that reveal cultural assumptions and significance.
Cornell expert warns of strategic backfire, as oil shock looms
“In economic terms, this is already the largest oil supply shock ever," says historian Nicholas Mulder.
Student spotlight: Amorette Lyngwa
Amorette Lyngwa, a doctoral student in history with a focus on modern South Asia from Shillong, India, studies the urban and social history of Shillong through a community-focused perspective.
Cornell Center for Social Sciences names 2026-27 Faculty Fellows
The Cornell Center for Social Sciences has selected 10 faculty members, including several from A&S, as 2026–27 Faculty Fellows, providing course release and funding to support interdisciplinary social science research with real-world impact.
SM-6 missile strain raises strategic risks in wider conflict
Iran’s retaliation to the intensifying war may be swift, but the longer-term risks lie in how prolonged fighting could strain U.S. defenses and tempt rivals like China.
Little changing as Ukraine-Russia war drags toward Fifth year
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what’s notable is the lack of change in the last year, says David Silbey, a professor at Cornell University who specializes in military history and defense policy.