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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
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.”
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 experience of empire in the modern world and the writing of its history in the ancient world are intertwined. Which ancient empires receive scholarly attention? How are those empires’ histories told—and do those histories change when we reflect on lessons from modern colonialism? In this course, we look at the Achaemenids and the Seleucids in Western and Central Asia as well as Carthage in Northern Africa and Western Europe to situate Classical Athens and the Roman empire within the history of ancient empires in the latter half of the first millennium BCE. Major themes will include ethnicity and identity among imperial elites, citizenship as power, and economic institutions as means of territorial control.
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, parks, monuments, podcasts, op-eds, maps, and more as sites of historical inquiry, memory, and knowledge production. We will think critically about what it means to craft place-based and environmental history narratives for a “public” audience. Throughout the semester, we will also consider the following questions: Who counts as a historian? To whom are historians responsible when they conduct archival research and craft narratives? What makes history in/accessible? Who are the actors in environmental history (humans, or also non-human animals and plants)? This course will also reconsider what it means to write place-based histories by incorporating site visits (including a park, an archive, and a museum) into our coursework.
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 prevent the worst? Is a cold peace even possible? This course critically examines the history of U.S.-China relations from 1949 to 2025, exploring the key diplomatic, economic, military, social, and ideological developments that have shaped bilateral ties. Beginning with early Cold War hostility (1949–1972), the Korean War (1950–1953), and the prolonged diplomatic estrangement (1953–1972), the course traces pivotal moments such as Nixon’s historic rapprochement (1972-1979), the cautious engagement of normalization (1979–1989), China’s economic rise and global integration (1990s–2008), and the evolving tensions of interdependence often described as ‘One Bed, Two Dreams’ (2008–present), shifting security dilemmas, and ongoing trade and technological competition. Special attention will be given to the contemporary landscape of strategic containment, rivalry, and the price of competition and cooperation. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students will analyze primary sources, academic literature, government reports, and firsthand accounts to assess how U.S.-China relations have evolved within a broader global context. Discussions will engage with pressing issues, including military tensions in the Indo-Pacific, economic decoupling, and the future trajectory of the bilateral relationship in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.
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 visions of world order in the aftermath of World War II. We trace Europe's transformation from wartime devastation to division along the Iron Curtain, analyzing the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the Berlin Crisis and construction of the Berlin Wall, and the development of distinct political, economic, and social systems in East and West. Topics include Marshall Plan reconstruction, Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe, European integration movements, popular uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, détente and Ostpolitik, dissident movements and human rights activism, and the cultural dimensions of ideological competition. Through primary sources, scholarship, and film, we examine how ordinary Europeans experienced life under surveillance states, consumer capitalism, and the constant threat of nuclear conflict. The course concludes by analyzing the peaceful revolutions of 1989, German reunification, and the Cold War's lasting impact on contemporary European politics, from EU expansion to current tensions with Russia.
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 body. But what makes these images “scientific”? Why aren’t they just a work of art? In this course students will examine the history of scientific images from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. We will investigate: When did science begin to value the use of images? What purpose were scientific images meant to serve? How have technologies of production changed over time? Students will uncover who the creators of scientific images are and examine how image-making has redirected the course of knowledge. The class is addressed to anyone interested in history, art, culture, and the sciences.
HIST 2690 History of Terrorism (ALC-AS, HST-AS) (HEU) Tuesday and Thursday: 11:40-12:55 plus discussion Professor Claudia Verhoeven This lecture course examines approaches to the study of terrorism, especially in the global north. It will cover 1) the history of terrorism as it developed over the course of the modern era (in the process distinguishing terrorism from other forms of modern political violence, e.g. partisan warfare, state terror, etc.) and 2) the ways terrorism has been perceived, presented, and remembered by contemporaries and subsequent generations. Questions, therefore, will include the following: How has terrorism been approached by political theory, history, literature, etc.? How have these approaches constructed terrorism as an object of scientific investigation? How were terrorists perceived and represented by their contemporaries (in the press, literature, the arts)? How did terrorists represent themselves (in political pamphlets, autobiographies, fiction)? Readings will include archival materials, manifestos, memoirs, and novels, as well as classic pieces of political writing (e.g. Lenin, Schmitt, Arendt).
HIST 2353 Civil Rights vs. Human Rights in the Black Freedom Struggle (also AMST 2353, ASRC 2353) (HST-AS) (HNA) Monday and Wednesday: 2:55-4:10 plus Independent Research Professor Russell Rickford This course explores the changing meaning of American freedom and citizenship in the context of the long struggle for black liberation. Relying on social and political history, it confronts the promise, possibilities, and limitations of civil rights and human rights in the twentieth century. We examine various “rights” discourses and their role in reconfiguring our legal landscape and cultural mores, molding national and group identity, bestowing social and moral legitimacy, shaping and containing political dissent, reinvigorating and redefining the egalitarian creed, and challenging as well as justifying the distribution of wealth and power in the U.S. We examine the attempts of subjugated groups to transcend narrow social definitions of freedom, and we confront the question of formal political rights versus broader notions of economic justice in a national and international context.
The Moldovan people still have a very clear memory of what life was like as a Soviet republic, says professor Cristina Florea after the pro-EU party decisively won a parliamentary election there.
This month’s featured titles include the latest by a National Book Award winner and a classical history of Jewish resistance to Rome.
Historian Peidong Sun began her new book “Unfiltered Regard for China: French Perspectives from Mao to Xi” amid profound personal upheaval: An exit ban from China and a move to France.
Tune in to the recent grads behind Sisters Who Watch—which covers everything from reality TV to the Super Bowl and beyond: A&S graduate Shelby Holland '18 and her sister Laura Holland ’22.
The Einaudi Center welcomes the Southwest Asia and North Africa Program and four new program directors this fall.
The co-author of Forever Faithful reminisces about the star goalie as a player, a writer, a sports-safety activist, and a man.
Ken Dryden ’69, the legendary Cornell men’s hockey goaltender who still holds the program record for career wins (76) and backstopped the Big Red to its first national championship in 1967, died of cancer Sept. 5.
The massive display of new military power by the Chinese this week served several purposes, says military historian David Silbey.
Best-selling writer and technology blogger Cory Doctorow will make the A.D. White Professor-at-Large program’s second dual-campus visit, ending his week at Cornell Tech in New York City. Four other professors will visit Cornell this fall.
Science fiction author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow will visit Cornell Sept. 11-19 as an A.D. White Professor at Large, taking part in several events on campus and in the community..
Jeremy Schneider, History
Talia Prussin, History
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
Barry Strauss ’74 shines a light on the resilience the Jews of Judea showed in their rebellion against the Romans.
The David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement awarded nine grants to a diverse array of projects that connect classroom learning with hands-on collaboration.
This month’s featured titles include a look at the world’s first advice column, self-help for parents, and a scholarly book on Venezuela.
Jerry Elbaum ’61, JD ’64, founded the organization that mounts bovine-themed public art shows in cities around the globe
As a final project, a popular course on Cornell history lets students create miniature time capsules for future generations.
A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts — and how you can support your alma mater through "Cornell Matters."
This summer marks the 80th anniversary of the “official” end of World War II, but a new book co-edited by Ruth Lawlor, assistant professor of history, extends the war’s timeline back to 1931 and into the mid-1950s.
A research project collecting records of freedom-seeking enslaved people in the pre-Civil War U.S. came to a halt in early May.
History professor David Silbey points out restrictions on and risks of using active-duty military to respond to protests.
Projects spanned topics from Confederate cemeteries to Korean textiles.
The Centennial Medal recognizes alumni who have made fundamental and lasting contributions to knowledge, their disciplines, their colleagues and society
Among those being recognized for exceptional teaching and mentorship this year are faculty members Begüm Adalet, Claudia Verhoeven, and Marcelo Aguiar.
Hyrum Edwards is a Robert S. Harrison College Scholar who also majored in history, Jewish studies & Near Eastern studies.
Tuesday's meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the White House yielded “mixed outcomes” that fell short of a substantial reset of relations between the U.S. and Canada, says scholar Jon Parmenter.
Aidan Black is a history major.
The Cornell Center for Social Sciences has awarded spring Seed Grants and the inaugural Grant Preparation Funds to support impactful social science research. Faculty can now apply for up to $115,000 in funding, with the next deadline approaching on June 1.
The Long Island community of Massapequa is getting support from President Donald Trump for refusing to change its school mascot from Native American imagery, despite a state mandate, a fascinating example of self-indigenization says historian Jon Parmenter
Cornell experts Bryn Rosenfeld and David Silbey comment on a 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine starting May 8, declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.
HIST 2325 The Athenian Empire: Athenian History, 600 to 300 BCE (HST-AS) Monday and Wednesday: 8:40-9:55 Professor Talia Prussin This course focuses on the rise and fall of the Athenian empire, beginning with its roots in the late Archaic period, continuing through its height in the mid-fifth century BCE, and ending with the city’s transformation into an oligarchy under Alexander the Great’s Successors. Topics include the development of Athenian democracy, the institutions of the Athenian empire, and the experience of non-Athenians under Athenian rule. Attention will be paid to the particular strengths and weaknesses of the ancient evidence for Athenian history, introducing students to the use of Greek inscriptions, coins, and material culture in the writing of ancient history.
HIST 2369 Race, the Nation, & American Outdoor Recreation (also SHUM 2369) (HST-A., SCD-AS) (HNA) Tuesday and Thursday: 1:25-2:40 Dr. Amanda Martin This class will explore how access to the outdoors has been impacted by social inequalities related to race, class, and gender throughout U.S. history. The idea of “the outdoors” and its synonyms (whether “wilderness” or “nature”) has sustained lasting cultural resonance in the United States. Since the nineteenth century’s development of American Romanticism, “nature”—or the idea of a landscape not manipulated by humans—has become a powerful cultural symbol and one of the nation’s most cherished attributes. However, this course will examine how this strong reverence for natural places in the United States has been overlaid by racist ideologies.
Historian Mary Beth Norton found the perfect confluence of interests in a London periodical published from 1691-97 that answered readers’ questions about love and marriage.
Cornell experts comment on the legacy of Pope Francis, who died on Monday, marking the end of a historic papacy.
On April 18, this collection of migrant experiences will be presented to the public in a daylong symposium at the A. D. White House.
THE HISTORY MAJOR REQUIREMENTS SHEET STUDENT’S NAME: ___________________________________________________ Student’s CUID: ____________________________________________________ 1) Students must complete (or be taking) two History courses before being admitted to the major. 2) Students must choose a History Advisor, meet and discuss a plan for successful completion of the major (fill out the chart below), and gain that advisor’s signature on both the Requirements Sheet and Application before submitting these to the main office. 3) 9* History Department courses must be completed with a C or better. Courses taken for entry can be counted towards the nine required. *Many history courses will fulfill more than one of the following requirements. However, you must still take a total of NINE COURSES to complete the history major. FWS do not count towards major requirements. 4 courses from 5 world areas (HAN, HNA, HEU, HGS, HTR) Course # _____ Title:_______________________________ Area:______ _____ Title:_______________________________ Area:______ _____ Title:_______________________________ Area:______ _____ Title:_______________________________ Area:______ 3 courses in history before 1800 Course # _____ Title:_____________________________________ _____ Title:_____________________________________ _____ Title:_____________________________________ At least 2 seminars, one of which MUST BE a 4000-level (taken on Cornell Campus) Course # _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title_______________________________________ Other history courses Course # _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title:______________________________________ _____ Title:______________________________________ ADVISOR’S SIGNATURE: ________________________________________________________________ Date of Student and Advisor Meeting: __________________________________________________________
Columbia University's Khatchig Mouradian will give a lecture, “Ethnic Cleansing in the Long 19th Century: The Native American, Circassian, and Armenian Cases,” on April 24.
"My experiences with exploration pushed me to uncover new interests."
The drills, in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, serve three military purposes, says professor David Silbey.