Department of History
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
John Monfasani, Ph.D., Columbia University (Distinguished O’Leary Professor)
Professors Emeriti
Allen B. Ballard, Ph.D., Harvard University (Collins Fellow)
Graham J. Barker-Benfield, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Iris Berger, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison (Collins Fellow, O'Leary Professor)
Ronald M. Berger, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Robert R. Dykstra, Ph.D., University of Iowa
June E. Hahner, Ph.D., Cornell University
Sung Bok Kim, Ph.D., Michigan State University (Collins Fellow, Distinguished Service Professor)
John F. Schwaller, Ph.D., Indiana University
Bruce B. Solnick, Ph.D., New York University
Robert F. Wesser, Ph.D., University of Rochester
Dan S. White, Ph.D., Harvard University
Lawrence S. Wittner, Ph.D., Columbia University
Joseph F. Zacek, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Professors
Alexander Dawson, Ph.D., Stony Brook University
Richard F. Hamm, Ph.D., University of Virginia (Collins Fellow)
Nadieszda Kizenko, Ph.D., Columbia University
H. Peter Krosby, Ph.D., Columbia University
Patrick Nold, D. Phil., Oxford University (Department Chair)
Gerald Zahavi, Ph.D., Syracuse University
Associate Professors Emeriti
Donald Birn, Ph.D., Columbia University
Richard H. Kendall, Ph.D., Yale University
Ivan D. Steen, Ph.D., New York University
Clara J. Tucker, Ph.D., Syracuse University
Ann F. Withington, Ph.D., Yale University
Associate Professors
Michitake Aso, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Carl Bon Tempo, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Sheila Curran Bernard, M.F.A, Goddard College
Richard S. Fogarty, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara (Collins Fellow)
Federica Francesconi, Ph.D., University of Haifa
Kori A. Graves, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
David P. Hochfelder, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Ryan Irwin, Ph.D., Ohio State University
Maeve Kane, Ph.D., Cornell University
Dmitri Korobeinikov, D. Phil., Ph.D., Oxford University, Russian Academy of Sciences
Christopher Pastore, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
Kendra Smith-Howard, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Michael Taylor, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Lecturer
Laura Wittern-Keller, Ph.D., University at Albany
Affiliated Faculty
David Agum, Ph.D., Temple University (Department of Africana Studies)
Alejandra Bronfman, Ph.D., Princeton University (Department of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies)
Anthony DeBlasi, Ph.D., Harvard University (Department of East Asian Studies)
Phillip B. Eppard, Ph.D., Brown University (College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering)
Peter Banseok Kwon, Ph.D., Harvard University (Department of East Asian Studies)
John D. Person, Ph.D., University of Chicago (Department of East Asian Studies)
Aaron Proffitt, Ph.D., University of Michigan (Department of East Asian Studies)
Adjuncts: 9
Teaching Assistants: 12
The objective of the Department is to provide its students with a thorough grounding in the past, seen from both social scientific and humanistic perspectives, and in the nature of history and historical analysis. The Department prepares undergraduates for a variety of career options that rely upon a sound liberal arts education, as well as for graduate study in both academic and professional fields.
To accomplish its objectives, the Department offers programs leading to the B.A., the M.A., the Certificate of Advanced Study in Public History, and the Ph.D. An honors program and a combined B.A./M.A. program are also available to qualified students. In addition, the Department participates in several interdepartmental programs, including Documentary Studies; Africana Studies; Asian Studies; Women’s Studies; Judaic Studies; Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies; Medieval and Renaissance Studies; and Russian and East European Studies.
Careers
The study of history prepares students for a variety of career paths, extending from fields such as law and education, to journalism and media ventures, and to business and government service. Faculty are available to consult with students about their career interests.
Special Programs or Opportunities
The department encourages its majors to participate in those international programs relevant to their particular historical interests. For more detailed information, see the section on the Office of International Education. The department also offers its undergraduate students opportunities for internships through A HIS 499.
Degree Requirements for the Major in History
General Program B.A.: a minimum of 36 credits in history distributed as follows:
- 12 credits of foundational coursework: three 100 level or 200 level courses, including one in U.S., one in European, and one in World History, plus one more 200 level course in any region
- 3 credits in the department's methods course, A HIS 395, The Historian’s Craft
- 18 credits of advanced coursework: three 300 level or 400 level courses in any region or topic, and three 300 level courses, including one in U.S., one in European, and one in World History
- 3 credits in the department's capstone course, A HIS 489Z, the Senior Research Seminar
Students must take at least one course at the 100 or 200 level in residence in the Department of History at the University at Albany (as part of the university-mandated overall major residency requirement of 18 credits).
Students should take the 12 credits of foundational coursework before taking advanced coursework at the 300 level or above.
Students must take A HIS 395 before taking A HIS 489Z.
History Honors Program
Each spring semester the Department of History admits qualified students into the honors program in history. The purpose of the honors program is to provide well-qualified students with close contact with faculty and intensive training in historical research and writing.
Students may be admitted to the program in the spring semester of their junior year after formally declaring a major in history. To be admitted, students must have completed 15 credits of course work in history (at least 6 of these credits must be at or above the 300 level and must have been earned at the University at Albany). In addition, students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 overall and an average in history of 3.50. Interested students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History for more information on the application process. Completed applications should be submitted no later than March 1st of the junior year.
Students admitted to the honors program are required to complete a minimum of 36 credits in history, fulfilling all the “Requirements for the Major” listed above. Within the 36 credits, the student must complete the three honors courses: A HIS 495Z, 496Z, and 498. Credits from A HIS 496Z replace the department’s capstone course, A HIS 489Z, for students who complete the honors program. Students complete the honors courses as follows:
- A HIS 498, Honors' Independent Research and Writing, 4 credits, taken during the fall of the student’s senior year under the supervision of a thesis adviser secured by the student.
- A HIS 495Z (fall semester) and 496Z (spring semester), Senior Honors Thesis Seminar, 4 credits each. This seminar will meet throughout the year under the supervision of a department faculty member and will offer students a small seminar format for learning about historical research and writing, as well as for sharing and critiquing their own work and that of others. By the end of the year each student will, in conjunction with this seminar, produce a thesis of 10,000 to 15,000 words based on original research.
Department faculty members will evaluate the students’ progress at the end of the spring semester senior year. Students will be judged eligible for graduation “with honors in history” based on the quality of their thesis as well as the satisfactory completion of all other curricular requirements with a grade point average of at least a 3.50 in history and 3.25 overall. Students selected to graduate “with honors in history” will be honored formally at the departmental graduation ceremony in May.
Combined B.A./M.A. Program
The combined B.A./M.A. program in history provides an opportunity for students of recognized academic ability and educational maturity to fulfill integrated requirements of undergraduate and master’s degree programs from the beginning of their junior year.
The combined program requires a minimum of 138 credits, of which at least 30 must be graduate credits. In qualifying for the B.A., students must meet all University and college requirements, including the requirements of the major program in history described above, the minor, the minimum 90-credit liberal arts and sciences, General Education, and residency requirements. In qualifying for the M.A., students must meet all University and college requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin, including completion of a minimum of 30 graduate credits and any other conditions, such as a research seminar, thesis, comprehensive examination, other professional experience, and residency requirements. Up to 12 graduate credits may be applied simultaneously to both the B.A. and M.A. programs.
A cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher and three supportive letters of recommendation from faculty, one of whom must be from the Department of History, are required for consideration. Students are admitted to the combined program upon the recommendation of the department’s Graduate Committee.
