Vassar College History Department

12/01/2025

Congratulations to Seth Tannenbaum (History alum, '08), Assistant Professor of Sport Studies at Manhattanville University, for the publication of his book Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark coming out in March 2026. (https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p089251)

11/17/2025

Please join us in congratulating Professor Lydia Murdoch for the publication of her book, What We Mourn: Child Death and the Politics of Grief in Nineteenth-Century Britain (UVPress, 2025).

How a new culture of bereavement changed the relationship of the Victorian state to its most vulnerable subjects When the Tory Member

11/17/2025

Congratulations to History major Kevin Rogoza who has won the 2025 North American Conference on British Studies Undergraduate Essay Prize for his paper “'I Refuse to Obey': British Conscientious Objectors' Resistance to Propaganda and Persecution During the First World War" (excerpted from his senior History thesis). (https://www.nacbs.org/news/2025-award-winners)

11/23/2024

Please join us in congratulating Isabelle Kaufman-Sikes (Izzy), class of 2025 and Lydia Murdoch. At its annual meeting, The North American Conference on British Studies awarded Izzy the Undergraduate Essay Prize for her paper “Local Disturbance or Revolutionary Movement: The British Response to the 1915 Singapore Mutiny in a Time of War,” which was written for Professor Lydia Murdoch's HIST 357 "The First World War." seminar). Well done, Izzy!

Announced earlier today at our annual meeting, the NACBS is thrilled to congratulate our 2024 grant, fellowship, and prize winners. Congratulations to the following awardees!!!

10/18/2024

The Poughkeepsie Public Library celebrates Lucy Maynard Salmon, Vassar's first history professor as well as a devoted member of the Poughkeepsie community. Countless history students have followed Professor Salmon's call to "go to the sources," especially under the guidance of Professor Emeritus Jim Merrell in the Lucy Maynard Salmon Chair. https://poklib.org/lucy-maynard-salmon-the-records-we-leave-behind/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF_k7hleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVVwLY0F5bqvra3iphT14DS4EnCvxZyEF3TBpUGOPKXqB4pZK7H2OuI2bg_aem_Ro0fQfz6740Y52BsOLpiZg

By Shannon Butler Studying history can be incredibly enlightening, while also full of holes and dead ends. Sometimes the records that we hope to come across in our research have actually been lost to time, and our questions go unanswered. Sometimes we need to look beyond the well known facts, and

09/12/2024

Assistant Professor of History, Tenure Track, Modern Central European and German history

The Department of History at Vassar College invites applications for a full-time tenure track position in Modern Central European and German history at the rank of assistant professor beginning August 2025. Any area of research in modern (nineteenth/twentieth century) Central European and German history is welcome. Candidates are expected to teach at least one course on the Holocaust. We encourage applications from candidates interested in participating in Vassar’s rich array of departments and multidisciplinary programs, such as International Studies. Teaching load in the first year is four courses; after that it is four courses plus a tutorial style “intensive,” which may include supervision of senior theses. Candidates must have the Ph.D. in History or related field in hand at the start of employment. Candidates should submit:
-A letter of application
-CV
-Writing sample (no more 40 pages)
-Graduate transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable for initial application)
-Teaching statement
-A statement highlighting contributions to or future plans for promoting diversity and inclusion through teaching, research, and other involvements (additional information can be found at: https://offices.vassar.edu/dean-of-the-faculty/positions/candidate-diversity-statement/)
-Three letters of recommendation

Applications should be addressed to the Modern Central European and German Search Committee Chair, Department of History, Vassar College and submitted online at: https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/4079. Address any questions to Ismail Rashid, Search Chair, at [email protected]. Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2024

Vassar is a highly selective, coeducational liberal arts college of about 2400 undergraduate students, located in the Hudson Valley, seventy-five miles north of New York City. Vassar stands upon the homelands of the Munsee Lenape. The College is located in Poughkeepsie, home to a culturally diverse community, and benefits from convenient commuter rail access to New York City. Vassar faculty are committed teachers/scholars who bring research and creative discovery to life for students in classrooms, labs, and studios and in individually-mentored projects. They teach broadly in the curricula of their departments, advise students, and serve on college-wide and departmental committees. The College maintains a generous leave policy, provides strong support for research, and encourages multidisciplinary approaches to teaching.

07/15/2024

Congratulations to Kathleen (Katie) McIntyre '01, associate professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Rhode Island, who has been named a Fulbright-García Robles Social Science and Humanities Scholar for 2024-25. She will be spending a year conducting research in Oaxaca. Well done!

https://www.uri.edu/news/2024/07/uris-kathleen-mcintyre-headed-to-mexico-on-a-fulbright-garcia-robles-award/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1SWIPew2i1_iRvSQ6S34W-jTiTn5MXiXC-ciDGxGpnlkfXf1qpoxMOEKc_aem_H9YrutN7T4Y02K1-8Ql5IQ

KINGSTON, R.I. – July 15, 2024 – University of Rhode Island associate professor Kathleen McIntyre, a historian of Latin America and department chair for gender and women’s studies, is heading to Mexico after being named a 2024 U.S. Fulbright-García Robles Social Sciences and Humanities Schola...

05/13/2024

Congratulations to Sarah Tahamont '04 on her recent promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland!

05/08/2024

The intensives allow us to think about History in exciting and imaginative ways. Professor Allison Puglisi's intensive on Dave the Potter is one such example where students were able to bring their creativity to historical thinking. HIST 340i explores the work of enslaved poet and potter David Drake. Drake--often called "Dave the Potter"--learned to read and write despite extreme restrictions on enslaved Africans’ literacy. Tasked with making large ceramic jugs, he often inscribed these pieces with poetry. Students explored the scholarly debates surrounding his work and created ceramic art projects, which engaged key themes in Black history and poetics.

We were privileged to have a showing here in Swift!

05/06/2024

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 for turning in their senior theses! You have been through so much and made it! Well done!