College of Staten Island History Department

College of Staten Island History Department The History Department at the College of Staten Island, CUNY The department offers a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in History.

Its courses combine the traditional function of the scholarly examination of the past for its value in general education with the utilitarian concern for preparing students with the basic skills to enable them to live more meaningfully. It seeks to train future historians, to update the teaching of history by secondary school teachers, and to provide opportunities for lifelong education. History m

ay also be taken as a minor. Professor Susan Smith-Peter is the current Chair of the Department. Professor John Dixon coordinates the Master’s degree program in History, and Professor David Traboulay coordinates the interdisciplinary Master’s degree program in Liberal Studies. The directors of two interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree programs reside in the History Department. They are Professor Emmanuel Mbah, of African and African Diaspora Studies, and Professor Catherine Lavender, of American Studies.

05/21/2026

Listen as Public History student Anthony Di Marco talks about his exciting internship this semester at the Federation of Italian-American Organizations (FIAO) of Brooklyn – congratulations on your upcoming graduation, Anthony!

Professor Susan Smith-Peter gave a talk on the polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, a Russian version of Benjamin Franklin. Plea...
05/08/2026

Professor Susan Smith-Peter gave a talk on the polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, a Russian version of Benjamin Franklin. Please click on the link to see the full lecture.

Discover why Mikhail Lomonosov personifies the transition from old Russia to the new Petrine era, and how he transformed Russia's approach to science. 💗 DON...

Always great to get a shout out! Glad to hear our students are doing so well at Historic Richmond Town.
05/03/2026

Always great to get a shout out! Glad to hear our students are doing so well at Historic Richmond Town.

April is National Volunteer Month, and we’re celebrating the incredible people who bring our museum to life! Meet Mariam and Alexander, two of our dedicated museum docents who help make every visit more meaningful. Through their engaging gallery tours, they share the stories, history, and hidden details that make our Historic Museum such a special place. Next time you visit, be sure to join one of their tours, you might just see the past in a whole new way! Join us in thanking Mariam and Alexander for their passion, time, and commitment. We couldn’t do it without you!

Join us next Friday, April 24 for a (Zoom) lecture by Dr. Emily Neumeier, our guest at the History Department Lecture Se...
04/18/2026

Join us next Friday, April 24 for a (Zoom) lecture by Dr. Emily Neumeier, our guest at the History Department Lecture Series! A link to the registration page is in the comments. See you there!

Prof. Susan Smith-Peter will be giving a talk on zoom titled "Mikhail Lomonosov: The Misremembered Hero" at the Russian ...
03/31/2026

Prof. Susan Smith-Peter will be giving a talk on zoom titled "Mikhail Lomonosov: The Misremembered Hero" at the Russian History Museum in Jordanville, NY, on April 18 at 1. Lomonosov is famous to Russians, but less so to Americans. He is the Russian equivalent of Ben Franklin - i.e., someone everybody knows. All are welcome!
https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/event/mikhail-lomonosov/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ4sORleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEecMeTmOW5oSiozVcktC0zv-jil0UgYZVaFUUsxtaGf9uooiIKkNp4nrW885Q_aem_1notQOPhJjNq1xvw2mnPJA

Mikhail Lomonosov: The Misremembered Hero An online lecture with Dr. Susan Smith-Peter The lecture will discuss how Mikhail Lomonosov, the 18th century polymath and poet, turned into a culture hero. A culture hero personifies the transition from one era to another, in this case from old Russia to ne...

Join us this Friday, March 13 at 5pm to learn about our History MA and Public History Certificate Programs – turn your l...
03/09/2026

Join us this Friday, March 13 at 5pm to learn about our History MA and Public History Certificate Programs – turn your love of history into an exciting career! Register for this Zoom session by scanning the QR code or click the link in comments. We look forward to seeing you there!

Professor Susan Smith-Peter drove across the country and donated her family's papers to the Casper College Western Histo...
11/11/2025

Professor Susan Smith-Peter drove across the country and donated her family's papers to the Casper College Western History Center (WHC) in Casper, Wyoming. The journey retraced the movement west of the Demorest family from Staten Island to Omaha in the 1870s and then to Casper. Here, Prof. Smith-Peter is with WHC archivist Hanz Olsen. She's holding a photograph of her great-grandmother, Grace Demorest Smith Rafferty, who was about the age in the photo when she came to Casper with her family in 1885, where her father opened one of the first businesses in Casper, the Demorest Home Restaurant.
Students in the Advanced Certificate in Public History at CSI arranged and described the archive and their finding aids will be used as a basis for the official finding aid.
The WHC plans to use the collection for online exhibits, presentations, and for student research.

CUNY Cultural Corps is an incredible internship program, perfect for undergraduate History students. The program will ru...
10/30/2025

CUNY Cultural Corps is an incredible internship program, perfect for undergraduate History students. The program will run this spring, offering students experience in institutions across NYC.

Visit the Cultural Corps website to learn more and apply today. Applications will close tomorrow, October 31st.

History lovers, get ready! After more than a decade, Professor Ivison’s “Early Medieval Travelers” returns in Spring 202...
10/23/2025

History lovers, get ready! After more than a decade, Professor Ivison’s “Early Medieval Travelers” returns in Spring 2026!
Journey across medieval worlds — from the Mediterranean to Asia and beyond — through the eyes of pilgrims, merchants, and explorers.
HST 320 -Topics in Ancient and Medieval History (taught as Early Medieval Travelers)
Tuesdays 6:30–9:50pm
Seats WILL fill fast, register early!

This week, Professor Susan Smith-Peter and Public History student Paula Farias Teran joined Terry Mares, host of the CSI...
10/17/2025

This week, Professor Susan Smith-Peter and Public History student Paula Farias Teran joined Terry Mares, host of the CSI Today Talks podcast. They discussed the Public History programs, its origins, and its opportunities around the metropolitan area.

Listen here:

Education Podcast · Updated Weekly · The official podcast of the College of Staten Island, part of The City University of New York. CSI Today Talks explores the latest news stories with in-depth interviews with campus newsmakers and pers…

Address

2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, NY
10314

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/csi_history

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