Department of History

Overview

The Department of History offers minors and immersions that promote broad perspectives on human experiences, teach critical appraisal of primary and secondary sources, develop communication and writing skills, and enable you to make comparisons and draw contrasts across global historical perspectives—all skills that are essential in a wide variety of professions, including business, education, journalism, law, politics, and public service. We are a tight-knit department with faculty who have a wide variety of professional and scholarly interests, from the history of gender to the history of computing, from the history of Asia to the history of the United States, from the history of imperialism to the history of baseball.

Faculty in the department

History courses offered

Geographical and historical areas of study

Latest News

December 12, 2024

Designers leave nothing on the table during the Beyond Fashion showcase

Decked out with technicolor lights and vibrant animated displays, RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios soundstage became a runway last week during Beyond Fashion. The rainbow runway featured a diverse collection of garments and wearables crafted by local designers and RIT students across multiple disciplines.
December 2, 2024

WITR: Come for the music, stay for the community

Nestled in the basement of the Student Alumni Union, the WITR radio station space is a treasure trove of music, personalities, and nostalgia. The station and the music have greatly evolved since its first broadcast in 1961, but one thing has remained constant: the tight-knit network of students and alumni.
October 9, 2024

GCV&M offering new virtual tours of its historic village

Rochester First highlights the project put forth by Izzy Moyer '24 (museum studies), which will allow for student interns and co-ops to work across the museum’s departments.

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Featured Work and Profiles

Historians Put Today’s AI to Work to Better Understand the Past

From medical devices to economic forecasting tools to writing and editing assistants and more, artificial intelligence is playing a role in nearly every industry and activity of contemporary life, but...
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Graduate Exploring New Frontiers in Museum Studies Through Fulbright Award

Izzy Moyer Museum studies graduate Izzy Moyer returns to Croatia as a Fulbright awardee, leveraging her expertise with RIT's Multispectral Imaging System to support The State Archives and inspire future museum...
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Lecturer Empowers Voices of the Past in a Traveling Exhibition

Samaya Nasr RIT lecturer Samaya Nasr plays a pivotal role in an award-winning exhibition that highlights the often-overlooked narratives of diverse communities in the American West.
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Melissa Sagen

“My professors each encouraged my passion for film preservation in their own unique ways. It was meaningful to have that type of positivity and reassurance while I was discovering how I fit in and...
Read More about Melissa Sagen
Professor Receives Award for Her Book on Polio Survivors in France

Rebecca Scales Dr. Rebecca Scales, a history professor at RIT, has been awarded a Miller Fellowship for her groundbreaking book, “Polio and its Afterlives,” which explores the profound impact of polio on France's...
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Preserving Lost History

As an archivist, Kayla Jackson '18 is effectively restoring the lost history of the Black community in St. Paul, Minnesota by preserving and digitizing historical documents.
Read More about Preserving Lost History

Explore All

Faculty / Staff

Tamar Carroll

Department Chair

Rebecca Scales

Associate Professor

Juilee Decker

Professor

Peggy Noll

Senior Staff Specialist

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Undergraduate Programs

History BS (Accelerated dual degree available)

A history BS that will prepare you not only to become a historian, but also to succeed in fields as diverse as business, education, government, journalism, law, and public service.

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Museum Studies BS

In museum studies, you’ll learn how collections are built, curated, and interpreted and you will apply methods of exhibition and interpretation used in museums, archives, galleries, libraries, and public spaces including national parks.

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Minors and Immersions

History Immersion

The history immersion provides students with intensive study within the discipline of history. Students may choose to structure their immersion broadly, by choosing a wide range of historical topics to study, or narrowly, by choosing a particular area to study, such as American, European, or Asian history.

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History Minor

The history minor provides students with a foundation in the academic study of history. It serves as a complement to any professional degree, as historical study at the college level hones the skills that are important to any well-trained professional: namely, effective writing, critical analysis, engaged reading, and logical thinking. Students are free to shape the history minor to their liking, by choosing the geographic areas of historical study of most interest to them, such as American, European, or Asian, or by choosing the historical topic of most interest to them, such as transnational history, comparative history, war, business, race, or gender.

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Museum Studies Immersion

The immersion in museum studies introduces students to the history, theory, and practice of institutional collecting, exhibiting, storing, and preserving our cultural heritage in museums, archives, collections, galleries, and libraries. It also provides students with an introduction to public history, the technical investigation of art, the history and theory of exhibitions, and interactive design for museums.

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Museum Studies Minor

The museum studies minor provides students with a foundation in the history and practice of the museum as an institution and in the history, theory, and practice of collecting, exhibiting, and preserving the cultural heritage that defines the purpose and function of the museum. Courses cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to contemporary museology: the history of museums and collecting, the technical study of art and materials, the history and theory of exhibitions, interactive design, public history, the rise of the museum profession, legal and ethical concerns, and conservation.

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