Princeton University Department of History

Princeton University Department of History
Type Private
Parent institution
 Princeton University
Dean Keith Wailoo
Academic staff
 Approximately 60 faculty members
Students Approximately 200 undergraduate students and 130 graduate students[1][2]
Location Princeton, New Jersey
Website history.princeton.edu

The Princeton University Department of History is an academic department of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The department is one of the most prestigious and widely recognized history departments in the country, offering coursework at the undergraduate and graduate level in numerous fields and subfields.[3] The department is home to approximately 60 faculty members, many of whom teach courses in other departments as well. The 2018 U.S. News & World Report ranked the department as No. 1 in the United States, tied with Stanford University and Yale University.[4]

History

Initial coursework for the history curriculum was established in 1871 with courses on the philosophy of history and political science.[5] The first faculty member to have the title of Professor of History was Charles Woodruff Shields, from 1869 to 1882. Eventual president Woodrow Wilson founded the Department of History, Politics, and Economics in 1904.[6] Winthrop More Daniels became the first chairman of the new Department.

Economics branched off in 1913, Politics in 1924.[7] Interest in the History in the Philosophy of Science emerged in the 1930s, making the now History of Science program one of the oldest in the country.[8] The program was officially established in the 1960s by Professor Charles Coulston Gillispie.

The department launched The Papers of Thomas Jefferson project in December 1943, which aims to prepare the "definitive scholarly edition of the correspondence and papers written by America's author of the Declaration of Independence and third president."[9] As of 2017, the program has published 43 volumes of documents written to or by Thomas Jefferson.[10]

In 1968, Shelby Cullom Davis, Class of '30, gave $5,000,000 to the department in order "to assure the continuance of excellence in scholarship and the teaching of history at Princeton University."[11][12] With these funds, the department established the Davis Center for Historical Studies. The center hosts weekly seminars, conferences, and a cohort of postgraduate students each year. In 1969, Dr. Nancy Weiss Malkiel became the first woman to join the Department of History.[13]

In 2015, a $5,000,000 gift from John P. Birkelund, Class of '52, established the Program in History and the Practice of Diplomacy at the University. The interdisciplinary program combines coursework in history, politics, and other social sciences in order to aid in preparation "for careers in governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that preserve stability and improve lives around the world."[14]

Nine Princeton historians to date have served as president of the American Historical Association: William Milligan Sloane in 1911, Dana Carleton Munro in 1926, Thomas J. Wertenbaker in 1947, Julian P. Boyd in 1964, Robert Roswell Palmer in 1970, and Joseph Strayer in 1971, Gordon A. Craig in 1982, Natalie Zemon Davis in 1987, and Anthony Grafton in 2011.[15][16]

Academics

The Department of History offers a diverse array of coursework and opportunities for research. Students are able to take courses in other departments, such as Politics, Classics, East Asian Studies, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Undergraduate

Undergraduate students who concentrate in History can earn an A.B. degree and are able to choose from over forty different undergraduate courses each year.[17][18] Additionally, undergraduates can showcase their research in the biannual publication of the Princeton Historical Review.[19] Like all undergraduates at Princeton, history concentrators are required to complete a senior thesis based on original research.

Graduate

The graduate program in history prepares students for a career as professional researchers and historians. Each year, the department receives approximately 400 applications and enrolls a cohort of 20-25 students each year. Upon passing the requirements of the program, students are offered a Ph.D. in History or a Ph.D. in History of Science. Alumni of the program often progress to careers in academia, including at Harvard University, Yale University, or Stanford University, as well as in law, government, and business.[20] In the 2018-2019 academic year, approximately 8.6% of applicants were accepted into the program.[21]

Rankings

The Department of History is ranked consistently as one of the premier institutions for the study of history in the country and in the world. [22][23][24][25] U.S. News & World Report college rankings places the department at No. 1 in the United States.[26] The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the National Research Council rankings which ranks Princeton as No. 1 on its Research rank; No. 1 on its S-Rank for its scholars; and No. 2 on its R-Rank for its quality based on faculty reviews.[27] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranks the department at No. 7 in the world.[28]

Research

The department maintains a number of affiliations with a number of centers and research institutes.

Global History Lab

The Global History Lab allows scholars to discuss their research at monthly workshops, take courses in the discipline of global history, and conduct individual research projects with faculty. The program aims "to study the histories of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas in international perspectives."[33] The department has also created an edX-run massive open online course (MOOC).[34] The founding director of the Global History Lab is Jeremy Adelman, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History.

Shelby Cullom Davis Center

The Davis Center for Historical Studies, known also as the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, is designed to foster research on specific themes and topics through its weekly seminars, conferences, and workshops. Emphasis is placed on an interdisciplinary approach to studying the past in a multitude of geographical areas and periods.[35] Founded in 1869, the center offers a number of professorships and fellowships for exceptional scholars.

Notable faculty

Faculty members are known for their scholarly achievements, teaching, and award-winning research. Five faculty members of the Department have won Macarthur "Genius Grants":[36]

Several people associated with the department have also won Pulitzer Prizes:

Additional faculty members include:

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Enrollment Statistics". Princeton University.
  2. ↑ "University Enrollment Statistics". Princeton University.
  3. ↑ "Princeton University: Department of History".
  4. ↑ "Best Graduate History Programs". U.S. News & World Report.
  5. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "The Department of History". A Princeton Companion.
  6. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "The Department of History". A Princeton Companion.
  7. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "The Department of History". A Princeton Companion.
  8. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "Program in History and Philosophy of Science,". A Princeton Companion.
  9. ↑ "Home". The Papers of Thomas Jefferson.
  10. ↑ "Our Volumes". The Papers of Thomas Jefferson.
  11. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "A Princeton Companion".
  12. ↑ "The Davis Center for Historical Studies".
  13. ↑ "Nancy Weiss Malkiel Junior Faculty Fellows Announced". The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
  14. ↑ "Birkelund gift funds new certificate program in history and diplomacy; Kotkin, Mullen to co-direct". Princeton University.
  15. ↑ Leitch, Alexander. "The Department of History". A Princeton Companion.
  16. ↑ "Birkelund Gift Funds New Certificate Program in History and Diplomacy; Kotkin and Mullen to Co-direct". History and the Practice of Diplomacy.
  17. ↑ "Undergraduate".
  18. ↑ "Undergraduate Courses".
  19. ↑ "Princeton Historical Review".
  20. ↑ "Placement Upon Graduation".
  21. ↑ "Admission Statistics". Princeton University, Graduate School.
  22. ↑ "USA Today".
  23. ↑ "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016 - History".
  24. ↑ "2018 Best History Colleges in the U.S."
  25. ↑ "Graduate Program Rankings".
  26. ↑ "Best Graduate History Programs". U.S. News and World Report.
  27. ↑ "Doctoral Programs by the Numbers". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  28. ↑ "World University Rankings 2018 by subject: arts and humanities".
  29. ↑ "Shelby Cullom Davis Center".
  30. ↑ "Global History Lab".
  31. ↑ "Center for Collaborative History".
  32. ↑ "Birkelund gift funds new certificate program in history and diplomacy; Kotkin, Mullen to co-direct". Princeton University.
  33. ↑ "Global History Lab".
  34. ↑ "Global History Lab". edX.
  35. ↑ "Shelby Cullom Davis Center". Princeton University Department of History.
  36. ↑ Silk, Mark. "The Hot History Department". The New York Times.

Coordinates: 40°20′54″N 74°39′17″W / 40.34835°N 74.65467°W / 40.34835; -74.65467

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