Students who select “Global and Transnational Histories” as their primary field or secondary field will normally be supervised by a co-chaired committee consisting of the two History graduate faculty supervising the first and second fields. (Adjunct faculty do not Chair or co-Chair History MA or PhD committees.) This is to ensure that the chronological, thematic, and geographical definitions of both fields remain reasonable, keeping in mind what can be accomplished within the timeframes for both the MA and PhD degrees. Applicants selecting this field as their primary field are encouraged to contact potential co-chairs early in the application process. Students already enrolled when selecting this field as either their third or fourth field for the PhD should consult the individual field adviser to design the chronological and thematic foci of the field.
Associated Faculty
Jordanna Bailkin
Professor, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor in HistoryGraduate Studies Description
Division: Europe--Medieval to Modern Times
Students may work with Professor Bailkin in modern British history. A field in British history would include the social, political, and cultural history of Britain (including Ireland) and Empire from the eighteenth century to the present. Students will develop subfields on major historiographical questions such as the development of the welfare state, race and immigration, urban identity, gender and the family, "four nations" approaches to British history, and the impact of decolonization on the metropole.
Required course work for a first field in modern British history includes completing HSTRY 590 as well as two supervised directed readings.
For those selecting modern Britain as a second field, HSTRY 590 is required, plus one supervised directed reading.
For those selecting modern Britain as a third or fourth field, HSTRY 590 is recommended. Depending on research and training needs, a directed reading may be substituted.
Division: Comparative History (Comparative Colonialisms)
Students pursuing a field in Comparative Colonialisms will examine a variety of colonial histories: typically, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, and American. We will consider the relationship between "white" and "non-white" colonies as part of the larger racial politics of colonialism. Although the emphasis is usually on European colonial histories, I have worked with a number of students who are interested in U.S. imperialism, and can tailor the field accordingly.
Students who are selecting Comparative Colonialisms as a second field are required to take HSTRY 590 when available, plus one supervised directed reading.
Students who are taking Comparative Colonialisms as a third or fourth field are strongly encouraged to take HSTRY 590, and required to undertake one supervised directed reading.
Vanessa Freije
Associate Professor, Joint Appointment: Jackson School of International StudiesGraduate Studies Description
Division: Latin America
Students wishing to work on the Latin America field with Professor Freije may focus on any countries in the region during the Modern Period. While students will follow the topic and area of their choosing, they are expected to master the main historiographical and methodological debates within this field. Special emphasis will be placed on examining and understanding the historiography produced in Latin America itself, and students will be expected to articulate how such literatures differ from the anglophone historiography. With that in mind, reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is encouraged, but not required.
Division: Global and transnational histories
For students pursuing a field in Global and Transnational History with Professor Freije, we will focus comparative global histories of technology and/or media. Depending on student interests, this field can be oriented around science, technology, and society studies; history of technology; or history of media and communications. Students will explore both the histories of media and technology adaptation, adoption, and use, as well as methodological approaches and conceptual frameworks.