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February 2001, update of June 1988
Anthony Vaver, Humanities Librarian
The History Department offers an undergraduate program and two graduate programs, one on Comparative History and one in American History.
The undergraduate concentration in history seeks to provide students with a broad introduction to the development of the modern world. The department encourages students to acquire geographic and chronological breadth.
The Graduate Program in Comparative History trains students to approach the past from a comparative perspective. Students specializing in European history develop expertise in two broad fields of history-either medieval and early modern or early modern and modern. Students specializing in non-European history master two comparable fields. All students study their fields from a thematic approach that transcends boundaries and moves away from conventional periodization.
The Graduate Program in American History's curriculum is designed to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of American history and mastery of historical research and writing. Individual courses of study are developed for each student, to help in preparation for qualifying examinations. The first year's work is concentrated in American history, and centers on directed research and a critical approach to problems of historiography.
The history collection supports teaching and research on the undergraduate level, the graduate level through the Ph.D., and faculty research. The History Department offers courses in all aspects of history: cultural (including popular), demographic, diplomatic, economic, environmental, ethnic, history of science, intellectual, labor, legal, military, naval, political, religious, and social, frequently combining two or more aspects in one course.
None Specified
Primary emphasis is assigned to materials on the United States, Western Europe, Russia/Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Regional studies are considered to be an integral part of United States history; some emphasis is given to materials dealing with New England. The Near and Far East and Canada are also of interest.
Time periods emphasized will vary with geographical areas. For ancient history, refer to the Classical Studies and the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies statements. For pre-Columbian American history, refer to the Anthropology statement. No emphasis is placed on any particular time period of U.S. history. In general, there is no limitation as to time period.
There is no limitation in regard to date of publication. However, availability and financial constraints place an emphasis on current imprints.
The primary language of the collection is English, with additional material in French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese when appropriate. Materials in other languages are acquired when deemed necessary. Translations are preferred, except when materials in their original language are deemed important. No item is excluded from the collection solely because of language.
Monographs are crucial to the collection. Biographies and autobiographies are valuable tools and collected as applicable. Transcribed oral histories are also appropriate. Significant reproductions of photographic collections are acquired. Transactions and proceedings of meetings, conferences, and symposia, as well as institutional and societal publications, are selectively acquired. Maps are collected on a very limited basis (as distinct from atlases). Historiography and psychohistory are collected. Genealogy is not generally acquired; demographic materials are selectively purchased.
Serials are also crucial to the collection. Journals supporting scholarly work in history are maintained and new ones are added when deemed appropriate and as funds allow. Subscriptions to newsletters and journals in American history published by selected state and local historical societies are also maintained.
The library buys or subscribes to electronic indexes and full-text databases that offer research value. Links to free websites are not actively collected together on the library's website.
The library has a strong collection of materials in microform, including primary source materials, manuscript collections, periodical and newspaper backfiles, and other items unavailable or too expensive in hard copy. Microform research collections continue to be added as funds become available.
Dissertations are acquired on a selective basis.
Video and audio materials are added to the collection when appropriate.
Materials are located in standard locations throughout the library.
The rare book collection in Special Collections includes incunabula, books published in the 16th-18th centuries on such subjects as history, English and American literature, philosophy, and Judaica.
Special Collections holds the literary manuscripts of European and American authors, music collections, and photographic collections. In addition, it includes collections of materials on the Spanish Civil War, left and right wing movements in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century, anti-semitism, the Holocaust, anti-alien and anti-radical sentiments prevalent in the 20th-century United States, and Zionism. The department also includes the papers of prominent American political figures such as Justice Louis D. Brandeis and Congressman Stephen Solarz.
Medieval history, 476 A.D.-1500 Europe, including Byzantium: Graduate study
Early Modern & Modern, 1500-
Subject Area |
Collecting Levels |
| Austria | Undergraduate Study |
| Benelux | Undergraduate Study |
| Eastern Europe | Graduate Study |
| France | Graduate Study |
| Germany | Graduate Study |
| Great Britain | Research |
| Iberian Peninsula | Undergraduate Studey |
| Italy | Graduate Study |
| Russia/Soviet Union | Research |
| Scandinavia | Undergraduate Study |
| Switzerland | Undergraduate Study |
| Middle East | Graduate Study |
| Australia & Oceania | Undergraduate Study |
| China | Undergraduate Study |
| Japan | Undergraduate Study |
| Korea | Undergraduate Study |
| Southeast Asia | Undergraduate Study |
| South Asia | Undergraduate Study |
| India | Undergraduate Study |
| Africa (See also AAAS) | Undergraduate Study |
| United States | Research |
| Canada | Undergraduate Study |
| Mexico | Undergraduate Study |
| Central America | Undergraduate Study |
| Caribbean | Undergraduate Study |
| Cuba | Undergraduate Study |
| South America | Undergraduate Study |
The History Department shares interests with many other departments and programs.