#GivingDayUMD 2026 is HERE!! Every gift today, no matter the size, makes a difference💛 Support the Department of History: go.umd.edu/historygivingday

Richard Bell was announced as the winner of the 2025 Journal of the American Revolution's Book of the Year Award for his recent publication, "The American Revolution and the Fate of the World." Congratulations, Rick! Read the full article about Rick's award here. allthingsliberty.com/2026/02/anno...

Thomas Zeller was interviewed by KJZZ, the public radio station in Arizona, about Germany's autobahn and its lack of a speed limit. Some politicians in Arizona are debating a pilot program to do away with speed limits on some rural highways in that state. www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

Rachel Schine's publication, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race, was awarded the Medieval Academy's 2026 Monica H. Green Prize! Congratulations Rachel! www.themedievalacademyblog.org/maa-2026-pub...

Julie Taddeo and colleague Kate Byrne (Ulster University) recently launched their new podcast, "Period Drama Debrief," that analyzes British period dramas from both an academic and popular perspective. It is available now on Spotify! open.spotify.com/show/0zCBiKd...

Check out this new op-ed by Piotr Kosicki on Project Syndicate! “Trump is Putting Venezuelan Democracy on Hold” www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/m...

Check out Richard Bell on FIRE's "So to Speak podcast"! Ep. 261: Thomas Paine's rise and fall. sotospeak.substack.com/p/ep-261-tho...

The second edition of Madeline Hsu's "Asian American History: A Very Short Introduction" will be available in print on January 31, 2026! An online edition is available now to subscribers to Oxford Academic. Keep an eye out! academic.oup.com/book/61763?s...

An op-ed by Piotr Kosicki, "María Corina Machado’s Catholic Revolution," ran in Project Syndicate on December 8, 2025. Continue reading Piotr's piece here!: www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/m...

Applications are now open for Award 2026! Each year, the Nathan and Jeanette Miller Center and UMD Libraries invite applications for grants to support research on topics related to the Allied Occupation of Japan and its aftermath, 1945-1960. More info: www.lib.umd.edu/about/awards...

Richard Bell appeared on the "Think Back" podcast to discuss his new book "The American Revolution and the Fate of the World," which "completely rethinks the Revolution as a global story, not just an American one." @rickbell.bsky.social Listen here! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Rick Bell joined the History Hit Podcast as guest on their episode, "What the American Revolution a World War?" Released on October 27, 2025. @rickbell.bsky.social Listen here! shows.acast.com/american-his...

Richard Bell is guiding the opening session of the University of Maryland Honors College and the Black Honors Caucus's six-part series, "Freedom is a Constant Struggle: The Fight for Equal Protection under the 14th Amendment" More info below! honors.umd.edu/event/2025/f...

Jayson Porter's new essay, ""Mule Power: Unpacking empires and diaspora in Mexico and the United States," was published on October 16, 2025 in English and Spanish with the Science History Institute. Read more below! www.sciencehistory.org/stories/maga...

The Department of History is excited to collaborate with the School of Public Policy on their new Bachelor of Arts program, Global and Foreign Policy. Read more about its highlights and goals below! spp.umd.edu/your-educati...

Mark your calendars! Dr. Robyn Muncy is joining the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture Series with a talk entitled "Government at the Grassroots: Feminists and the State Spark the Battered Women's Movement, 1970s" RSVP here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Paul Landau was interviewed for Ep.142 of "Africa Past and Present"! Listen to him discuss his book, "Spear: Mandela and the Revolutionaries," and antiapartheid violence, Mandela’s Communism, and Cold War intelligence intrigues here: afripod.aodl.org/fullPodcast/...

Our own alum, Jonathan White M.A. '03, Ph.D. '08 and Lucas Morel recently published “Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln,” which recounts Frederick Douglass' journey from criticism to respect of Abraham Lincoln. Read more here! today.umd.edu/how-frederic...

Students in Michael Ross's HIST454: Constitutional History class had the amazing opportunity to visit the Supreme Court for the Griswold Prize lecture by Gerald Magliocca! Justice Sotomayor was the host for the evening.

Richard Bell appeared on WYPR on September 24th to discuss his upcoming book, "The American Revolution and the Fate of the World." Take a listen, or keep reading, here! www.wypr.org/show/on-the-...

Last week, Robert Chiles and Robyn Muncy were both honored at the university's Faculty and Staff Convocation! Please join us in congratulating Dr. Chiles for his Provost's Excellence Award, and Dr. Muncy for her Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award!

Curious where a history degree can take you? Hear from Rachel Jessee (UMD ’22, History and Government & Politics) in this Q&A, “From UMD to Capitol Hill: How a History Degree Helps Shape a Political Career.” history.umd.edu/news/umd-cap...

Dr. Richard Bell's article, "The Underappreciated True Story of the Brash Prussian Military Officer Who Whipped the Patriots Into Shape at Valley Forge," was just published in Smithsonian Magazine! Follow the link below to continue reading. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unde...

The UMD First Year Book committee has selected the U.S. Constitution as this year’s book! Join our own Holly Brewer and Michael Ross in "We the Terps: Why the Constitution Matters." For more information and for the day's schedule of events, follow this link! fyb.umd.edu/events.html

In honor of Jane Austen's 250th birthday, Dr. Julie Taddeo and other Regency era scholars were featured in The Conversation UK's "Jane Austen Fight Club." Continue reading to learn who Dr. Taddeo chose as her ultimate Jane Austen heroine! theconversation.com/who-was-jane...

Exciting news! Robyn Muncy and Sonya Michel appeared in a new PBS documentary, "Caregiving" which premiered on June 24, 2025. It draws attention to the crisis the US currently faces in providing care for children, the elderly, and the disabled. Stream "Caregiving" here! www.pbs.org/show/caregiv...

Undergrad Brooke Timmins was an intern with & worked for Rob Chiles on the New York History journal and the annual New York State History Conference. Her internship was administered through the Department's internship program, supervised by Julie Taddeo.

Spring 2025 UMD Department of History Newsletter pub.marq.com/a80990a7-041...

The Dept of History is saddened by the death of George Hardy Callcott, a faculty member from 1956-1994. He wrote two histories of UMD and served as Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. George was a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher & received the President's Medal. history.umd.edu/news/memoriu...

Ryan Carr, History Minor, is a Senior Marshall for UMD's Commencement ceremony. He is a member of several campus groups and organizations & held internships with the Montgomery County Council, the Maryland General Assembly, and TerpsVote. today.umd.edu/70-graduates...

Dept of Hist PhD student Leah Rasmussen is awarded a 2025-6 Joseph Bradley & Christine Ruane Research Grant in Russian Studies from the Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies to support dissertation research for “Canvases of Red: Painting Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Soviet, 1917-91.”

Jamie Myre, 2nd year HiLS student, has a summer internship at Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture as the publications intern for the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life. She will design and produce a journal for the Center and the gODTalk film series.

History Honors student Holland Schmitz received a travel grant to present a paper at the New York History Conference at the New York State Museum, Albany, NY. Honors student Taylor Mason was also awarded a travel grant and will be on the same panel at the New York History Conference.

Congratulations to graduating History Honors student, James Schmidtlein, who has been awarded a Winston Family Honors Best Student Paper Award, for his Honors thesis, “Christians in a Pagan World: Understanding the Construction of Early Christian Identity from a Pagan Past and Custom."

Holland Schmitz, History Honors has received 3 awards for their Honors work: Library Award for Undergraduate Research, Winston Family Honors Best Student Paper Award, and Hoosier Clio Award for the best Honors thesis written by this year's cohort. history.umd.edu/news/holland...

The Department of History came close to a sweep of undergraduate Library Research Awards, with three out of four awarded to History students. Sylvia Cotten, Taylor Mason, and Holland Schmitz are the winners. history.umd.edu/news/three-d...

History Honors graduating seniors made their showcase presentations today. Congratulations on work well done!

Dept of History Alum Debbie J. Goldman won the David Montgomery Award from the Organization of American Historians and the Labor and Working Class History Association for the Best Book in Labor History published in 2024. history.umd.edu/news/debbie-...

Robyn Muncy has been selected to receive the 2025 Winston Family Honors Faculty Award from the UMD Honors College. Robyn's "dedication to fostering intellectual curiosity and critical thinking had a profound impact on many of our students.”

Julie Greene will talk about her new book, Box 25: Archival Secrets, Caribbean Workers, and the Panama Canal (UNC Press, 2025), on Thursday, April 24, from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. The talk may also be viewed online. For further information, and to register to attend, see umd.libcal.com/event/141427....

Madeline Hsu is the co-creator (with Psyche Williams-Forson, AMST) of a new course, Maryland's Ethnic Foodways, featured in an April 16, 2025 MarylandToday article. The course explores ethnic food in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties. today.umd.edu/a-taste-of-e...

Kate Keane's popular course, HIST289R Pocketbook Politics: A History of American Buying and Selling," is featured in the April 18 edition of MarylandToday. The article describes how the course addresses the history of US consumption and consumerism. today.umd.edu/take-this-cl...

History Undergraduate Association is sponsoring a Listening Session on Thursday, April 24, 11:30am to 1 pm to gather thoughts, concerns, and advice about the History program at UMD. The session will take place in Key 2120 (Merrill Room).

Piotr Kosicki is quoted in 2 New York Times articles that are live today (www.nytimes.com/.../pope-fra... and below) about the death of Pope Francis. He also gave an audio interview to WTOP (link not yet available). He will be live on ABC7 this evening around 10:15. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...

Congrats to Rob Chiles on his 2025 Provost’s Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty for Teaching. The award recognizes his engaging and inspiring students and bringing history to life for them. Rob previously won the 2023 Donna B. Hamilton Award for Teaching Excellence.

Join the History Undergraduate Association for their very popular Trivia Night! April 10, 5-6pm

Samuel Yamashita presents "The 'Japanese Turn' in the Art, Architecture and Cuisine of Europe and the United States, 1860-2020" Wednesday, April 9, 2025 from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm. The talk is in person in Taliaferro Hall 2110. RSVP [email protected] for Zoom link.

The Dept of History is saddened by the death of Jon T. Sumida. He suffered from Parkinson's Disease and died suddenly on Feb 8, 2025 due to complications of severe pneumonia. Jon was a vigorous scholar of military history who taught at UMD for almost 40 years. history.umd.edu/news/jon-t-s...

Mckinley Jovanovic, a freshman at UMD, is a History, Secondary Education, and Public Policy triple major. She was also recently named UMD's first Women's Regional Conference Champion and first Female Wrestling All-American at the NCWA tournament. history.umd.edu/news/history...

The Baltimore Banner interviewed Madeline Hsu about a letter sent to six US universities including UMD from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The letter asks for information about Chinese students. enrolled in these universities. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/hi...