Department of History

The Department of History offers undergraduate and postgraduate coursework and research study in a variety of fields, primarily the history of Europe (from the Middle Ages to contemporary Europe and especially the history of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), Australia, the United States and the Atlantic world, and China. Particularly strong in the department’s research and teaching are the history of imperialism, colonialism and globalisation; international, trans-national and diplomatic history; urban history (Sydney, New York, London and Paris); social and cultural history; the history of gender and sexuality; the history of medicine and health; the history of war (the American Revolution, the US Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, colonial wars, the world wars); the history of genocide; and study of the ‘history wars’ and history and memory. Members of the department also work on such topics as the history of African-Americans, the history of South Africa and the South Pacific, China’s economy and politics, maritime history, the history of travel and tourism, Celtic history, the history of monasticism, biography and historiography. The department prides itself on its research-led and student-centred teaching, and on its outstanding record of international scholarly publication. Collaborative interests link the department to the disciplines of Classics and Ancient History, Gender Studies and Cultural Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, American Studies, European Studies, Jewish Studies, Arabic Studies and Asian Studies.

Founded in 1891, the Department of History at the University of Sydney is the oldest in Australia, and with almost forty members of the academic staff, it is also the largest. Each semester the department has over two thousand enrolments in History undergraduate units of study, and each year between fifty and sixty students complete honours degrees. At present, around eighty students are enrolled for postgraduate MA, MPhil or PhD degree.

Latest News

• Julia Horne and Geoffrey Sherington's 'Sydney: The Making of a Public University'

  

  Julia Horne and Geoffrey Sherington's Sydney: The Making of a Public University has been published by The Miegunyah Press

Latest Events

• History on Monday: Sovereignty and Neo-Medievalism: Hedley Bull's The Anarchical Society and International Relations The - 28 May 2012

• History on Monday: A digital history of Aboriginal Sydney - 4 June 2012

• Rethinking Invasion Ecologies Conference - 18 June 2012 to 19 June 2012

• Empire and International History: the 4th International History Postgraduate Intensive - 26 July 2012 to 27 July 2012