Summer 2010 Department of History Harvard University Robinson Hall 35 Quincy St. Cambridge, MA 02138 In this issue: http://history.fas.harvard.edu/ Chair 2 Faculty 5 Graduate 12 Harvard University Henry Adams 13 Undergraduate 16 Tempus 17 Department of History Alumni Updates 21 Newsletter From the Chair reetings and distributing them, have had the completion of Laurel Ulrich’s Gfrom their own benefits, in this case presidency of the American His- CCambridge, contributing to a more sustain- torical Association in January with Massachu- able future. The History Depart- a party at the AHA co-sponsored setts, at the ment has also partnered with the with the History Department of eend of the History of Science Department the University of New Hampshire, 2009-10 aca- to pioneer a new administrative where Laurel previously taught, ddemic year. structure designed to save costs and Alfred A. Knopf, her pub- I am com- by combining staff and services lisher. (See photo on page 3.) We ing to the across departments. Aided by this gave our deep thanks to staff as- cconclusion new administrative support group, sistant Laura Johnson, well loved of my two- our History Department staff have by current and former students year stint as Chair of the History worked harder than ever to handle and faculty as the mainstay of the Department. My colleague in US the department’s work load and Undergraduate Program (former History, Jim Kloppenberg, will re- for that we are extremely grateful. Tutorial) Office, who was honored turn to the helm for the next two In the spirit of being as construc- for 25 years of service to Harvard, years, after which I will serve a tive as possible in the face of the all of it spent in Robinson 101 final year. Between the two of us, “new normal,” History Depart- helping others. we will have steered the depart- ment graduate and undergraduate Despite budgetary con- ment for six years. We are hopeful students and alumni donated their straints and departures, the Histo- that by the time our shared chair- time this past spring to sorting ry Department continues to grow manship ends in June 2013, we over 5000 pounds of food at the in some new directions. We will will have navigated through the Greater Boston Food Bank. (See welcome Annette Gordon-Reed in storms of the Great Recession and photo on page 1.) the Fall of 2011 as a member of that Harvard—and the many other We have had a number of the History Department as well as besieged history departments causes for celebration over the the Harvard Law School faculty. throughout the country--will be past academic year. In keeping She will also be the Carol K. Pfor- enjoying sunnier days. with the Harvard History Depart- zheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Although reminders of our ment and FAS commitments to Institute. We are at various stages cinched belts are always with us, implement a real tenure track for of the process in a number of the Harvard History Department faculty, we welcomed the official searches as well. Our effort to has adjusted admirably to leaner promotions to full professor with rebuild the Latin American field times over this past year. Sym- tenure of Vince Brown, Caroline upon the retirements of John bolic of our upbeat and resilient Elkins, and Erez Manela and a Coatsworth and Jack Womack has attitude is the new look of lunch positive tenure decision just this at our monthly Friday History past spring for Mary Lewis. We faculty meetings. Whereas once were also delighted at the recog- we enjoyed sandwiches, fruit and nition given recently to three of DEPARTMENT CHAIR cookies provided by the depart- our ranks for their commitment Lizabeth Cohen ment while we did business, we and success as undergraduate now arrive armed with our lunch- teachers: Emma Dench and Peter DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION boxes and thermoses and spread Gordon were named Harvard Col- out our picnics on the big confer- lege Professors and Maya Jasanoff Janet Hatch ence table in the Lower Library. received the Roslyn Abramson Other cost-saving measures, such Award for Excellence in Under- NEWSLETTER EDITOR as putting more internal docu- graduate Teaching. The History Kristina Nies ments online rather than copying Department proudly celebrated Summer 2010 2 F ROM moved forward nicely and we hope to announce undergraduate front, the Undergraduate Office or- specifics soon. We have recently undertaken two ganized lunches and dinners at all the houses dur- other searches that will strengthen our ranks: a ing the fall, to strengthen connections between stu- THE search in Byzantine History to replace Dumbarton dents and faculty. This spring, the Office launched Oaks Professor Angeliki Laiou, who died in Decem- a new, voluntary student-faculty advising program C ber 2008, and a search for the Prince Alaweed Ben for our new sophomore (and future) concentrators. HAIR Talil Chair in Islamic Studies which the History De- Half of our new students signed on to have one of partment won in a university-wide competition, to thirteen faculty volunteers advise them on issues be focused on Central Asian Islam. We look forward such as course selection, whether to study abroad, to meeting candidates for both of these searches and possible senior thesis topics, as a complement during the coming academic year. to advice given by the Undergraduate Office and We also have some farewells to say. Chris- the House History Advisers. An impressive panel of topher Jones will be retiring officially at the end recent History concentrators returned to Harvard of this academic year. Judith Surkis will be leaving this past April to advise current and prospective us as well, though we are pleased that she will be History students on “What is a History Degree Good spending next For?” They shared year on a fellow- their experi- ship at the Insti- ences in aca- tute of Advanced demia, business, Studies in Princ- finance, law, eton. Kristina philanthropy, Nies, staff assis- technology, and tant to the Chair the public sec- and performer tor, reflecting on of many, many how their educa- tasks for the tion in History department, will had helped them be departing to with their work. become a gradu- As every year ate student in in the late fall, American Studies but earlier this at the University time because of of Maryland. We the new Harvard will miss them calendar, the all and wish Department held them the best of Cake for Professor Laurel Ulrich at AHA reception, January 2010. its annual Senior luck. Thesis Confer- Life continues in exciting ways in our teach- ence to hear progress reports on thesis research ing program, at the undergraduate and graduate and give feedback. Fifty-one senior thesis writers levels, thanks to the leadership of Dan Smail and impressed us greatly, and just a few weeks ago we Tryg Throntveit, Director and Assistant Director of learned that 9 of them had won Thomas Temple the Undergraduate Program, and David Armitage, Hoopes Prizes, which amounted to over 10 % of the Director of the Graduate Program. Erez Manela will total prizes awarded and a record for the History take over David’s position next year while he is on Department. We take pride in the enormous efforts leave. The successes we have had with both pro- made by all our senior thesis writers as well as grams also result from the deep commitment to their non-thesis-writing peers, many of whom take them demonstrated everyday by all our faculty and on other kinds of academic challenges in its place. staff. I will just give you a few highlights. On the Our graduate program continues to thrive, Summer 2010 3 F and to become more competitive for entry with students, to make sure that they are employed and ROM every year. This year is was substantially more with health insurance next academic year. difficult to get into than Harvard College. We will I would like to conclude by informing you THE welcome 16 spectacular new students in the fall. In- of efforts to honor two of our members who died novations in the graduate program include greater during the 2008-9 academic year. First, the Belfer C flexibility in defining exam fields, a required dis- Center for Sciences and International Affairs at the HAIR sertation defense, and a new course in teaching Kennedy School has created Ernest May Fellowships required of all third year students for predoctoral and postdoctoral when they enter the classroom fellows “to help build the next as instructors for the first time. generation of men and women This year I taught the course with who will bring history to bear an advanced graduate teaching on strategic studies and major fellow, Abigail Krasner Balbale, issues of international affairs.” and Jim Kloppenberg will take my This program will do great honor place next year. We decided to to the memory of Ernest May, the have the department chair teach former Charles Warren Profes- the class as a signal of our com- sor of American History who so mitment to training our students effectively modeled the applica- as teachers as well as scholars. tion of history to policy making. Whereas in the fall we focused on Second, the Angeliki Laiou Gift topics related to teaching suc- Fund, spearheaded by her former cessful sections, in the spring graduate student Rowan Dorin we organized panels on broader and colleague Dan Smail, will subjects, such as lecturing, orga- support undergraduate research nizing a course syllabus, advising on topics related to Medieval students, and developing a teach- European History (including Byz- ing portfolio, to which we invited antium and the Mediterranean) as all graduate students in the His- well as strengthen the intellectual tory Department.