Geneseo History Department

10/16/2026

Milne Library's Special Collections and Archives has lots of historic treasures to explore, and our first year majors got to do just that this week in the company of Dr Kathy Mapes! Our Introduction to the History Major (HIST 101) course lets students get hands-on with the work of a historian.

10/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday evening's talk by Professor Michael Oberg about his new book "The Central Fire of the Iroquois: A Five-Hundred-Year History of the Onondaga Nation". It recounts the incredible story of the nation’s commitment to its land, rituals, and values—from its emergence to the formation of the Iroquois League and on to the present day.

10/06/2026

We're loving getting to know our incoming cohort of Geneseo History folks this semester! Every week they gather for HIST 101 with Dr. Kathy Mapes to learn about how the major works and who we are in the department. Sometimes they're serious, sometimes they're silly, but they're always budding historians with a passion for exploring the past.

10/06/2026

"Michael Oberg, SUNY Distinguished Professor of history and an internationally renowned scholar of Native American studies, has published The Central Fire of the Iroquois: A Five-Hundred-Year History of the Onondaga Nation (Yale University Press, 2026)."

Michael Oberg, SUNY Distinguished Professor of history and an internationally renowned scholar of Native American studies, has published The Central Fire of the Iroquois: A Five-Hundred-Year History of the Onondaga Nation (Yale University Press, 2026).

09/19/2026

Are you interested in studying in the Czech Republic and Austria next summer? Come to the SUNY Geneseo Study Abroad Fair on September 22 to learn more about "Art, Museum, and Urban Development in Prague and Vienna" (ARTH 211) and "The Cultural History of Prague and Vienna" (EURO 216).

During this Study Abroad experience, you will first explore Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic: a city with over 1,000 years of history, medieval architecture, music, literature, and walkable, varied neighborhoods. You will visit the Prague Castle, the Jewish Museum and Jewish Quarter, and tour the architecture of the city. Outside of Prague, there will be an excursion to Terezín concentration camp, the liquidated town of Lidice, and the Rückl crystal factory, one of the last remaining in the Czech Republic.

Then you will journey on to Vienna, capital of Austria and home to some of the world’s finest artists and musicians. You will visit Freud’s apartment, the grand Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (the Art History Museum), the catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Schönbrunn Palace, summer home of the Hapsburgs.

Both courses satisfy the Integrative and Applied Learning (IAL) requirement.
Additional in-person/online information sessions will take place:

Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Welles 211, 7:00-8:00pm
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in Welles 216. 5:15-6:15pm
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 in Welles 216. 7:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 in Welles 216, 5:00-6:00pm

Contact Dr. Alla Myzelev ([email protected]) for more details.

09/16/2026

In its second year here on the SUNY Geneseo campus, the James Somerville Legacy Tree continues to thrive! This tree is dedicated to the memory of Professor Somerville, a longtime member of the Department of History and a committed educator.

09/14/2026

A unique cross-border art project that brought SUNY Geneseo and Michigan State University students together with students from Ontario College of Art and Design University is now part of ArtPrize 2026, an art competition and cultural festival that welcomes more than 900,000 visitors to Grand Rapids, MI, each year to experience work from thousands of artists from around the world.

The goal of “Faces and Traces: A Cross Border Portrait Project” is to explore identity, cultural exchange, and the possibilities of building relationships across national borders. SUNY Geneseo Museum Studies students played an important role in the project, producing exhibition texts and creating a digital augmented-reality version of the exhibition. Their work adds another layer of interpretation to “Faces and Traces”, exploring portraiture not only as an artistic practice but also as a form of storytelling.

Alla Myzelev, Professor of Art History and Museum Studies at Geneseo, was among the faculty who designed and taught the collaborative international course that developed into “Faces and Traces”.

ArtPrize transforms Grand Rapids each year into a citywide exhibition, with works presented in museums, galleries, hotels, businesses, and public spaces. More than $400,000 in prizes is awarded to participating artists through popular and juried voting.

Faces and Traces will be exhibited at the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown from September 18–October 3, 2026, with Preview Week September 12–17.

08/29/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our History Department Mixer yesterday afternoon—what a great way to kick off the semester! It was wonderful to get to meet so many new faces.

Did you know that this is one of our biggest incoming cohort of History and History/Ed majors in years? And of course they're just as cool, enthusiastic and dedicated as always!

08/25/2026

Are you interested in being one of the many History majors who've proudly represented our department as a Geneseo Student Ambassador? Student Ambassadors receive funding to undertake a personal project that combines independent learning, innovative approaches to problem solving and community-based action. Projects can take place on campus, in the region, or even internationally: wherever the student(s) want to make an impact that matters to others.

Applications are due soon—learn more in the video below or at geneseo.edu/cil!

https://youtu.be/2S3-tIKhosQ

08/24/2026

It's the first day of the fall semester, and we're so glad to see our Geneseo History community gathering together once more! We look forward to exploring the world with you, and remember you can always come find us in Doty Hall.