UMass Lowell History Department

10/17/2026

Prof. Emeritus Bob Forrant will be honored with the Patrick J. Mogan Learning City Award on Monday, October 19!

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP by emailing [email protected].

Congratulations, Prof. Forrant!

10/17/2026

October 2026 marks the eighth centenary of the death of one of the most famous historical figures of Western Christianity and the Middle Ages: St. Francis of Assisi.

To commemorate this important anniversary, Medieval & Renaissance Studies has organized a special lecture. On Wednesday, November 4, from 5-6 p.m. in McGauvran 313, Dr. Boyd Coolman of Boston College will come give a talk entitled "St. Francis of Assisi: Frat-Boy, Party-Animal, Troubadour, Soldier turned ‘Wild Man’ for Christ."

This event is free and open to the public. For any questions, please contact Prof. Andrew Drenas at [email protected].

10/17/2026

Prof. Christine Su contributed a book chapter, "Toward Embracing a Familial Legacy of Genocide and Survival," to a volume published in August: "Intergenerational Survivors of Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Lived Experiences of Knowledge Providers." This book brings together intergenerational survivors of genocide and mass atrocities so that they can share their stories. This volume explores how intergenerational experiences can shape scholarship, pedagogy, advocacy, healing, and atrocity prevention practice.

This unique volume brings together intergenerational survivors of genocide and mass atrocities, who are actively engaged in producing knowledge related to their lived and inherited experiences, to share their stories. Centering survivor positionality as a source of epistemic insight rather than bias...

10/14/2026

On Tuesday, October 20, History alum Ari Fleischer will be visiting UMass Lowell to come speak about teaching as a career in Prof. Michael Pierson's Historical Methods class, which meets in Dugan 211 from 11-12:15.

Students are welcome to come hear Ari's presentation!

And after class, Ari and Prof. Pierson will be meeting interested students in the History Department (Dugan 106) at 12:25 to go over to the South Dining Hall for lunch (which will be paid for by the History Department).

For any questions, please contact Prof. Pierson at [email protected].

10/13/2026

Time to start planning for Spring 2027!

On Monday and Tuesday, October 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the History Department will be hosting a course faire. Come see what courses will be offered in Spring 2027!

And there will be cookies!

09/30/2026

Yesterday, September 29, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen and Provost Lynne Cossman hosted an event celebrating recently tenured and promoted faculty. Associate Professor Jane Sancinito (in the photograph below, with other tenured/promoted FAHSS faculty, and with the deans of the college) was among the recently tenured faculty to be honored.

Congratulations, Prof. Sancinito!

09/22/2026

Announcing Fall 2026's "Bridging History and Political Science" film series!

Join the Departments of History and Political Science to explore
key historical events and the politics that shaped them through three films:

"The Conspirator" (Wednesday, September 30)

"Missing" (Tuesday, October 27)

"The Insider" (Wednesday, November 18)

Screenings for all three films start at 5 p.m. in O'Leary 222. Refreshments will be provided!

For any questions, please contact Prof. Shawn Driscoll at [email protected].

09/14/2026

Tomorrow, Matthew Warshauer (Central Connecticut State University), author of "Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation," will be coming to UMass Lowell to give a lecture: "What Does 9/11 Mean 25 Years Later?"

This lecture will take place on Tuesday, September 15, from 5-6:15 p.m. in Coburn 255. It is being co-sponsored by UML Race & Ethnic Studies. For any questions, please contact Prof. dann Broyld at [email protected].

09/01/2026

As the Fall 2026 semester begins, the History Department celebrates the promotion of Prof. Jane Sancinito!

Prof. Sancinito, the department’s expert in ancient history, was promoted from assistant to associate professor. In 2024, she published a book called “The Reputation of the Roman Merchant,” which examines the strategies Roman retailers, craftsmen, and other workers used to succeed and develop good reputations, despite the stigma associated with their work. Prof. Sancinito’s research on ancient coins resulted in the donation of a collection of Hellenistic and Roman coins to UMass Lowell in 2025. She is also the coordinator of the annual Zamanakos Lecture in Hellenic Studies.

Congratulations, Prof. Sancinito!

09/01/2026

As the Fall 2026 semester begins, the History Department celebrates the promotion of Prof. Abby Chandler!

Prof. Chandler, the department’s expert in early American history, was promoted from associate to full professor. In 2023, Prof. Chandler published "Seized with the Temper of the Times: Identity and Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary America," a monograph exploring political rebellions in the British colonies before the American Revolution. She is co-lead editor of H-Net's "Remembering the American Revolution at 250" journal, and also serves as the History Department’s faculty advisor for Phi Alpha Theta (the national history honor society).

Congratulations, Prof. Chandler!