History at Illinois

What does a "quack' medicine that claimed to cure everything from scurvy to gout have to do with British colonial rule?

Graduate student Katherine Horan traveled to the UK this summer to find out and investigate the family behind Spilsbury’s Antiscorbutic Drops.

Read about her discoveries at the link in the comments.

History alumnus Noam Zipris (BA, '26, history) received a Fulbright award to earn his master's degree in advanced public and cultural diplomacy for international relations at the L’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy. Congratulations!

Learn more about Zipris at the link in the comments. ⬇️

What if you got to create a podcast instead of writing a paper? That's the challenge lecturer Shannan Mason surprised students with for the 250th anniversary of the U.S..

They called it The Fine Print: Framing the American Revolution and Republic at 250.

Students worked in groups to create 12 educational episodes to explore and demystify the narratives surrounding the formation and early years of the nation.

The project was a prime example of the transferrable skills that a degree in history provides: the ability to understand complex ideas and communicate those complexities to others.

Read the story in the link in the comments ⬇️

Meet James A. Snyder (BA, '98, history and English), the co-head of Sidley Austin's Chicago Global Finance group and co-leader of the law firm’s Private Credit and Syndicated Finance practice.

He said his degrees in history and English prepared him well for law school and were the foundation for his path to becoming a partner at one of the largest law firms in the world.

He chatted with us about his career and how despite AI, he still thinks there is room for talented young people in the legal profession.

Read his Q&A ⬇️

From history major to law firm partner | Department of History | Illinois Q&A with alumnus James A. Snyder

In 1942, James Person, a WWII veteran from Somerville, Tennessee, was lynched in Edgar County, Illinois. His murder resulted in one of the first indictments and convictions for lynching in the Midwest. Alumnus Renatto Carr (BA, ’94, history) recently published new research on Person's case.

Read Person's story ⬇️

The tragedy of James Person | Department of History | Illinois Alumnus Renatto Carr studies history of anti-Black violence in the Midwest

Several faculty and staff members in the Department of History have received funding from the College of LAS PURSUE initiative to support public and digital history programs for undergraduate research.

The programs that received funding will create new opportunities for history majors to gain hands-on experience in digital methods and creating public-facing scholarship.

Learn more ⬇️

History faculty and staff receive College of LAS funding for undergraduate public and digital history research | Department of History | Illinois Image

Graduate student Alyssa Hirsch's passion for history was ignited when she began fencing.

Her coach immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union, sparking her interest in the stories of Soviet fencing coaches living in America, the topic of her dissertation research.

At Illinois, she's also discovered a passion for teaching and loves helping students learn something new.

Learn more about her research ⬇️

Graduate student finds love for history through fencing | Department of History | Illinois Alyssa Hirsch explores the stories of fencing coaches who emigrated from the Soviet Union — and finds her passion for teaching at Illinois.

Jerry Dávila, an expert in Latin American history and a leader in global humanities, will succeed professor Antoinette Burton as the next director of the Humanities Research Institute at Illinois!

Read the announcement ⬇️

Professor Jerry Dávila to lead the Humanities Research Institute | Department of History | Illinois Image

Congratulations! James R. Barrett, an emeritus professor of history and African American studies, has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS).

His scholarship and mentorship have significantly shaped the preservation and interpretation of working-class and immigrant history in Illinois.

Learn more about his impact ⬇️

Emeritus professor James Barrett awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from Illinois State Historical Society | Department of History | Illinois Image