Brown Univ. American Historical Association

AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations

Institution Details

Brown University

Brown University Dept. of History
79 Brown St.
Providence, RI 02912-9114
Phone: 401.863.2131
Fax: 401.863.1040
Email: history@brown.edu
Website: https://www.brown.edu/academics/history/

The Brown History Department: Research, teaching, and public outreach devoted to the study of humanity’s vast and diverse past. We are a community of scholars and students committed to the values and ethics of rigorous education in the humanities.

Doctoral Program Information

A. Program Description. The Ph.D. program in History trains students in the skills of conducting original historical research and crafting original historical arguments. In the course of their work as historians, Brown scholars draw on a wide range of methods and engage with a variety of audiences. While training emphasizes the core skills of academic research, writing, and teaching at the college and university level, the program’s goals do not end there. Many Brown Ph.D. students explore teaching and writing for different settings and prepare for a breadth of careers that value the skills that obtaining a Ph.D. in History entails. Students are expected to complete Brown’s Ph.D. program in six years. As a mid-sized program, the department values and cultivates attentive and hands-on faculty who work closely with students throughout their progress towards a degree. Critically, students in an entering cohort proceed through the program together, so that discussions across fields, geographies, and chronologies are built into the Ph.D. program.

B. Special Programs. Brown has many prestigious centers and institutes for research.

C. Financial Aid. Students accepted into the History Ph.D. program who remain in good standing are guaranteed funding for six years. Ph.D. students not supported by external fellowships work typically as teaching assistants in the second, third, and fifth (and, if relevant, a portion of the sixth) years of their program. There are also opportunities to apply for conference, research, and study grants either through the History Department or the Graduate School.

D. Degree Requirements. The first two and a half years of the doctoral program are devoted to coursework and the fulfillment of the language requirement, where applicable. We expect graduate students to complete the preliminary examination process in the middle of the third year (at the end of the fifth semester). The remaining time in the program is devoted to the writing of the dissertation. We expect this project to involve substantial archival research and to demonstrate potential to become a publishable book during the early years of the student's career as a college or university professor.

Directory of History Dissertations

Doctoral Program Statistics 2024-25:
PhD students currently enrolled: 62
PhD applications received: 308
New PhD students: 10
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 0
% of students receiving stipends: 100

Ahmed, Faiz (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2013Joukowsky Family Dist. Assoc. Prof.) modern Middle East and Islamicate world, legal and constitutional, Afghanistan/Ottoman Empire/Turkey Faiz_Ahmed@Brown.edu

Bains, Tiraana (PHD, Yale, 2021asst. prof.) British Empire, South Asia, state formation tiraana_bains@brown.edu

Bartov, Omer (DPHIL, Oxford, 1983Dean's Prof.) modern Germany, Holocaust and genocide, eastern Europe and Israel-Palestine Omer_Bartov@Brown.edu

Brokaw, Cynthia J. (PHD, Harvard, 1984Chen Family Prof.) late imperial China Cynthia_Brokaw@Brown.edu

Case, Holly A. (PHD, Stanford, 2004prof.) international history of 19th-/20th-century Europe, minorities and contested territory, ideas holly_case@brown.edu

Conant, Jonathan P. (PHD, Harvard, 2004assoc. prof.) late antiquity, medieval Europe, early Islam Jonathan_Conant@Brown.edu

Demuth, Bathsheba (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2016Dean's Assoc. Prof.) environmental, Russia, US/Native American bathsheba_demuth@brown.edu

Doumani, Beshara B. (PHD, Georgetown, 1990Mahmoud Darwish Prof.) early modern and modern Middle East, Islamic law and society, Palestinian social bdoumani@brown.edu

Fisher, Linford D. (PHD, Harvard, 2008assoc. prof.) colonial America, Native America, American religion and slavery Linford_Fisher@Brown.edu

Grasso, Christopher D. (PHD, Yale, 1992prof.) North America before 1900, religion christopher_grasso@brown.edu

Hamlin, Francoise N. (PHD, Yale, 2004Royce Family Assoc. Prof.) US, African American Francoise_Hamlin@Brown.edu

Harris, Tim J. (PHD, Cambridge, 1985Munro-Goodwin-Wilkinson Prof.) early modern England, Scotland and Ireland Tim_Harris@Brown.edu

Hein, Benjamin P. (PHD, Stanford, 2018asst. prof. and dir., honors program) modern Europe, Atlantic world, social benjamin_hein@brown.edu

Hu-DeHart, Evelyn (PHD, Texas, Austin, 1976prof.) Latin America/Caribbean, Mexican Revolution, US-Mexico borderlands Evelyn_Hu-Dehart@Brown.edu

Jacobs, Nancy J. (PHD, Indiana, 1995prof.) southern Africa, African environmental, science in Africa Nancy_Jacobs@Brown.edu

Johnson, Jennifer (PHD, Princeton, 2010assoc. prof. and dir., grad studies) modern Africa, North Africa, nationalism/decolonization/public health Jennifer_Johnson1@Brown.edu

Lambe, Jennifer Lynn (PHD, Yale, 2014assoc. prof.) modern Latin America and Caribbean, psychiatry, Cuba Jennifer_Lambe@Brown.edu

Lander, Brian George (PHD, Columbia, 2015assoc. prof.) Chinese history and archaeology, environmental, world brian_lander@brown.edu

Majumdar, Aparajita (PHD, Cornell, 2024asst. prof.) environmental humanities, Indigenous studies, South Asian borderlands aparajita_majumdar@brown.edu

Medrano, Anthony David (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 2017asst. prof.) Southeast Asia, environmental, science Anthony_Medrano@Brown.edu

Mumford, Jeremy Ravi (PHD, Yale, 2005assoc. prof.) colonial Latin America, Atlantic World, comparative Native American Jeremy_Mumford@Brown.edu

Nedostup, Rebecca (PHD, Columbia, 2001assoc. prof.) modern China Rebecca_Nedostup@Brown.edu

Nummedal, Tara E. (PHD, Stanford, 2001John Nickoll Provost's Prof. and chair) early modern Europe Tara_Nummedal@Brown.edu

Ocegueda, Mark Anthony (PHD, California, Irvine, 2017asst. prof.) 20th-century US, Latino, race, ethnicity, public mark_ocegueda@brown.edu

Owens, Emily A. (PHD, Harvard, 2015assoc. prof.) African American women, slavery studies, sexuality Emily_Owens@Brown.edu

Pollock, Ethan M. (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2000Abbott Gleason Univ. Prof.) late modern Europe, Russia Ethan_Pollock@Brown.edu

Remensnyder, Amy G. (PHD, California, Berkeley, 1992Giancarlo Family Provost's Prof. and dir., grad admissions) medieval European cultural and religious, medieval Mediterranean, medieval Iberia Amy_Remensnyder@Brown.edu

Rieppel, Lukas (PHD, Harvard, 2012assoc. prof.) science, capitalism, US cultural Lukas_Rieppel@Brown.edu

Rocha, Gabriel de Avilez (PHD, NYU, 2016Vasco da Gama Asst. Prof.) social and environmental, colonialism and slavery, early modern Atlantic world gabriel_rocha@brown.edu

Rockman, Seth E. (PHD, California, Davis, 1999assoc. prof. and dir., undergrad. studies) early Republic US Seth_Rockman@Brown.edu

Rodriguez, Daniel A. (PHD, NYU, 2013assoc. prof.) 19th- and 20th-century Cuba, public health and medicine Daniel_Rodriguez@Brown.edu

Sacks, Kenneth (PHD, California, Berkeley, 1976prof.) ancient Greek intellectual, American transcendentalism Kenneth_Sacks@Brown.edu

Safier, Neil F. (PHD, Johns Hopkins, 2004assoc. prof.) early modern Europe and colonial Latin America, Amazonia, comparative imperial history and history of science Neil_Safier@Brown.edu

Self, Robert O. (PHD, Washington, 1998Mary Ann Lippitt Prof.) 20th-century US Robert_Self@Brown.edu

Shibusawa, Naoko (PHD, Northwestern, 1998assoc. prof.) US empire, US cultural, Asian American Naoko_Shibusawa@Brown.edu

Smith, Kerry (PHD, Harvard, 1994prof.) modern Japan Kerry_Smith@Brown.edu

Steinberg, Michael P. (PHD, Chicago, 1985Barnaby Conrad & Mary Critchfield Keeney Prof.) modern European cultural and intellectual, German Jewish, music and opera Michael_Steinberg@Brown.edu

Teller, Adam (PHD, Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem, 1997prof.) Jews in Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, early modern Jewish, Jewish economic Adam_Teller@Brown.edu

Vorenberg, Michael (PHD, Harvard, 1995assoc. prof. and dir., grad advising) 19th-century US, Civil War and Reconstruction, legal Michael_Vorenberg@Brown.edu

Wulf, Karin A. (PHD, Johns Hopkins, 1993prof. and dir., John Carter Brown Library) early America karin_wulf@brown.edu

Zamindar, Vazira F.-Y. (PHD, Columbia, 2003assoc. prof.) modern South Asia Vazira_F-Y_Zamindar@Brown.edu

Bashir, Shahzad (PHD, Yale, 1998Aga Khan Prof.; Religious Studies) Iran and Central and South Asia 1300-1800 CE, Islam, Persia, historiographical theory, temporality, corporeality shahzad_bashir@brown.edu

Blain, Keisha N. (PHD, Princeton, 2014prof.; Africana Studies) 20th-century US, African American, African diaspora Keisha_Blain@Brown.edu

Bodel, John P. (PHD, Michigan, 1984W. Duncan MacMillan II Prof.; Classics) ancient John_Bodel@Brown.edu

Bossler, Beverly (PHD, California, Berkeley, 1991prof.; East Asian Studies) premodern China, Middle Period beverly_bossler@brown.edu

Castiglione, Caroline F. (PHD, Harvard, 1995prof.; Italian Studies) early modern Europe, Italy, politics and society Caroline_Castiglione@Brown.edu

Khalek, Nancy A. (PHD, Princeton, 2006assoc. prof.; Religious Studies) late antiquity, archaeology, Christian Muslim relations, hagiography Nancy_Khalek@Brown.edu

Lee, Shelley S. (PHD, Stanford, 2005prof.; American Studies) Asian American, 20th- and 21st-century US, race and ethnicity, immigration, urban Shelley_Lee@Brown.edu

Lubar, Steven D. (PHD, Chicago, 1983George L. Littlefield Prof.; American Studies) public, material culture studies, museums and memorials Steven_Lubar@Brown.edu

Muhanna, Elias (PHD, Harvard, 2012assoc. prof.; Comparative Literature) Near Eastern languages and civilizations elias_muhanna@brown.edu

Oliver, Graham J. (DPHIL, Oxford, 1995prof.; Classics) Greece, epigraphy, ancient economy Graham_Oliver@Brown.edu

Russell, Amy (PHD, California, Berkeley, 2011assoc. prof.; Classics) Rome, politics, space Amy_Russell@Brown.edu

Steffes, Tracy L. (PHD, Chicago, 2007prof.; Education) 20th-century US, education Tracy_Steffes@Brown.edu

Akarli, Engin D. (PHD, Princeton, 1976prof. emeritus) modern Middle East Engin_Akarli@Brown.edu

Buhle, Mari Jo (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1974prof. emeritus) American women, American culture Mari_Buhle@Brown.edu

Buhle, Paul M. (PHD, Wisconsin, Madison, 1975prof. emeritus) American oral, social Paul_Buhle@Brown.edu

Chudacoff, Howard P. (PHD, Chicago, 1969prof. emeritus) American urban, American social, American cultural and sports Howard_Chudacoff@Brown.edu

Cook, Harold J. (PHD, Michigan, 1981John F. Nickoll Prof. emeritus) early modern, medicine and science, Dutch Golden Age Harold_Cook@Brown.edu

Gluck, Mary (PHD, Columbia, 1977prof. emeritus) 19th- and 20th-century European intellectual Mary_Gluck@Brown.edu

Green, James N. (PHD, UCLA, 1996prof. emeritus) modern Brazil, gender and sexuality James_Green@Brown.edu

Grieder, Jerome B. (PHD, Harvard, 1963prof. emeritus) modern Chinese intellectual and social Jerome_Grieder@Brown.edu

McClain, James L. (PHD, Yale, 1979prof. emeritus) premodern Japan James_McClain@Brown.edu

Molho, Anthony (PHD, Case Western Reserve, 1965prof. emeritus) medieval, early modern, Italy Anthony_Molho@Brown.edu

Neu, Charles E. (PHD, Harvard, 1964prof. emeritus) American foreign relations, Vietnam War Charles_Neu@Brown.edu

Patterson, James T. (PHD, Harvard, 1964prof. emeritus) modern US, social welfare, race relations James_Patterson@Brown.edu

Richards, Joan L. (PHD, Harvard, 1980prof. emeritus) science Joan_Richards@Brown.edu

Spoehr, Luther W. (PHD, Stanford, 1975prof. emeritus; Education) American higher education, American school reform, history teaching Luther_Spoehr@Brown.edu

Williams, Lea E. (PHD, Harvard, 1956prof. emeritus) China, Southeast Asia, maritime Lea_Williams@Brown.edu

Wood, Gordon S. (PHD, Harvard, 1964prof. emeritus) colonial America, American Revolution, early Republic Gordon_Wood@Brown.edu

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