RECENT and FORTHCOMING Books
Welcome to the Department of History's website! You will find here a wealth of
information about the department, its programs and its course offerings.
The teaching of history at McGill began in 1855 although the Department itself
was only formally founded at the turn of the twentieth century by Charles
William Colby in association with Stephen Leacock and C.E. Fryer.
Today the Department is composed of thirty-nine full-time faculty members as
well as a strong complement of visiting professors, faculty lecturers, and
post-doctoral fellows. This array of dedicated teachers and scholars supports
high quality instruction and research across the periods of history and regions
of the globe. Within this breadth, the Department has developed particular
strengths in Canadian History, British & European History, East Asian
History, the History of Medicine, the History of Science, and is building up
newer fields such as the history of Gender and Sexuality, the history of the
Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds, and Global history. The Classics Program,
which is housed in the History Department, offers training in Greek and Latin
languages and literature as well as a stimulating array of courses in ancient
history.
The Department takes its commitments to undergraduate and graduate teaching to
heart. Students benefit from learning from scholars who conduct cutting-edge
research in their fields. Our professors have won many prizes for their books
and articles and their on-going investigations are supported by the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the FQRSC, CFI, the Killam
Trust and the Mellon Foundation. Our involvement in research adds immediacy and
excitement to our teaching through both lectures and seminars, and we hire
students to participate as research assistants in our investigations.
Our Department is also known within the Faculty of Arts for its teaching
excellence. The standards are high and the readings are extensive, but over the
years students in History classes have consistently appreciated the high
quality of instruction they receive. Over the years, members of the History
Department have taken numerous H. Noel Fieldhouse Awards for Distinguished
Teaching, and the Department's teaching evaluations rank amongst the highest in
the University.