History Department Records

History has been taught since Oberlin's founding. However, according to Geoffrey Blodgett, the History Department as it exists today began in 1887 when the College first grouped subjects and professors by discipline in the course catalog. Professor James Monroe replaced Reverend Judson Smith in 1883. He took charge of Smith's five-week program in Modern History and added additional courses in Economics and History to the College. Professor Monroe and Mrs. Adelia Field Johnson led the development of the program when it became designated as its own discipline. Johnson provided Medieval History and European Art History courses in the Ladies' Department. Johnston retired in 1907. Her courses migrated to the Department of Art and Archeology, later the Fine Arts Department. This move marked the separation of Art History and History at Oberlin.

Lyman Bronson Hall joined the faculty in 1893. He established a seminar on Current events for seniors and graduate students. This course would be renamed "History Club" and allowed students to work on a thesis for a year. This program would develop into the History Honors Program beginning in 1916. Frederick B. Artz joined the department in 1924. He was renowned for his course on European intellectual history. Two years later, Robert S. Fletcher joined the department. The course catalog was modernized under the three-person Department of Moore, Artz, and Fletcher. Courses were categorized by their level, and prerequisites were established. Professors came to be identified by their specific courses in this period. The department had steady enrollment. Its enrollment exceeded popular majors like French, Political Science, and Fine Arts.

The early department prioritized European History. However, its course catalog covered more geographic areas over the years. Professor Lybyer introduced German, Asian, and Levantine History when he arrived at Oberlin in 1909. His successor, David S. Moore, introduced a course in Latin American History offered from 1918 to 1945. Ellsworth Carlson, a specialist in Asian History, joined the department in 1949. Non-Western history could be taught more frequently after his arrival. However, the department could only sometimes meet the demand over the years.

While the Second World War was challenging for the department, its faculty continued to grow during the war. By the early 1950s, it had five permanent professors. Professors Artz and McGill taught European History. Professors LeDuc and Fletcher taught American History. Professor Carlson taught Asian History. Others would supplement their course offerings, like Alumni Secretary Leslie Fishel. He taught a course on Black American History in the mid-1950s. After the death of Fletcher in 1959 and Artz's retirement in 1962, the department would gain new specialists in European and American History. A new course on African American History was added in this period, taught by Richard Brown.

Significant changes came to the department in the 1960s. In 1963, the courses open to freshmen greatly expanded. Previously, freshmen were only permitted to take European or American History surveys. They could now take intro courses in European, American, East Asian, and Indian History. The Honors program was expanded, and the department doubled its annual selection of seminars. After a visit from an outside committee in 1970, the department was alerted to changes it should make. The department addressed the committee's concerns about a lack of Japanese, Latin American, and African History. It hired two new Asian history specialists, Charles Hayford and Ronald Dicenzo. It also hired Miguel Bretos, a specialist in Latin American History. African and African American History was moved to the Black Studies Department, now Africana Studies, with the arrival of African American history specialist William Scott to the College. During the 1970s, student representatives began attending department meetings and job searches. Although total enrollments in History did not significantly increase during the 1970s, more students than ever before were enrolling in advanced courses and colloquia.

The Cold War posed challenges to the department, particularly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Bob Neil and Ron Suny both held strong opinions on the circumstances of their era. Professor Neil was suspicious of the Soviet Union, characterizing it as the world's totalitarian threat. His peer, Professor Suny, took a sympathetic approach and defended the invasion. Suny left Oberlin in 1981, not long after receiving harsh criticism from Professor Lanyi of the Politics department over his views. Heather Hogan, Suny's replacement, had a more pacifistic approach. She promoted an understanding of the History of Russia and the Soviet Union to prevent worsening conflict. However, unlike in other departments, this ideological tension did not cause major splits in the History department.

The faculty's demographics changed dramatically over time. The majority of the faculty has been male for most of its history. The gender ratio has changed considerably since then. Martha Colish was the only female professor in the department for 17 years after coming to Oberlin in 1963. In 1980, Carol Lasser joined her. Lasser was hired to teach women's history, diversifying perspectives to teaching within the department. As of 2024, there are seven female permanent faculty in the department.

In 2016, HIST 299 (Historical Methods) was added as a required course. This class teaches historiographical methods and research skills to prepare students for larger writing projects and Honors theses. Student representatives remain involved in the department. Student representatives attend departmental meetings, assist in job searches, and plan events. Around 2019, students could get involved in the department through the History Design Lab founded by Tamika Nunley. The Design Lab has led projects in community archiving and is the home of the undergraduate History journal On Second Thought. OST publishes student papers from across the disciplines and advertises itself as an alternative History journal.