History Department Records

History has been taught at Oberlin since the College'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. Monroe and Adelia Field Johnson led the development of the program as it was designated as its own discipline. Johnson provided Medieval History and European Art History courses in what was then the Ladies' Department before retiring in 1907. Her courses migrated to the Department of Art and Archaeology, later the Fine Arts Department. This move marked the separation of Art History and History at Oberlin.

Lyman Bronson Hall joined Oberlin's history 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 developed into the History Honors Program beginning in 1916. Frederick B. Artz joined the department in 1924. Artz 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 level and prerequisites were established. Professors came to be identified by their specific courses in this period. The history department had steady enrollment. Its students exceeded other popular majors like French, Political Science, and Fine Arts.

In the early twentieth century, the history department prioritized European history. However, its course catalog added more geographic areas with the addition of new faculty. 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, which was offered from 1918 to 1945. Ellsworth Carlson, a specialist in Asian History, joined the department in 1949. Non-western history was taught more frequently after Carlson's arrival in Oberlin. With changes in faculty, the department was not always able to meet the demand for a broad variety of courses and focus areas.

By the early 1950s, Oberlin's history department had five tenure-track or tenured professors. Professors Artz and McGill taught European History. Professors LeDuc and Fletcher taught American History. Professor Carlson taught Asian History. Their course offerings were supplemented by other staff, faculty, or visiting scholars. Alumni Secretary Leslie Fishel 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 gained new specialists in European and American History. A course on African-American History was added in this period, taught by Richard Brown.

Significant changes came to Oberlin's history department in the 1960s. In 1963, the courses open to first years greatly expanded. Previously, first years were only permitted to take European or American History surveys. After 1963, courses in European, American, East Asian, and Indian history were open to all Oberlin students. The Honors program was expanded, and the department doubled its annual selection of seminars. Geoffrey Blodgett, a student of history under Robert Fletcher, returned to Oberlin to teach 1960. Blodgett was known for his focus on the intersection of social history with the built environment and particular expertise in the architecture of Oberlin's town and campus.

After a visit from an outside advisory committee in 1970, the department began to implement suggested changes. 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 courses were 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 participating in 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 men for most of its history. The gender ratio has changed considerably since then. In 1963, Marcia Colish joined the department, its only woman faculty member for 17 years. In 1980, Carol Lasser joined Oberlin's history faculty. Lasser was hired to teach women's history, diversifying perspectives to teaching within the department. As of 2024, there are seven women faculty members in the department.

In 2016, HIST 299 (Historical Methods) was added as a required course. Methods teaches historiographical methods and research skills to prepare students for larger writing projects and Honors theses. Student representatives remain involved in the department, attending departmental meetings, assisting in job searches, and planning events. In about 2019, Tamika Nunley founded the History Design Lab. The Design Lab has led projects in community archiving and public engagement. It 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.

Administrative History written by Sophie Haward; reviewed by Emily Rebmann.