The History Department, like Brock itself, began in 1964, growing steadily from three members to its current complement of eighteen. The Department balances traditional approaches with innovative practices guided by new questions, new technologies, and new pedagogies.
Founded on a commitment to small-class, seminar-centred undergraduate teaching, the Department has demonstrated significant innovation in response to rising expectations, changing historiographical trends, and Ontario’s demography. The Department now boasts a successful MA program and a strong research profile. Hiring has focused on developing international reach (China, Latin America, Africa, Middle East) and international calibre researchers.
Recent innovations include undergrad and grad Co-op programs, new first-year offerings, an undergraduate mentorship program, High School outreach, some very successful online learning initiatives, and a dynamic Undergraduate student society who run an undergraduate journal “The General”. Undergraduates learn about their place in the global past, how to understand the past’s importance for understanding the present, how to explore their own passions, and how best to think about and communicate these and broader stories. Grad students learn how to engage in meaningful research, and to participate in the broader community of scholars. Our research outcomes reflect community aspirations, national and international collaborations, and world-class expectations.
