News
Department of History

Four faculty members from RIT’s College of Liberal Arts have recently written books on diverse subjects: how disability is viewed in the media, the commercialization of 19th-century autobiographies, how birth and death costs and practices have changed over the years, and how Germany adopted technology and a productivity culture after World War II.

Essay by Rebecca Edwards, professor of history, published by The Conversation.

RIT’s College of Liberal Arts honored student achievement in writing on Friday with the presentation of more than a dozen writing awards for essays varying from sanctuary cities, how democracies can withstand outside meddling, and the excavation, preservation and reconstruction of a London theater where Shakespearian plays debuted.

Michael Brown, an assistant professor in Rochester Institute of Technology’s Department of History, is the 2018-19 recipient of the Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognizing exceptional performance in the classroom and a commitment to student learning. He will be recognized with a dinner on April 16 and participate as a member of the platform party for the university’s academic convocation on May 10.

A two-day conference examining President Donald Trump’s rise within U.S. history and how people are talking about U.S. history in relation to Trump is scheduled March 28 and 29 at RIT.

WHEC-TV interviews Richard Newman, professor of history.

WHAM-TV's "Many Voices, Many Visions" segment features Richard Newman, professor of history, and Olivia Kim, adjunct professor, School of Art and Design, talking about the life of Frederick Douglass.

David Blight, a renowned historian whose new book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, has been published to glowing reviews, will be in Rochester Dec. 3 and 4 for two engagements co-sponsored by RIT.

Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, edited by three RIT faculty members in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, looks at how Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and American voters invoked ideas of gender, race and history in that election.

From the Underground Railroad to legislative lobbying, a new book, written by RIT Professor Richard Newman, Abolitionism: A Very Short Introduction, talks about the importance of anti-slavery struggles in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries.

A research team from RIT has identified a land deed dating from the Civil War that shows abolitionist Frederick Douglass purchased property in what is now downtown Rochester. The deed is a revelation to scholars seeking to understand Douglass’s role as a businessman and landholder in Rochester.

Michael Laver, chair of the Department of History at RIT, has been named an ACE Fellow for the 2018-19 academic year by the American Council on Education. The program identifies and prepares faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration.