Department of History

Students studying history explore human experience in a wide variety of times, geographical settings and cultural contexts. 

The Department of History at SUNY Potsdam offers students the opportunity to explore the human experience over time, from the beginnings of recorded history to the present, in a wide variety of geographical settings and cultural contexts.

While studying the past with a faculty committed to excellence in the classroom, students develop essential skills in critical reading, writing, speaking and thinking.

About half of the department’s 170 majors also plan to seek certification as teachers, primarily in secondary education. The remainder seek, and receive, a broad liberal arts education that prepares them for a variety of careers.

Please contact us should you need additional assistance.

Welcome!    

Dr. M. J. Heisey, History Department Chair


Dr. Kevin Smith publishes article

"Breaking Faith: Religion, Americanism, and Civil Rights in Postwar Milwaukee," by Dr. Kevin Smith, was recently featured in Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation.  Smith's article traces the responses of various religious organizations in Milwaukee to the rise of post World War Two civil rights activism. (Read more)

By setting a priority on student success, the history professors here at Potsdam push students to achieve their maximum potential.

-Greg Majo, History Major Class of 2008