Department of History

page of an illuminated manuscript book
Uncovering stories from the medieval era to the recent past, undergraduate researchers followed their passions to dig deep into the University Library System archives. Their research adds new perspectives and scholarship to little-known historical events, practices and objects.
Bald man shown from the back with D.O.C. printed on his prison uniform
The Pitt Prison Education Project puts undergraduates in the classroom with inmates — not as teachers or assistants, but as fellow students taking the same college course.
Kate Koenig
Undergraduate student Kate Koenig created the "I Am_" Project to chronicle the lives of transgender young people through in-depth Q&A interviews and photos. Her work was awarded the Iris Marion Young Award for Community Engagement.
Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History Marcus Rediker is drawn to people forgotten or ignored by traditional historians. His latest book focuses on Benjamin Lay, the first revolutionary abolitionist.
Scars of Independence book cover
Holger Hoock, British Empire specialist and Pitt history professor, takes an unvarnished look at the violent history of the American Revolution — a theme rarely examined in the heroic stories of the War of Independence.