history

Professor of History Susan Gilson Miller explores the margins of history. The gaps she finds in our knowledge of the past resonate with the questions and needs of people in the present.

History is contentious. Scholars that study the past must navigate through multiple histories, reflecting the diversity of memory and record-keeping methods, while also developing new narratives influenced by their own inquiries as well as by concerns of the present.

 

For anyone struggling with the decision to double major, UC Davis undergraduate Harris Niazi has some sage advice. “Don’t ever ask yourself what if,” he said. “Just go for it. Even if it doesn’t pan out, you’re at least stuck with one major that you love.”

 

Amanda Nguyen entered UC Davis as a history major, eager to explore her passion for human rights. She said she was drawn to the idea of interdisciplinary research. “As a history major, I’m not just memorizing facts. When I make an argument about the past, I have to take into account art, socioeconomics, literature, philosophy, politics and more.”

 

 

When it came to choosing a major, the possibilities were wide open for Avery Hom. Avery grew up near Seattle and entered UC Davis as a freshman with junior-level status thanks to Washington’s Running Start program. Instead of finishing out his junior and senior years in high school, Avery attended community college through the program while also earning credit towards his high school graduation. 

Enjoy a sampling of books by UC Davis College of Letters and Science faculty. At Every Depth

While so much of the ocean is still a mystery to us, the beauty and life within it are being affected by our choices as a species. At Every Depth: Our Growing Knowledge of the Changing Oceans  (Columbia University Press, February 2024) by oceanographer Tessa Hill and writer Eric Simons chronicles those changes through the eyes of the community members closest to the shores. But the book is not a passive volume. Instead, it’s a call to action.

In his latest book, UC Davis historian Eric Rauchway places Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the center of a worldwide monetary revolution.

Roosevelt wanted to end the Great Depression in a way that preserved capitalism and democratic institutions. His decision to take the U.S. off the gold standard was key to the country’s economic recovery. But his monetary policy has been given scant credit — until now.

Peter Galison, the Pellegrino University Professor of the History of Science and of Physics at Harvard University, delivered the 2011 Sheffrin Lecture, "Secrecy: Espionage Act to Wikileaks."