Welcome to the Department of History

Jeremy Brown, Department Chair

Welcome to the Department of History at Simon Fraser University.  We are a community of faculty, staff, sessional instructors, graduate students, and undergraduates dedicated to understanding and explaining how and why things change. We study the history of places from British Columbia to Africa, China, and beyond; we analyze events from thousands of years ago through the present day.

We are researchers who write books and articles and build archives of original historical sources. We are award-winning instructors who teach undergraduate students to practice empathy toward people in the context of their unique historical moments, while emphasizing excellent writing, critical reading, and lively discussion.  Graduate students in history at SFU write theses based on research in field sites around the globe, drawing from a diverse array of sources and methods, including archival research and oral history interviews. After graduating, they go on to successful careers in the academic, NGO, private, and public sectors.

You can find us on the sixth floor of the Academic Quadrangle and in classrooms at SFU's Burnaby campus, which is located on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Tseil-Waututh, Kwiketlem, Squamish, and Musqueam Nations. We also teach and hold public events at SFU's Vancouver and Surrey campuses. We invite you to explore our website, drop by our offices, take History classes, and join our public colloquia, lectures, and panels, where you will find an inclusive learning community committed to anti-racism, decolonization, and Indigenization.

Jeremy Brown, Chair     

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