History Open Office Day
Thursday, January 15, 2026
12:00 PM-2:00 PM
The Drexel Department of History will be hosting their Open Office Day on Thursday, January 15, 2026, between 12pm - 2pm. History offices are located on the 5th floor of the MacAlister Hall, at 3250-60 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Prospective and current undergraduate students are invited to get acquainted with historians and faculty in Africana Studies, to learn more about their respective backgrounds and working methods of the various offices, and to meet each other.
During the Open Office Day, they can walk around freely and delve into specific topics and experiences while faculty and staff will share their creative workspace, highlight their research and interests, and engage with students on the art of being a historian.
Participating Faculty and Topics
Prof. Llyod Ackert (rm 5011): Russian/ Soviet History (Tsars and Revolutions); History of Science at the Academy of Natural Sciences (Ruth Patrick Biography)
Prof. Jonson Miller (rm 5015): Grades and grading; meaning of grades, where
grades come from, how grading happens;
Considering graduate school: the harsh reality, the great reward, and preparing to apply.
Prof. Tiago Saraiva (rm 5010): Global Histories of Science and Politics; Doing History with Non-Humans; History of Fascism
Prof. Jonathan Seitz (rm 5009): What should (or shouldn’t) go into a textbook about the history of witchcraft and magic? Can you do good history by eavesdropping on the Inquisition?
Prof. Tasneem Siddiqui (rm 5013): African(a)/Indigenous land-based movements,
Africana spiritual systems, Africana liberation movements, alternative economies
Prof. Kathryn Steen (rm 5012): U.S. Economic History and inequality; Let’s talk about tariffs
Prof. Sonia Vaz Borges (rm 5014): AfriTrivia-The Ultimate Educational Game on
Africa; Afro-Europeans and the ongoing processes of liberation struggles in Europe
Prof. Toni Pitock (rm 5022): The Atlantic World and Jewish Ethnicity, Religion, and
Culture
W. E. B. Du Bois
W.E.B. (William Edward Burkhardt) Du Bois (1868-1963) was a towering American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and writer, renowned as the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard and a key founder of the NAACP.
Du Bois advocated for racial equality through protest, pan-Africanism, and intellectual leadership, shaping Black consciousness with works like The Souls of Black Folk. He championed the "Talented Tenth" and used data and powerful writing, notably in The Crisis magazine, to fight discrimination, though his radicalism led to later conflicts with the NAACP before he moved to Ghana and renounced U.S. citizenship late in life.
Contact Information
Khushi Patel
kp3248@drexel.edu