Carnegie Mellon University

Internationally known for our innovative historical and anthropological approaches to the study of social, cultural, and policy change.

Our faculty offer three different degree programs: the B.A. or B.S. in Social & Political History, the B.A. in Global Studies, and the interdepartmental B.A. or B.S. in Ethics, History & Public Policy. All three focus on connections between past and present and on how historical knowledge facilitates understanding of social, cultural, and policy change.

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Graduate Program

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News

Dr. Joe Trotter wins the John Lewis Award for History and Social Justice from the American Historical Association.

Dr. Edmund Russell created an interactive digital map on telegraph history.

Read Dr. Michal Friedman's interview for the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Spotlight series. 

Dr. Nico Slate recently received a prestigious NEH fellowship for his project on the role of the Highlander Folk School in training leaders of the civil rights movement.

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Courses

79-345 - Roots of Rock and Roll

Taught by: Professor Scott Sandage

Roots of Rock and Roll is about open source, collaborative innovation and the impact of social and technological change on American music. The class focuses on early "remix" music (slave songs, Anglo-Appalachian ballads, ragtime, and Depression era blues and country) and revolutionaries like Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. The class format is informal lecture and discussion.

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Roots of Rock and Roll