Historian

BESTSummer2010 FixedI am a cultural and intellectual historian focusing on the long-durée evolution of ideas. I specialize in early modern Europe, particularly the Italian Renaissance and Humanist reception of classical philosophy, as well as ancient, medieval and modern intellectual history. My research interests include Renaissance science, religion, radical thought, atheism, freethought, heresy, censorship, books and printing, patronage, and the production of culture.  I am an Associate Professor in the History Department at the University of Chicago, an associate member of the Classics Department, and a member the Stevanovich Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. I completed my doctorate at Harvard University, and my  first academic book was Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance.

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Overview

My focus is on the development of ideas over long periods, from ancient sources through the middle ages, Renaissance and Reformation to the present day.

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Publications

Ada Palmer’s historical (non-fiction) publications include a variety of articles, chapters, and books.

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Teaching

I teach courses for both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Chicago, and advise MA and Ph.D. students.  In all my courses, including undergraduate and introductory,  I get my students into direct contact with original source documents, materials and artifacts.  I emphasize good writing and offer my students extra-credit exercises to improve writing skills.

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