Advising

In Fall 2022, Dr. Patryk Babiracki became History's MA Advisor. This new role comes after more than a decade's experience teaching in the program, including serving often as the instructor in the Department's foundational course in Theory and Methods, where he helped dozens of students through their first terms as graduate students. Babiracki received his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in 2008. A historian of Russia, Eastern Europe and the Cold War, he is the author of Soviet Soft Power in Poland: Culture and the Making of Stalin’s New Empire, 1943-1957 (UNC Press, 2015); he also co-edited two collections of essays devoted to transnational history of socialism, and authored articles in academic and popular periodicals, including New Eastern Europe, The Washington Post and The Wilson Quarterly.

As the Department of History's M.A. advisor, he works to help students find the right fit for their graduate studies. Sometimes this means short discussions about the pros and cons of getting a certification in public history or archival administration or the trade-offs of writing a thesis versus building a portfolio. At other times, it’s just about navigating the process of applying to enter the program or to complete the requirements for graduation.