History programs are integral to every academic curriculum. The better future that students and scholars aim to construct while at university is built on a foundation of our past. However, it's not the past that brings our future into focus; dedicated professors engage learners, develop interests, and stir passions. One such dedicated professor is Charlie Briggs, who teaches his last class at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ this week, ahead of his retirement in May 2025.
Over his 15 years of outstanding teaching at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, Charlie Briggs has taught the intellectual & cultural history of later medieval Europe, world history and early European history. Although not a mathematician, Briggs has amassed some impressive numbers here, teaching a total of 3,560 students over 73 courses. Some notable offerings include Books/Readers in Early Europe, Encountering the Other: Medieval and Renaissance, The British Isles, 1300-1688, as well as Pandemic, Society and Culture.
What makes Dr Briggs all the more impressive is his expansive publishing record, even with all that teaching. Since starting at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, he has published 2 books, one an important textbook The Body Broken: Medieval Europe 1300–1520 (Routledge 2011, revised and enlarged 2020), the second a monograph co-edited with Peter S. Eardley, A Companion to Giles of Rome (Brill 2016). In addition, Briggs has published 13 articles and book chapters, along with 4 encyclopedia entries/short articles. He has presented 29 conference/seminar papers and invited lectures, and has served on 8 thesis committees (MA and undergraduate honors) all since coming to ¶¶Òõ̽̽.
His achievements on campus and off have not gone unnoticed. In the last 15 years he has been named Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK) (2011), was named the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ President’s Distinguished Senior Lecturer (2017), and served as Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh in 2024.
We post this today in honor of Dr. Briggs last day teaching at ¶¶Òõ̽̽. We wish him well in all his future endeavors in our world’s past.