Dr. Benjamin Schmidt

Professor

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Biography

Benjamin Schmidt is a Professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington in Seattle. He works at the disciplinary crossroads of cultural history, visual material studies, and the history of science, focusing primarily on Europe's engagement with the world during the so-called age of globalism. His published works cover a range of early modern topics, including 'Innocence Abroad: Dutch Imagination of the New World,' which won the Renaissance Society of America's Gordan Prize and the Holland Society's Hendricks Prize. Other notable publications include 'Making Knowledge in Early Modern Europe: Practices, Objects, Texts' (with Pamela Smith), 'Discovery of Guiana' by Sir Walter Ralegh, and 'Going Dutch: Dutch Presence in America, 1609–2009' (with Annette Stott and Joyce Goodfriend). His recent book, 'Inventing Exoticism: Geography, Globalism, and Europe's Early Modern World,' investigates the evolution of European forms of exoticism and their representations of the non-European world in the context of early global encounters. Schmidt has also explored the impact of climate change on cultural history in his current projects, focusing on global matters and entangled things in the making of modernity.

Research Interests

Courses

Exploration Empire: Art Science Global Power, 1300-1800 Early Modern European History: 1450-1648 History Research Seminar Spain Golden Age, 1469-1700 Exoticism: Global Exchange 1400-1800 Cities Courts: Culture Society Baroque World The Global Renaissance: Topics Early Modern European History

Requirements for University of Washington

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:80
IELTS
Overall
Required:6.5
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:105
Overall
Required:105
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Resume/CV
  • English proficiency scores (for international students)
Specialization Notes

Standard Graduate School requirements for University of Washington apply to most departments listed unless specified otherwise by the program.