The Department of History was pleased to welcome Professor Silvia Z. Mitchell (Purdue University) to campus on May 18 for lectures on international history. Professor Mitchell’s introductory seminar, “After the Cultural Turn: Historiographical Trends on International and Diplomatic History,” revisited the many new theoretical approaches to historical research that emerged during the 1980s and discussed the implications of this “cultural turn” for historians today. Following this interactive session with students, Mitchell delivered her keynote lecture entitled “Dynastic and International Politics in Late Habsburg Spain (1660-1770): Reconfiguring European International Politics,” which drew on her expertise in early modern European history to explore Habsburg Spain’s shifting geopolitical role in inter-imperial politics. Professor Mitchell is currently working on a new monograph that will examine the reign of Queen Mariana of Austria (1634-1696) from courtly, international, and gendered perspectives.