Education
M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago
Scholarship
Michael Tafel has been teaching history classes at DePaul University since 2003. He also designed and leads a First Year Study Abroad program called “The Legacy of Rome" which brings DePaul students to both Florence and Rome, Italy. In addition to DePaul, he also teaches for Purdue University and Columbia College Chicago. His classes at these other institutions include European history, Ancient Civilizations, History of Chicago as well as classes on Civic Engagement & Public Policy and Sociological Perspectives on Death and Dying. Professor Tafel's graduate thesis focused on the French occupation of Rome during the era of the French Revolution (1790s-1814), and he has done post-Masters work at both Loyola University and University of Illinois focusing on Chicago History & the French Revolution. During the summers of 2017-2024 (apart from 2020) he spends time in Florence, Italy lecturing at the Monnalisa School of Italian Language & Culture and acts as a lead coordinator & lecturer for Forte Academy's Classics Abroad program. Currently, Professor Tafel is working on a documentary about the rise and fall of the Florentine Republic.
Teaching
Professor Tafel teaches classes in World History (HST 111, 112), European History (Medieval & Modern: HST 171, 172, 173) as well as two Focal Point Seminars: 'The Legacy of Rome" and “The Ancient Mediterranean World."