Gil-li Vardi in Normandy

Gil-li Vardi, who joined Stanford in 2012, is a core lecturer in the department of history and the program in international relations, where she specializes in modern military history. Her courses include Introduction to Modern Military History; The Great War; The Modern Battle (a class in which students study the evolution of modern warfare by replaying four major campaigns of the 20th century), and People, Armies, and Governments of the Second World War. Her research was published in War in History and Strategic Studies, and she has edited volumes in The Changing Character of War and The Culture of Military Organizations.

Gil-li enjoys teaching and mentoring students from all walks of Stanford, as military history appeals to many students who would not otherwise be interested in history classes. To her, military history is a wonderful door to the past. Once this door is opened, it leads far beyond the initial curiosity about warfare that first led to its opening. “Once they are in, we talk about the ways in which war shaped our world. Think of a ration card, the clothes worn by factory workers, Disney propaganda movies, or the GI Bill. Our diet, fashion, public opinion, and higher education were all shaped by war.”

During our adventure, Gil-li will place the Normandy landing in a broader context of the Second World War, and examine the operational and strategic implications of the European front as it unfolded. Her lectures will explore the Allied forces’ unique challenges during and after the landing, German options and tactics as the Allies were advancing, the ending of the war in Europe, and how the invasion is remembered in Europe today.

• At Stanford: Core Lecturer, History Department and IR Program, 2012–present

• Assistant Professor, Notre Dame University, 2010–2012

• Postdoctoral Fellow, The Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War, 2007–2009

• Phi Beta Kappa Undergraduate Teaching Award, Stanford University, 2022

• Stanford H&S Dean Teaching Award, 2021

• PhD, International History, London School of Economics, London, UK, 2009

• BA (Cum Lauda), History and Political Science, Tel Aviv University, 2002