“At the Heart of Community Engagement: Blue Jays for Baltimore Collaborate with the Bentalou Recreation Center,” by Julia Mendes Queiroz and Liz Peron, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, April 13, 2025.
Podcast: “The Making of Dissidents,” hosted by Roland Clark, New Books in Eastern European Studies, New Books Network, January 10, 2025.
“Johns Hopkins Students Unpack the Past at the Bmore Historic ‘Unconference’,” The Hub, Johns Hopkins University, October 17, 2024.
“The Indelible Impact of the Baltimore Black Panthers,” by Irene Bantigue, Baltimore Beat (June 11, 2024). [additional mention in “Tubman House in Sandtown-Winchester Hits Roadblocks in its Mission to Feed Hungry Residents,” by Jaisal Noor, Baltimore Beat (July 26, 2024).]
“Revolution in Our Lifetime” Exhibition highlights the history of The Black Panther Party in Baltimore,” by Leo Qi, The JHU Newsletter, April 24, 2024.
“Zoff an US-Unis: immer mehr Proteste gegen Israels Krieg im Gaza-Streifen,” by Ralf Borchard, ARD, November 2, 2023. Transcript: ““Atmosphäre der Angst” an US-Uni.”
“Faculty Focus: Dr. Victoria Harms, Senior Lecturer, Department of History,” JHU Arts & Sciences Weekly – October 25, 2023.
Describe your primary scholarship or research, and tell us what is most exciting about your current project.
Trained in European, mostly Central European history in the 20th century, a certain fascination with the U.S. has made me a Cold War historian and had me embrace sports history—for its boundless opportunities to explore the complexity of our societies. Correspondingly, I am working on two projects, 1) the West German positioning vis-à-vis the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics; 2) the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and Reagan’s America. Both help us better understand our world today, and inform current affairs and controversies, not least of all Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as corruption, doping, and all sorts of other scandals surrounding recent (and upcoming) Olympic games.
Share a best practice or tip for successful teaching or mentoring.
Be curious, listen, and respond accordingly (and allow second chances). Everyone has different needs, expectations, ambitions, and dreams. Our students are smart and work hard; when they feel respected, they will mirror empathy, understanding, and generosity, and they have made teaching at Hopkins the most rewarding experience I’ve had at any university so far.
What do you like to do outside of work?
A love for traveling and reading comes with the territory. I love sports (see above) and enjoy working out, being active. Although some wear-and-tear has limited my running lately, having finished 16 marathons and seven ultramarathons still gives me a modicum of bragging rights.
Department of History Newsletter, “Faculty Spotlight: The library acquires a database of the Black Panther Newspaper,” October 16, 2023.
Abigail Gruskin, “The Orioles’ season left its mark on baby names. Could another awesome year birth more Adleys, Gunnars, Cedrics and Félixes?,” Baltimore Sun, October 13, 2023.
“Looking to the Past for the Future,” A & S Magazine, Johns Hopkins University, Fall 2023. Interview with Daphne Tang, Class of 2022, IS major, on her award-winning essay of Baltimore in 1968 and 2015.
“Students unite to study Baltimore’s Civil Rights History,” by Brennen Jensen, the HUB, November 7, 2022.
“Johns Hopkins students, Baltimore Poly students learn about city’s role in Civil Rights,” CBS Baltimore, October 19, 2022.
“Humans of Hopkins: Victoria Harms,” by Yana Mulani, the Johns Hopkins News-Letter, November 17, 2022.
VICTORIA HARMS 