History: one of my many, many loves!The study and love of history has dominated my life - I have spent twenty years of post-secondary education immersing myself in all kinds of histories, and although formally trained in U.S. history as a scholar, I find my historical interests not constrained by any temporal or geographic limits. My particular passion is in American political history, but as a Brit I have a soft spot for English history, and also love both Ancient Roman and Ancient Chinese history. Perhaps my favorite genre of history is biography - which I try to incorporate into my classes as much as I can - as history is about human interactions: the people themselves make stories. How people in the past think, act, speak and believe is the core of historical empathy, which enriches our understanding of the past.
I have taught history for twelve years, in a variety of capacities and institutions - mainly in secondary and post-secondary eduction. From challenging interpretations of U.S. foreign policy, to embracing urban cultural history in The North American City, my courses encourage students to critically examine the historical subject rather than passively accept the common narrative, using innovative and interdisciplinary methods. Whether it is literature and art, music or maps, history is more than dry facts and dates in a text book. As well as a scholar and teacher of history, I have many other interests and loves. Most of my non-school time is taken up enjoying my gorgeous children: Caleb, Evanny and Tabitha. When I'm not off to the zoo, playing board games or changing diapers, I try to read as much fantasy and sci-fi fiction as I can - I remain to this day a HUGE Tolkien geek and try to read Lord of the Rings as often as I have time (although sometimes I cheat and watch the movies with Caleb!). I am also an avid sports fan - I love rugby, soccer and track - although I play Gaelic Football for the Syracuse Gaels Gaelic Football Club and during the off-season find time to run to keep fit - in order to keep up with the MPH varsity track team that I coach in the spring. Music is also a big part of my life - I try to spend a couple of evenings a week with my guitar if I have time! |
EducationBachelor of Arts in American Studies (Honors) - University of Liverpool, UK, 1998
Master of Science in Educational Psychology - The College of Saint Rose, 2001 Master of Philosophy in History - Syracuse University, 2007 Master of Arts in Political Science - Syracuse University, 2008 Advanced Certificate in Security Studies - Syracuse University, 2008 Doctor of Philosophy in American History (A.B.D.) - Syracuse University - in process contact information
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