Professor

My journey as a historian began in the classroom. I taught undergraduate classes at Kent State University while finishing my doctoral dissertation and then developed my teaching style as a professor while on the tenure-track at Sacred Heart University. Now at Denison University, I continue to impress upon students the importance of strong reading, analytical, and writing skills in the study of history. Most importantly, I emphasize how a thorough understanding of turning points in history will contribute to a more developed appreciation for citizenship and current issues in our society today.

My research informs my teaching, and I embrace new technology in order to demonstrate the continued relevance of history in today’s conversations. Students find my classroom engaging, challenging, and a place where they can safely debate new ideas. One student described me as “relentless,” which I decided was an apt description of my teaching style.

I am currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Global Commerce program at Denison University. In this role, I teach students how to explore and interpret aspects of global trade and development through a humanities lens. Courses include Commerce and Society, which considers major shifts in commerce over time and their impact on global communities; Elements of Commerce, where students work through case studies of various international business issues in order to learn key skills; and War and Commerce, an elective that considers the relationship between trade and various forms of conflict. All courses utilize my academic background as a historian and my professional experience in business.

Over the course of my career, I have also taught the following history classes at the college level:

Ohio History

U.S. Foreign Policy

U.S. History to 1877

U.S. History from 1877

Western Civilization II: Since 1500: Economies, Sciences, and Politics

Gilded Age and the Progressive Era

Westward Movement in 19th Century America

Sectional Conflict and American Civil War

Freshman Seminar: 1863: Civil War Turning Points

Reconstruction and Post-Civil War America

Senior Capstone Research Seminar (two semesters): U.S. Foreign Policy

The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

Introduction to World Geography