Teaching

I am primarily a historian of early America, from the colonial period through the Civil War. However, I regularly teach survey courses in American Indian, Environmental, and Race & Ethnicity that span the full history of the United States.

Each year I teach “Native American Artifacts and Their Stories,” a course that draws on the extensive 6,000 object Upper Susquehanna Collection at the Yager Museum of Art & Culture. In this course, students consider the complicated history of museums and American Indians while developing their own pop-up exhibits, research posters, papers, or digital projects that examine Native American artifacts and artwork. Open to all majors, but of special interest to students in Museum Studies or those with career goals in public history, this course explores the myriad ways to find stories in objects–from the perspective of art, anthropology, history, or whatever background a student brings to the class.

I enjoy working with students writing theses in the areas of my expertise, and especially research that draws on archival material related to their college and community.

In addition to my teaching in history, I work closely with students and faculty in Environment, Sustainability, and Society, and offer American Environmental History for this major.