As a graduate of the Colgate teacher education program,
...I understand my subject and how to teach it.
While a student at Colgate University, I pursued a concentration in history, which included a rigorous course load of American, European and Global history. I had the amazing opportunity to participate in Colgate's London History Study Group in spring 2007 where, under the guidance of Prof. Ray Douglas, I conducted my own historical research in several archives throughout London. In spring 2008, I earned honors in history after extending and submitting that research as my honors thesis.
Descriptions of my history courses are listed below, as are some examples of my work within the history discipline. I especially recommend my thesis on the influence of religion on the formation of clubs for girls in the late Victorian era in Britain, which is in the process of being bound before it will be accessioned into the Colgate library system. All files are in PDF format; if you cannot access these files, please email me and I can send you a Word document.
Relevant Coursework in History:
HIST 102 Europe in Crisis since 1815
This course explores the social, economic, political, and cultural history of Europe over the last two centuries. Topics include Metternich, the revolutions of 1848, nationalism and the unification of Italy and Germany, the Industrial Revolution and the growth of socialism, imperialism and the alliance system, the Russian Revolution and the two World Wars, Stalinism, the development of the European Union, and the fall of the Soviet Empire after 1989.HIST 200 History Workshop
This course trains students in historical methods by focusing on research, writing, and communication skills. Students learn to understand historiographical debates, assemble and assess bibliographies, find and interpret primary sources, construct effective written arguments, cite sources correctly, and develop appropriate oral communication skills. Depending on the instructor, the course may also include the use of non-traditional sources such as film or material culture, as well as the interpretation of historic sites, monuments, or landscapes.HIST 212 Emergence of the Modern Woman
A comparative and cross-cultural approach to modern women's history, from the Enlightenment to the present. The course considers common elements of women's experience in modern history, including changes in fertility and sexuality, increasing educational attainment, transformations in economic roles, and new access to political power. Students explore the importance of women's own agency, or resistance to oppression, in bringing about and/or exploiting these changes; and they assess the diversity of women's identities as conditioned, for example, by class, race, or ethnicity. The course emphasizes the particular history of different nations or regions depending on the instructor, but it always involves students learning to work within a comparative framework.Click here for my paper on Angela Davis or here for my paper on the impact of China's One Child Policy on Women
HIST 242 Great Britain in Modern Times
This course studies the development of Great Britain from the Revolution of 1688 to 1945: political evolution, thought, and culture; industrial revolution and social change; and the problem of Ireland, foreign policy, and issues of the early 20th century.HIST 264 Modern East Asia
This course examines the formation of modern East Asia, with particular focus on China, Japan, and Korea. The course explores the changing role of empire and nation, indigenous reevaluations of tradition, and finally the shifting political, economic, and military relations among China, Japan, and Korea. The course concludes with a look at East Asia’s evolving place in the world as a whole.Click here for my paper on China and the Chinese or here for my paper on the Ills of Traditional Society
HIST 309 Culture and Society in Cold War America
For more than 40 years, the Cold War cast a long shadow over American culture and society, shaping everything from gender roles to religious practice, from funding for science to the struggle for civil rights. This course explores the impact of the Cold War on the American home front between 1945 and 1965. Topics include American reactions to the atomic bomb, the role of civil defense, McCarthyism, the culture of consumption, and the impact of the Cold War on the family, politics, religion, science, and popular culture. Finally, the course considers the domestic legacy of the early Cold War, asking to what degree it retarded or set the stage for the social movements of the 1960s.HIST 323 History of the Andes
This course presents a long sweep of a culturally rich region's history. It opens with the pre-historic, pre-Incaic civilizations, and then covers their conquest, first by the Incan Empire and then by the Spanish conquistadors. It treats the region's struggles under colonialism, the varying reactions to independence and the modern world, the dynamic rivalry between the highlands and the coast, and the modern political and economic tensions endemic in the area.Click here for my paper on Freire's Influence on education in Brazil
HIST 349 20th-Century Britain
This course studies major political, social, and economic developments in Britain since 1900. The evolution of British institutions, commonwealth relations, and foreign policy are considered.HIST Seminar in British History: Victorian Values
HIST 491 Independent Studies in History
These courses offer upper-class and graduate students the opportunity to pursue individual study under the guidance of a member of the staff.HIST 490 History Honors Seminar
An honors seminar for candidates for honors and high honors in history. Students enroll in this seminar to complete or extend a paper already begun in another history course.
As a student teacher, I was able to draw on many of my academic experiences in my own teaching. Below are links to several PowerPoint presentations I made which use photos and background information from my semester abroad, whether in visiting World War I trenches in France and Belgium, Belfast, or Vatican City.
Additionally, because of my strong background in history, I have the ability to research and distill new information quickly and effectively, so that I have the expertise necessary to teach new content information.
Course descriptions are from the Colgate Catalogue, which is available online.