Major: History

Indiana University of Pennsylvania history professor
2011 Veteran U.S. National Fencing Champion

I graduated from the Clark Honors College in 1985 with a degree in history. My undergraduate research included not only the completion of my senior thesis, The Commoner’s Attitude Toward Jews In 12th and 13th Century England, but work as a research assistant for Professor Frances Cogan. In order to assist Professor Cogan in the research for her book, All American Girl, I helped develop a new way to date publications. It was this breakthrough that hooked me on the methodological problem-solving aspect of research, and my work with Professor Cogan solidified my decision to go to graduate school and pursue a career as a historian.

Today, as a history professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, I am still impressed by the research process— the independence of thought, problem solving, and critical analysis that brings together something from film, something from pictures, something oral, something written, a primary source, a secondary source, to create something new. Learning to do research in a liberal arts setting, where the models for research are perhaps less clear-cut, teaches students to work with a subtle hand and weigh things as they go, skills I believe will help students succeed at just about anything.

I am grateful to the Clark Honors College, not only for supporting my undergraduate research interests, but also for being part of the University of Oregon. Not only was I able to reap the benefits of studying at a small liberal arts college, where intelligence was valued and supported, but I was also able to fence competitively at the NCAA Championships! I continue to fence today, and was veteran U.S. national fencing champion in 2011.

My current research focuses on old age and the aging body in early modern England and Europe. This year, I have been very fortunate to receive several prestigious research awards including the Fulbright-King’s College London Scholars Award, the Ruth Landes Memorial Fellowship, the Pain Fellow, and the Francis Bacon Fellowship. I am currently in London conducting research for my next book project.