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At The College of New Jersey, I teach courses on European and World history, Genocide Studies, and Gender Studies. My approach to teaching is student-centered. Class discussions involve analyses of class readings and primary sources, including documents, music, film, architecture, monuments, and art. My interactive lectures provide frequent opportunities for students to contribute.
At The College of New Jersey, I teach courses on European and World history, Genocide Studies, and Gender Studies. My approach to teaching is student-centered. Class discussions involve analyses of class readings and primary sources, including documents, music, film, architecture, monuments, and art. My interactive lectures provide frequent opportunities for students to contribute.
My teaching is housed in the History Department, which is part of The School of Humanities and Social Sciences, but all students are welcome to enroll in my courses.
Current Courses: Fall 2025
HIS 325: Modern Germany
HIS 325: Modern Germany
The modern German nation has made extraordinary contributions to the world: from the great national operas of Wagner to the first science fiction films of the 1920s; from the economic analysis of Karl Marx to the economic miracle of the 1960s. Yet, those of us who study Germany always come back to the first question: how could such a modern, successful country have launched the greatest moral failure of modern history: the Holocaust. This course will examine the development of modern Germany, from the foundation of the German nation in 1870 to the present to explore this historical paradox. We will try to understand each historical period for its own sake, while always remembering to ask what events led to the rise of Hitler and World War II. While the Nazi era will be a key component of the course, we will devote much of our study to the periods before and after the war. What factors led to the age of Hitler, and how did the Germans recover from that dark period in their national history? This course will analyze German history from various perspectives: political, cultural, economic, and social. We will use a primary and secondary literature, films, art and music to gain a fuller perspective of Germany in the modern era.
HIS 461: Film and History in Eastern Europe
HIS 461: Film and History in Eastern Europe
Film has been called “Eastern Europe’s most important art.” The region’s former communist countries received wide acclaim from an international audience, capturing many Oscar nominations and awards and Cannes Film Festival prizes. However, the importance of film as an art form is only half of the story. Filmmakers used this medium to comment subtly and boldly on the political situation in their countries. Using humor, tragic historical themes, and metaphor, East European filmmakers drew worldwide attention to contradictions inherent in the Communist system. This course will focus on East European history in the Communist and post-Communist eras. We will screen films from Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and the Soviet Union. A variety of readings, such as short stories, essays, memoirs, interviews, and historical background, will accompany each film. While we will examine films from multiple perspectives, gender theory will be a primary way to understand these films.
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