Academics
History Faculty
Susan Ouellette
Department Chair
Professor of History
B.A. SUNY Plattsburgh; M.A., Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
View Dr. Ouellette's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: United States History to 1865; Women in American Society; Native Peoples of North America; American Society and Culture to 1865; The Age of American Revolution, 1763-1815; History of the American Family; The Roots of American Society, 1607-1763; Topics in Women's History; History of Gender
Areas of Expertise: Early America, including the first settlement up to the American Revolution period; Native Americans; Immigration history, especially the experience of Francophones in the Northeast; Textiles history; Women’s history; diaries and memoirs.
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Ouellette's most recent published book is US Textile Production in Historical Perspective: A Case Study from Massachusetts (Rutledge Press, 2007). She is currently working on a biography of an early Vermont woman, Phebe Orvis, based on Orvis’ own journal; two journal articles on Orvis are already in press (Dublin Seminar Proceedings and Journal of Vermont History). She has also contributed a chapter on the political economy of textile work in early Massachusetts to an upcoming work by Barry Levy, Town Born (UPenn Press, forthcoming). In March 2007 she was a guest on Vermont Public Radio's Switchboard program, discussing her role in the Vermont Women's History Project.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Ouellette's research enhances her teaching. She often uses materials she has collected in her research directly in the classroom. She also uses her writing projects to model the process of research and writing for students.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Ouellette serves as an expert panel member on the Vermont Women's History project. She has also been a board member of the Mount Independence Historic Site and the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Committee. At home, she enjoys kayaking, country walks with her Jack Russell terrier, Chloe, and gardening.
Learn more about Dr. Ouellette in her faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Durick Library 304
Phone: 802.654.2249
Box 136
E-mail: souellette@smcvt.edu
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George Dameron
Professor of History
-- On sabbatical for the Fall 2009 semester --
B.A. Duke University; M.A. Harvard University; Ph.D. Harvard University
View Dr. Dameron's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Europe in the Early Middle Ages, 600-1000; Europe in the High Middle Ages, 1000-1400; Topics in Medieval History: (topics vary and include "Women and Gender in the Middle Ages," "The Franciscans"); The Black Death; The Historian's Craft; Senior Seminar; Culture and Society in Medieval Italy; Ancient and Medieval Civilization; Renaissance and Reformation
Areas of Expertise: Medieval Florence (Italy) from antiquity to the Black Death; the Church in Medieval Florence (and Tuscany); the political economy of grain and food in the medieval Italian communes, 1000-1400; the political transformation of Italian cities in the second half of the thirteenth century
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Dameron's most recent published work is Florence and Its Church in the Age of Dante (Pennsylvania, 2005). Currently, he is writing the book, The Making of Medieval Florence. Once that project is complete, he intends to write a book on the political economy of grain in north Italian communes in the thirteenth century.
On Teaching and Research: Teaching both in the Department of History and Humanities Program, Dr. Dameron is an engaged scholar on medieval Italy. He brings to his classes and seminars a level of enthusiasm, a familiarity with other scholars, and a knowledge about the subject. His teaching has helped keep him aware of new developments in scholarship and has also helped him learn how to communicate new research effectively. He has also found himself learning from undergraduates, as they have often asked questions or made observations that have enriched his own understanding of history and his research area.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Dameron enjoys tennis, running, hiking, kayaking, keeping a 160-year-old Vermont Greek Revival house in good shape, and listening to music (all genres, from pop to opera).
Learn more about Dr. Dameron in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Durick Library 306
Phone: 802.654.2318
Box 141
E-mail: gdameron@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/gdameron/
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Douglas Slaybaugh
Professor of History
B.S. Iowa State University; M.A. Iowa State University; Ph.D. Cornell University
Courses Taught: U.S. History Since 1865; American Society and Culture Since 1865; Presidential Elections; The Age of FDR; America and the Cold War
Areas of Expertise: U.S. politics, society and culture; biography
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Slaybaugh has published a biography of William I. Myers, the head of the Farm Credit Administration during the New Deal and journal articles on Myers, courtship and marriage in the Progressive Era, and Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaigns. Currently, he is working on a dual biography of a pair of idealistic Oberlin College graduates, class of 1912.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Slaybaugh enjoys the opportunities for teaching and research possible at a college like Saint Michael’s and believes the two activities are mutually supportive. His research helps inform his teaching; his teaching experiences help raise issues for his research.
Learn more about Dr. Slaybaugh in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Durick Library 310
Phone: 802.654.2465
Box 202
E-mail: dslaybaugh@smcvt.edu
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Ke-wen Wang
Professor of History
B.A. National Taiwan University; M.A., Ph.D. Stanford University
Courses Taught: Traditional East Asia; Modern East Asia; China in the 20th Century; Japan and the Modern World; East Asia and the West; Japanese Culture; World War II in Asia; Women in East Asian History
Areas of Expertise: Politics in Nationalist China; the Sino-Japanese War; Chinese Newspapers in the Republican Era
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Wang is the author of Wang Jingwei, the Guomindang, and the Nanjing Regime (Taipei: The Historica Sinica). He also published articles on the Chinese collaboration during Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) and presented papers on the history of the newspaper Dagongbao.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Wang's favorite course to teach is World War II in Asia. He feels that war is a constant reminder that human societies need to learn from their past – and that they seldom do. He enjoys teaching the course because it is close to his own research interest and because it challenges students to re-examine their U.S.-centered view of history through the study of an otherwise familiar event.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Wang is currently serving as Secretary-Treasurer of the Historical Society of 20th Century China. He has taught at universities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China
Campus Office
Durick Library 311
Phone: 802.654.2428
Box 101
E-mail: kwang@smcvt.edu
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Thomas Andersen
Associate Professor of History
B.A. Saint Peter's College University; M.A. Fordham University; Ph.D. Fordham University
Dr. Andersen joined the Department of History in 1970. He teaches surveys of Medieval and Early Modern Europe and also conducts a number of upper level seminar courses on European Witchcraft, the Medieval Crusades and Renaissance and Reformation Europe. In addition, he teaches a history/classics course on the Roman Empire. Areas of professional interest include Early Medieval Europe, the Crusades, and medieval and early modern intellectual and religious history. Dr. Andersen enjoys a variety of outdoor, warm weather activities, which include boating and, most recently, motorcycling. He has been married to his "soul mate" Jo Ann for thirty-seven years and together they have four grown children and five grandchildren.
Campus Office
Durick Library 308
Phone: 802.654-2337
Box 103
E-mail: tandersen@smcvt.edu
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Yovanna Pineda
Associate Professor of History
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Pineda's areas of teaching include Latin American history, economic and development history and social history. Her areas of research include industrialization in Argentina machinery and economic development in Argentina.
Campus Office
Durick Library 307
Phone: 802.654.2472
Box 232
E-mail: ypineda at smcvt.edu
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Jennifer Purcell
Assistant Professor of History
B.A., M.A. University of Colorado; Ph.D. University of Sussex, Britain
View Dr. Purcell's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Modern Europe; War and Gender in Britain; Europe in World War II; Cultural and Social History of Britain, 19th and 20th centuries
Areas of Expertise: Social and cultural history of 20th century Britain; women and national identity; gender; life history
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Purcell has a forthcoming book titled, The Domestic Soldier: Housewives on the Home Front. She wrote the article "'Why Must We So Frequently Save the King?': British Housewives and National Identity during the Second World War," in Sex and Sexuality in a Feminist World (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2009).
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Purcell finds that research helps to keep her teaching up-to-date, while teaching forces her to look at her research from a variety of angles. Students often share insightful observations that challenge her to consider new ideas that impact the way she approaches her research and discipline. Dr. Purcell is also the founder and faculty advisor of SMCVoice, a student-led club at Saint Michael's dedicated to researching and documenting campus life and opinion.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Purcell enjoys hiking, camping, and kayaking. She is also addicted to traveling in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Campus Office
Durick Library 309
Phone: 802.654.2731
Box: 142
E-mail: jpurcell@smcvt.edu
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Additional Faculty:
James Conley
Associate Professor of Classics
B.A. Duquesne University; M.A., Ph.D. Loyola University of Chicago
Courses Taught: Classical Mythology; History of Greece; Classical Epic; Directed Reading in Latin literature; Greek & Roman Theater
Areas of Expertise: Ancient society of Greece and Rome; comparative mythologies in conjunction with meanings of myth; the Roman impact on Britain, especially in the area of Hadrian's Wall
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Conley believes that through teaching, one enters into an world of growth and change, no matter what the historical time-frame. He enjoys showing students how often, in reaching back to antiquity, lives were affected by issues, events, and developments that are still having an influence within human society today.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Conley enjoys gardening (on the level of a novice) to help him have grounded contact with the world and nature itself. He reads for fun or general information to maintain contact with change.
Learn more about Dr. Conley in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Saint Edmund's Hall 245
Phone: 802.654.2250
Box 278
E-mail: jconley@smcvt.edu
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Rev. Joseph McLaughlin, SSE
Professor of Religious Studies
B.A. Saint Michael’s College; S.T.B, A.M. University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto; Ph.D. National University of Ireland, Galway
Dr. McLaughlin's expertise are Ecclesiastical, Irish and Early Modern European History.
Campus Office
Saint Edmund's Hall 244
Phone: 802.654.2371
Box 272
E-mail: jmclaughlin@smcvt.edu
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Jeffrey Trumbower
Dean of the College
Professor of Religious Studies
B.A. Vanderbilt University; M.A., Ph.D. University of Chicago Divinity School
View Dr. Trumbower's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Old Testament; New Testament; Early Christianity; Judaism in the Greco-Roman World
Areas of Expertise: Jewish sectarian logic and ideology
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Trumbower is the author of Rescue for the Dead: The Posthumous Salvation of Non-Christians in Early Christianity (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001) and Born From Above: The Anthropology of the Gospel of John (Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1992).
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Trumbower incorporates the topics he has written about into his courses. The very act of producing peer-reviewed scholarship keeps him in touch with new ideas and developments in his field, and these new ideas inevitably find their way into his teaching. He has quite often been influenced by a question or assertion of a student in class that has helped him to think more deeply about some scholarly topic he has been working on.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Trumbower enjoys snowshoeing, coin collecting, and vegetable gardening. He appeared on the television game show “Jeopardy!” in 2004, narrowly missing first place by only $1.
Learn more about Dr. Trumbower in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Founders Hall 105
Phone: 802.654.2492
Box 105
E-mail: jtrumbower@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/jtrumbower/