MY EXPERIENCE
Although trained as a pre-modernist, my interests and professional duties range widely. My primary position is Professor of History at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, but I hold several prominent advisory and editorial board positions as well.
Academic Positions
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
2016 to Present
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University. Teach a wide variety of courses including medieval history, Roman history, history & film, military history, world history, and historical methods.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2011 to 2016
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
Department of Social Sciences & History, Becton College, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2005 to 2011
LECTURER IN HISTORY
Department of Social Science, University of Wisconsin-Stout
2000 to 2005
Other Notable Positions
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Society for History Education (affiliate of the American Historical Association)
2017 to Present
ADVISORY BOARD
The Teaching Professor Annual Conferences
2016 to 2018
FOUNDING CHAIR
Faculty Teaching Development Program, Florham Campus, Fairleigh Dickinson University
2009 to 2017
HISTORICAL STUDIES
Things Long Ago & Far Away...
A partial listing of my history publications
"HEROISM, SILENCE, AND ERASURE: JEWISH CHILDREN IN HOLOCAUST CINEMA"
Jewish Film and New Media, vol. 11, no. 1 (2023)
An investigation showing how Jewish children have often been sidelined or even stripped of their Jewish identity when portrayed in Holocaust films. Co-authored with David Rosen and Sarah Rosen.
"THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND 'DIFFICULT HISTORIES': WHAT WORLD HISTORIANS CAN LEARN FROM A NATIONAL HISTORY SURVEY"
The Middle Ground: World History and Global Studies, vol. 26 (2023)
Insights for world history researchers and teachers navigating the minefields of "difficult histories," "divisive concepts" and the like. Based on data from my AHA/FDU national survey.
"ECCE HOMO HEROICUS! THE ENDURING MAXIMUS, TWENTY YEARS ON"
In Rachel Carazo, ed., A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiator (Vernon Press, 2023)
An examination of Maximus' antecedents and legacies, and how his character both molds and reflects broader views of heroes. Co-authored with Krista Jenkins.
"A HISTORY SURVEY INTERVIEW"
History in Focus/American Historical Review (2022)
An interview of me and my project co-director, Dana Schaffer, about our national history survey. Our interview segment begins at the 21-minute mark.
"MORE ACCURATE THAN YOU THINK: RE-EVALUATING MEDIEVAL WARFARE IN FILM"
Journal of Medieval Military History, vol. 20 (2022)
Academics routinely bash historical films for not accurately representing the past. But determining "accuracy" is not so simple. This article demonstrates how movie depictions of medieval warfare are often quite faithful to literary and artistic representations of combat from the Middle Ages.
HISTORY, THE PAST, AND PUBLIC CULTURE: RESULTS FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY
(American Historical Association, 2021)
Report of findings from a national survey (N = 1816) of Americans' views on, and uses of, the past. The first survey of its kind in over 20 years, the report includes over 150 charts of our data. Full report available on AHA website. Co-authored with Dana Schaffer, and made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
"A SNAPSHOT OF THE PUBLIC'S VIEWS ON HISTORY"
Perspectives on History, vol. 59, no. 6 (2021)
Brief overview of a national survey of the American public's views on history. Co-authored with Dana Schaffer. This was the most popular column published in Perspectives for the month of September. For full survey report, see item above.
"LIGHTS, CAMERA... SURVEY! AMERICANS GIVE HISTORY A SCREEN TEST"
History News Network (April 2021)
Video is the go-to medium of Americans seeking information about the past. Curiously, the general public tends to distrust many of those same sources of history. This article reflects some of the data collected in a national survey I conducted in collaboration with the American Historical Association.
"HOW TO READ A HISTORICAL FILM"
World History Connected, vol. 16, no. 2 (2019)
A primer on how academics can read historical films more productively, going beyond the simple "accurate vs. inaccurate" dichotomy. Full PDF download from link.
"THE KING'S SPEECH: BATTLE ORATIONS IN MEDIEVAL FILM"
Studies in Medievalism, vol. 28 (2019)
Co-authored with Chris Caldiero & Jonathan Godsall. Speeches just before battle probably did happen, but the roles they play in real and reel history vary dramatically.
АЛКУИН ИЗ ЈОРКА: ЗАДАЦИ ЗА ГИМНАСТИКУ УМА
Translation: Alcuin of York: Problems for Exercising the Mind (Belgrade, 2018)
Book project in conjunction with Archimedes Mathematical Society utilizing my translation of an early medieval mathematical treatise. If you read Serbian, the link below could be helpful.
"CHILD SOLDIERS IN MEDIEVAL(ESQUE) CINEMA"
In Sara Buttsworth & Maartje Abbenhuis, eds., War, Myths, and Fairy Tales (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer, 2017)
Chapter co-authored with David Rosen, exploring how child combatants have been portrayed in recent medieval-inspired films, and juxtaposing them with modern cinematic settings.
"X MARKS THE PLOT: CROSSBOWS IN MEDIEVAL FILM"
Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 38, no. 1 (2015)
An investigation into the role and significance of crossbows on screen and in history.
"WHO FOUNDED DURTAL? RECONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE"
Haskins Society Journal, vol. 20 (2008)
A study of the contradictory evidence regarding which Angevin count built a castle on the Loir River in the eleventh century.
"POPULAR [MIS]CONCEPTIONS OF MEDIEVAL WARFARE"
History Compass, vol. 5, no. 2 (2007)
Common misconceptions about warfare in the Middle Ages, and where those ideas come from.
