TEACHING AREAS
Latin American History, Environmental History, History of Science, Natural Disasters, Climate Change
COURSES
I teach regional courses on Latin America (both survey courses and seminars), and I teach various thematic courses on environmental history and the history of science, which are more comparative and international.
Latin America and the Caribbean:
HIST 130 Colonial Latin America (Recent syllabus)
HIST 131 Modern Latin America (Recent syllabus)
HIST 233 US-Latin American Relations (Recent syllabus)
HIST 337 Revolutions in Latin America (Recent syllabus)
HIST 369 Slavery, Race Relations, Natural Resources, and Society in the Caribbean (Recent syllabus)
History of Science and Environmental History:
HIST 180 Natural Disasters in the Americas (Recent syllabus)
HIST 272 Climate History, Science, and Society (coming in 2010)
HIST 336 Environmental History (Recent syllabus)
Mountain History: Making Scientific and Cultural Landscapes (coming soon)
Click here for a copy of my "Writing Guide for History Papers"
PROGRAM AFFILIATIONS
Core faculty member, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program.
Affiliate faculty member, Environmental Studies Program.
STUDENTS AND RESEARCH
Many students have worked with me on various aspects of my research -- on topics as diverse as water management and hydrology in Bolivia, the history of geology, German and Austrian mountaineering, climate perceptions in the nineteenth-century Caribbean, glaciology and hazards in the Himalayas and Andes, and the history of science and technology in Peru.
In summer 2009, for example, Elliott O'Brien (W&L class of 2010) and I conducted research in Peru (we're pictued at left). For research on global glacier hazards and climate change that undergraduate students have helped me with, see "Glacier Hazards and Society: Online Bibliography and Resources."
I am also working with students writing honors theses in history and politics.
Please contact me if you have an interest in working on history of science, environmental history, or Latin American history projects, or if you hope to write an honors thesis on these or related topics.
ENVIRONMENTAL LECTURE SERIES
I have organized a Winter 2010 lecture series on "Nature and Politics in the Americas." The lectures and speakers will be a significant -- and exciting -- aspect of my environmental history course.
W&L CAMPUS AND STUDENT GROUPS
I am the faculty adviser for and encourage students to participate in W&L's Nicaragua Project.
I have served as a consultant for the Caribbean Society and encourage students to participate.
STUDY ABROAD
I co-taught the 2008 Spring Institute to Barbados with Jon Eastwood (Sociology), Ted DeLaney (History), and Tyler Dickovick (Politics).