Current M.A. Students

This page is intended to give a sense of the range and focus of graduate student research in our department. Current dissertation titles for Ph.D. students are provisional. You may write to current students care of the Department of History, Herter Hall, University of Massachusetts, 161 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003-9312.

Jump to a page: Current Ph.D. Students | Current M.A. Students | Recent Ph.D. Recipients | Current Public History Students

Roger Adamson:

Fields: Early American, Atlantic World, Maritime History Faculty: Bary Levy Education: B.A., Illinois Wesleyan University (2004) Ambitions: Complete the M.A. program, pursue a doctorate and teach at the college level.

Bill Allen:

Fields: Public History, Early Modern Atlantic World, 20th C. American Cultural History Faculty: David Glassberg and Marla Miller Education: B.A., Communication Arts/Theater, Allegheny College (1989) Interests: Given my past career, I'm still interested in the theater-it's just nice to be in the audience for a change! I'm also investigating the early American colonial experience, methods of interpretation for museums and historical sites, historical archaeology, and where to get the best coffee in the Pioneer Valley... Ambitions: Currently, an interesting summer internship. Ultimately, a career working with the interpretation/ curatorial department of a museum or historical site...

Christopher Fobare:

Fields: African American history, Southern Africa, and the History of Race Faculty: Francoise Hamlin Education: B.A., History, Utica College of Syracuse University Interests: I am particularly interested in late nineteenth and early 20th C. African American history. In particular, the role that race and class played in leading the North to turn away from the "promise" of Reconstruction and accept Southern redemption and creation of Jim Crow society. Ambitions: Receive a Ph.D., teach at the college level and write.

Paul Gard:

Fields: 16th-17th Century Europe, 17th-18th Century North America; both with an emphasis on religion Faculty: Barry Levy and Brian Ogilvie Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin—Green Bay (2006) Interests: Religious freedom in Europe and America. I am interested in the connections between the Protestant Reformation in Europe and the religious experiments in the British North American colonies. Further, I wish to draw connections between that and the work of the 'founders.' I am a firm believer that a Republic cannot work without freedom of religion/conscience, speech, and the press. Additionally, I would like to advance a better understanding of American history in K-12 education. Ambitions: Earn my Ph.D., teach at the university level, and write.

Sandra Haley:

Fields: Latin America, Mexico, Central America, Chicano/a History Education: B.A., Social & Cultural Change in the Americas, University of Massachusetts Boston Interests: I am interested in exploring identities and their intersections, including "otherness," gender, ethnicity and nationality. Ambitions: After completing my Ph.D., it is my ambition to teach and write.

Jeff Kelley:

Fields: 19th and 20th C U.S. History Faculty: Heather Cox Richardson Education: B.A., History, University of Massachuetts Amherst Ambitions: I want to teach high school U.S. History.

Michael Koncewicz:

Fields: 20th Century U.S., 19th Century U.S., Journalism History Faculty: Chris Appy Education: B.A., Cenral Connecticut State University (2006) Interests: The representation of U.S. foreign policy in the American media and its relationship to the shaping of public opinion and collective memory. Ambitions: Eventually get my Ph.D. and teach at a college level.

Aaron Minton:

Fields: Early Modern Europe Faculty: Brian Ogilvie

Jeffrey Mish:

Fields: Public History, Eastern European Diaspora, Mongol Empire Faculty: Marla Miller Education: B.A., Anthropology, Franklin Pierce College (2006) Interests: I am interested in the documentary film aspect of Public History, as well as looking at local/community history pertaining to ethnic islands of various immigrant groups residing within the United States. In this respect, my primary focus is studying men and women who came from the partitioned lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Poles and Belarusians. I am also intensely interested in the Polonization of Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Belarusians both within the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Hadley, MA area, which includes Amherst (I grew up in Hadley). I have completed a four-hour documentary film chronicling the history of the Eastern European population of Hadley and how it changed over time, which aired on the local Hadley television station in August 2006; I also presented my work on Polonization at the June 2006 meeting of the Hadley Historical Society. Ambitions: To inform the public about historical topics through the use of film.

Zamir Nestelbaum:

Fields: Modern Middle East, 19th C. European History Faculty: Mary Wilson Education: B.S., University of Massachusetts (1975), M.D., University of Massachusetts (1981), M.P.H., University of Michigan (1981) Interests: To integrate my background in psychiatry with ideological formation in the Middle East. Ambitions: To continue my studies, to write, and to publish.

Stephanie Pasternak:

Fields: Public History Faculty: Marla Miller Education: Interests: My interest in community history began during my years as an ESL teacher in a public high school in Boston where I worked with immigrant students on community oral history projects and adapted the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum to address student needs. More recently, my work with the grassroots women's oral history project, the Valley Women's History Collaborative, as well as the historical commission in Cummington, Massachusetts has raised for me questions about the role of the professional historian as an insider or outsider of a community as well as the impact the ethnocultural background of the community and historian has on the process and outcome of a project.

Sandra Perot:

Fields: Early America, Early Modern Europe (transatlantic influences on colonies), and Public History Faculty: Marla Miller, Jennifer Heuer Education: A.B., Princeton University, M.A., English Literature and Teaching, San Jose State University Interests: I focus on the importance of landscape and community in visualizing history, and more importantly, how to help the public visualize history. I spent several years teaching high school English and American Literature, though I've always incorporated a cultural approach to teaching literature. After becoming involved as a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, I wanted to find out more about what makes museums work and how to make museums successful. Ambitions: Having spent a year in New Zealand and Australia and a year in Holland, I always yearn for new adventures and am looking to do an international internship for my Public History certificate. Along with traveling, I also enjoy learning Dutch, focusing on my photography, knitting and playing with my kids.

Justin Shatwell:

Fields: Public History Education: B.A., Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Evan Sipher:

Fields: Public History, Modern U.S., Modern World, Latin America Faculty: David Glassberg Education: B.A., History, Tulane University Interests: I became interested in public history because it seemed like the perfect program to combine my interests in history and film. I came to the UMass program to learn about documentary film as well as other forms of multi-media presentation.

Fields: Early U.S.; U.S. religious history; U.S. diplomacy Faculty: Barry Levy Education: B.A., History and Religious Studies, University of Alabama Ambitions: To teach and research at the college or university level.

Jonathan Sudbury:

Fields: U.S., Global History Education: B.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst

Matthew Watson:

Fields: Early U.S. Intellectual and Religious History Education: B.A., History, George Fox University (2003) Interests:: Education practice and theory, the philosophy of history, literary criticism, utopianism, Christian humanism, 90's music, Puritanism, revivalism, transcendentalism, the history of education, exploring New England, ecumenism, fly fishing, writing. Ambitions: To teach at the secondary or college level.

Eesha Williams:

Fields: Recent history of local newspapers and local radio news programs in the U.S.; 20th C. land use in rural Europe Education: Education: B.A., Community Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz (1997) Faculty: Laura Lovett Interests:: hiking, swimming in local rivers, my wife's organic farm, supporting the U-Mass grad student employee's union and promoting my book: see www.grassrootsjournalism.org. Ambitions: To be a history professor.

Brian Eagan, in memoriam (1959-2007)