Associate Professor of History
John M. Turner Chair in the Humanities
John M. Turner Chair in the Humanities
434.544.7253
dean.aw@lynchburg.edu
Carnegie 114
Experience
- Fall 2019 – Spring 2021, John M. Turner Distinguished Chair in the Humanities, University of Lynchburg
- July 2017 – Present, Associate Professor, University of Lynchburg
- July 2011 – June 2017, Assistant Professor, University of Lynchburg
- June 2010-2011, Jefferson Fellowship Program Coordinator, Jefferson Scholars Foundation, Charlottesville, Va.
- Fall 2010, Adjunct Professor, University of Richmond
- Summer-Fall 2010, Adjunct Professor, University of Virginia
- April 2008 – September 2008, Natural Resources Technician, Virginia Department of Forestry, Charlottesville, Va.
- Fall 2006 – 2009, Instructor, University of Virginia
Education
- PhD in United States History – University of Virginia, 2010
- MA in United States History – University of Virginia, 2006
- BA in History – University of California, 2005
Publications
Books
- An Agrarian Republic: Farming, Antislavery Politics, and Nature Parks in the Civil War Era, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 2015
Refereed Articles
- “Natural Glory in the Midst of War: The Establishment of Yosemite State Park,” Civil War History 4 (2010): 386-419
- “‘Who Controls the Past Controls the Future’: Southern Textbooks in an Era of Civil Rights,” Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 117 (2009): 315-55
Scholarly Articles
- “Horse Soldiers: George Moulton and the Second New Jersey Cavalry,” Aleph: UCLA Undergraduate Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences (2005): 115-135
- “The Madres de la Plaza de Mayo: Subversion of the Military Government,” Quaestio UCLA Undergraduate History Journal 3 (June 2005): 7-11
Book Reviews, Encyclopedia Articles, Websites
- Margaret T. Peters, Conserving the Commonwealth: The Early Years of the Environmental Movement in Virginia, Environmental History 15 (2010): 341-42
- “Technology, Industry & Innovation,” Pennsylvania Heritage Society for the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War
- “James Fenimore Cooper,” in Kathleen A. Brosnan, ed., 4 vols., Encyclopedia of American Environmental History (New York: Facts on File, 2010)
- Pierre Nora, ed., Rethinking France: Les Lieux de Mémoire, Volume 2: Space, Virginia Quarterly Review 83 (2007): 301
Presentations
- “‘A Higher Law than the Constitution;’ The Republican Party and United States Nationalism,” American Historical Association Conference, Boston, MA, January 2011
- “An Agrarian Republic: Northern Nationalism During the Civil War,” The Society of Civil War Historians Biennial Academic Conference, Richmond, VA, June 2010
- “The Creation of Wartime Union Nationalism,” Society for History in the Federal Government Conference, College Park, MD, March 2010
- “‘Rude and Nature-Murdering Tillage:’ The Environmental Origins of Anti-Slavery Politics,” American Society for Environmental History Conference, Portland, OR, February 2010
- “‘The Destiny of the New World and the Duty of a Republican Government’ The Foundation of Yosemite State Park,” American Society for Environmental History Conference, Tallahassee, FL, February 2009
- “‘Who Controls the Past Controls the Future:’ Southern Textbooks in an Era of Civil Rights,” Jefferson Scholars Foundation Academic Conference, Charlottesville, VA, February 2007
Awards
- William C. Coleman McGhee Award for Best Article by a Graduate Student, July 2010
Given by the Virginia Historical Society for “Who Controls the Past, Controls the Future” - John L. Nau III Fellow, Jefferson Scholars Foundation, University of Virginia, 2005-
2010 - Gary D. Nash Award for Best Honors Thesis in American History, UCLA, 2005
Professional Affiliations
- American Historical Association
- Society of Civil War Historians
- American Society for Environmental History
- Alumnus of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellowship Program
Teaching Areas
- Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction
- 19th-Century Environmental History
Personal Information
I enjoy writing, teaching, running, cycling, fly-fishing, and hiking with my dog.