What is the best part about teaching in this graduate program?
Our students. They are a mix of working professionals and aspiring newcomers who value historical inquiry and want to learn. For me as a scholar, their energy is infectious. Teaching at the master’s level also lets me keep up in my field.
What is the one thing you hope students take away from your course(s)?
I want my students to be able to discern the conversations in the field about particular topics, to learn how to recognize where authors are positioning their scholarship, and then to go study empirical evidence using different methods effectively to say something new historically.
What are the real-world applications of the work you do at the University?
Historical inquiry involves wielding empirical sources to develop compelling interpretations. What does something mean? What are its implications? The past shapes how we understand the present. It doesn’t get any more “real world” than this, whether in a profession, politics, or one’s personal life.
What kinds of coursework and capstone projects should students expect?
Courses in modern US history, public history, digital history, intellectual history, cultural history, transnational history, and scholarly editing. Capstone projects focus on a particular topic within these broad areas of scholarship.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to be successful?
Do the reading, give yourself time to revise your writing, ask lots of questions, listen to others, and try to build upon their contributions.
What is the focus of your scholarly pursuits?
I specialize in modern US cultural and intellectual history, transnational history, public and digital history, and cultural criticism. My website can be found at michaeljkramer.net.
What is the most interesting thing, to you, about the research area you’re pursuing?
I am interested in work that can wield historical knowledge to advance both specialized scholarship AND public understanding. My work includes writing books on topics in US and transnational cultural and intellectual history as well as digital and public modes of scholarship.