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Iron Age, Classical Studies, Ancient Greek History, Roman History, Classical Mythology, Medieval History, and 27 moreBig History, World History, Islamic History, Bronze Age, Barbarian societies, Celts, Scythians, Ancient Thrace, Dacian civilization, Anthropology, Archaeology of Germanic tribes (Roman period), Ancient History, History of ancient Thrace, Celtic Archaeology, Celtic Studies, Celtic History, Dark Ages History, Viking Age Scandinavia, Viking Age Archaeology, Viking Studies, Early Medieval History, Early Medieval Archaeology, Völkerwanderung, Archaeology Of The Migration Period And The Early Middle Ages, Borders and Borderlands, Scythian archaeology, and Thracian Archaeology edit
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Born in Hampton, VA. Raised in Charles Town, WV and Staunton, VA. Earned A.A.&S. from Blue Ridge Community College in... moreBorn in Hampton, VA. Raised in Charles Town, WV and Staunton, VA. Earned A.A.&S. from Blue Ridge Community College in 1995. Worked in retail management and banking management as well as bookkeeping before returning to school in 2012. Earned B.A. in History with a Minor in Classical Studies from James Madison University in 2014. Completed graduate school with an M.A. in World History from James Madison University in 2016. Taught World Civilizations at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, VA in the Fall of 2016. He also taught Global Past at Eastern Mennonite University in the Fall of 2018 and began teaching World History at Blue Ridge Community College in 2024. Since the Fall of 2017 he has taught Critical Issues in Recent Global History, World History 101 & 102, and United States History at James Madison University. He is interested in full-time teaching positions at the community and junior college level. edit
Written in undergrad for HIST 395, the research and historiography workshop for history majors. My first major research work. Presented at the MARCUS conference at Sweet Briar College in the Fall of 2013.
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Presented at the Virginia Forum at Jamestown Settlement in March 2016.
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Presented at the Brian Bertoti Conference at Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2015.
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Presented at the Graduate Conference of the University of Alabama in October of 2015 as well as the Phi Alpha Theta National Conference in Orlando in January 2016.
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Published in the Spring 2015 Tufts Historical Review.
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M.A. Thesis, May 2016: The sudden regime change that resulted in the collapse of the Songhay Sunni dynasty and the ascent of the Songhay Askia dynasty in 1492-93 is one of the most important events in West African history. This swift... more
M.A. Thesis, May 2016: The sudden regime change that resulted in the collapse of the Songhay Sunni dynasty and the ascent of the Songhay Askia dynasty in 1492-93 is one of the most important events in West African history. This swift rebellion reversed decades of destructive economic and religious policies. As such, the memory of such dynamic and transformative times was captured by the griots, the oral historians of the Sudan. Nouhou Malio, a Songhay griot, recounted his version of the demise of Sunni Ali and the rise of Askia Mohammed to Penn State professor Thomas Hale in 1980-81. This tale is packed with symbolic meaning. When placed in historical and cultural context, one finds that Malio communicated complex social and political ideas in what Joseph Campbell termed "the picture language of mythology." Campbell's theory of the Hero's Journey is used as a standard against which to compare the themes of the epic. Indeed, The Epic of Askia Mohammed ranks among the classics of world mythology when viewed in this light. The epic is compared to the historical record in order to find the deeper meaning and kernels of truth buried in the allegories of the tale. Sunni Ali is remembered as a great warrior and a magician-king, while Askia Mohammed is viewed as an able administrator and devout Muslim. This is a false dichotomy. A nuanced understanding is achieved upon close investigation into the period of regime change. Ultimately, one finds that the epic is brimming with details concerning the Songhay past and present and that the players are much more complex than popularly perceived.
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Senior History Honors Thesis, Spring 2014.
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Written for Dr. Lamont King's Nationalism & the Global Economy course.
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Written for Dr. Guerrier's Cold War grad course.
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Written for Dr. Butt's 500-level course on Medieval Europe.
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Written for Dr. Sandman's Patterns in Global History grad course.
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For 600 level Themes in the History of War