Expertise

Modern Europe, Germany, European Military

Biography

I am interested in the intersection between social and military history and especially in the social and cultural impact of warfare in Europe. I have worked on a wide-range of subjects, from German political culture and national identity, to POW and veterans’ affairs, to the role of film in illuminating historical consciousness. I am completing a book on the military career and anti-Semitic politics of Erich Ludendorff. I offer courses on European social, military, and film history. I can prepare graduate students in both German social and military history, or provide guidance to those interested in Europe as a primary or comparative field. I especially enjoy teaching comparative courses which seek to understand the way in which modern societies organize for and are transformed by war.

Website

Selected Publications

• “The Demilitarization of Germany, 1945-2010,” in Peter Stearns (ed.), Demilitarization in Contemporary World History, (November 2013, University of Illinois Press), 31-52
• “Black and White Memories of War: Victimization and Violence in West German War Films of the 1950s,” Journal of Military History, 76(1), January 2012, 159-191.
• “Erich Ludendorff,” “Mathilde Ludendorff,” and “Ludendorff Publishing House,” entries for Anti-Semitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution, Richard S. Levy, ed., ABC-Clio, 2005.
• Soldiers as Citizens: Former Wehrmacht Officers in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1945-1955. (November 2001, University of Nebraska Press)
• “The Rift in Our Ranks: The German Officer Corps, the 20th of July, and the Path to Democracy,” German Studies Review, vol. XXI, No. 3 (October 1998), pp. 469-506.

Courses Taught

• 0864 War and Peace
• 1046 Nazi Germany
• 2811 World War One
• 3433 Blood and Iron: 19th c. European Diplomatic History
• 8401 Introduction to European History
• 8403 European Military Policy