Instructor Kelly Minor joined the Department of History in 2017. She specializes in offering core courses required for most cadets: the World History and the US History surveys. Armed with an M.A. from the University of West Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, Dr. Minor conducted research in 20th century American rural reform, completed a graduate minor in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, and oversees a diverse teaching roster for eight very different colleges. She also offers upper-division courses in both US and World history. Surveys remain her favorite courses, offering an unparalleled opportunity to explore history鈥檚 diverse nooks and crannies, and the always unexpected dark corners found when a curious student asks a curious question. After all, she reminds her students, the questions are more important than the answers.
Her research interests are equally diverse: a dissertation and book chapters on reform by and for rural women, agrarian ideologies and practices in the early modern west, and food preservation as empowerment. Her current research focus is almost entirely about new avenues to enrich her teaching.