Michael Hill
- Graduate Teaching Assistant
Contact Info
Tu 8:00-9:00 am, W 12:00-1:00 pm & F 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Biography —
Michael Hill earned his B.A. in English/Communications from Adams State University in 2001. Upon graduating he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving for six years, first as an Army paratrooper and then as a CID Special Agent. After leaving the military, Michael earned an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and then a second M.A. in U.S. History from Adams State University. Michael studies 19th century U.S. history, Russian history, empire, and foreign relations. In particular, he is most interested in points of intersection between the United States and Russia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Selected Publications —
"Imperial Stepping Stone: Bridging Continental and Overseas Empire in Alaska," in Diplomatic History (January 2020)
“The Myth of Seward’s Folly,” in Western Historical Quarterly (Spring 2019)
“A Question of Treason? Confederate Generals and U.S. Army Post Names,” in The Journal of America’s Military Past (Winter 2019)
Selected Presentations —
“Alaska and the Veneer of Imperial Statehood,” Resident Fellows Speaker Series, Hall Center for the Humanities, Lawrence, KS, April 2021
“Alaskeros: Filipinos in the U.S. Far North,” Western History Dissertation Workshop, Lawrence, KS, September 2020
"London and Muir: Crafting an Imperial Imaginary," Nature & Culture Seminar, Hall Center for the Humanities; Lawrence, KS, November 2019
“Jack London: Narrating the Alaskan Myth,” Kaw Valley History Conference; Lawrence, KS, September 2018
“Rehearsal for Empire: Alaska and the Evolution of American Imperial Imagination,” Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations; Philadelphia, PA, June 2018
“The Myth of Seward’s Folly,” Kansas Association of Historians; Baldwin City, KS, April 2016
“Alaska as an Example of Proto-Empire,” Hall Center for the Humanities, University of Kansas, Conflict and International Change Seminar; Lawrence, KS, February 2016
Awards & Honors —
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize for distinguished research and writing by junior scholars in the field of diplomatic relations; Honorable Mention (for “Imperial Stepping Stone: Bridging Continental and Overseas Empire in Alaska”), 2021.
Richard and Jeannette Sias Graduate Fellowship in the Humanities, Hall Center for the Humanities, University of Kansas, 2021.
Western Historical Association Bert M. Fireman and Janet Fireman Award for best student article published in Western Historical Quarterly (for "The Myth of Seward's Folly"), 2020.
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Michael J. Hogan Foreign Language Fellowship, 2017.