History, Languages & Humanities Department Faculty & Staff

Ted Gracyk, Professor, received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. His ar...

Ted Gracyk, Professor, received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. His areas of interest: philosophy of art, Kant, 18th-century philosophy, cultural theory. Published books: On Music, Rhythm and Noise: An Aesthetics of Rock, and I WANNA BE ME: Rock Music and the Politics of Identity, among others.

John Hall, Professor, Spanish Education; Ph.D. in Second Languages and Cultures Education,...

John Hall, Professor, Spanish Education; Ph.D. in Second Languages and Cultures Education, M.A. in Spanish Pedagogy, B.A. in Spanish; John has been a life-long learner of languages. He grew up in Chile, where Spanish and English were his two languages in daily life. Over his career, John has been a teacher of Spanish, French, ESL, and education across multiple ages and locations. He has taught preschoolers, high schoolers, and college students, and he has trained teachers in Minneapolis and Moorhead.

Chang-Seong Hong, Professor, received his Ph.D. from Brown University. His areas of intere...

Chang-Seong Hong, Professor, received his Ph.D. from Brown University. His areas of interest: Metaphysics, philosophy of mind and Buddhist philosophy. Teaches theory of knowledge, practical reasoning, and introduction to Western philosophy. Publishes in analytic philosophy and Buddhist philosophy, both in English and Korean.

Annette Kleinkauf Morrow, Ph.D. specializes in Ancient and Medieval European History. Her ...

Annette Kleinkauf Morrow, Ph.D. specializes in Ancient and Medieval European History. Her research interests include Ancient Rome, the Medieval World, Church History, and Gender History. She grew up in Texas and received her BA in History from Texas Tech University. She earned her MA and Ph.D. from University of Arkansas. Dr. Morrow teaches in the History Program, in the Women's and Gender Studies Program, and in the Honors Program. She has led the Eurospring program, and has led numerous student tours to Italy, Turkey, and Macedonia. If you are interested in a study-abroad course, just ask.

Phil Mouch, Professor, received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1999. His a...

Phil Mouch, Professor, received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1999. His areas of interest include the philosophy of death, pacifism and the Just War Theory, early modern philosophy, business ethics, and the philosophy of religion.

I have always loved history. I grew up in New England surrounded by Colonial and Early Ame...

I have always loved history. I grew up in New England surrounded by Colonial and Early American history—several of the houses on my street were built in the 18th century! I went off to Luther College in Iowa as a biology major and after graduation I lived in Norway for three years. Returning to the United States I worked at the U of Minnesota Hospitals in a research lab before deciding to apply to graduate school in history at Northern Illinois University outside Chicago where I wrote my dissertation on the yellow fever epidemics in the new nation’s capital in the 1790s. At MSUM I teach all our courses up through the Civil War as well as a history of disease and medicine course. I strongly believe the purpose of higher education is to equip students with the skill set necessary to succeed in today’s world. My own experience tells me preparing students to engage in life of learning is much more important than filling heads with facts and figures in the classroom. In my classroom you will learn to think critically about the past so you may use it to inform your future—that is the most important skill higher education can give you help you on your way.