Zachary Dowdle

Assistant Professor of History

(573) 592-4558

Academic Building
Room: 200B

Education

• PHD, History, University of Missouri - Columbia, 2019
• MA, History Thesis Option, Angelo State University , 2014
• BA, History, Angelo State University , 2010

Teaching Philosophy:

• In the classroom my goals are to have students appreciate the complexities of history and to help them develop valuable skills that will serve them throughout their professional lives. Introductory survey courses familiarize students with historical narratives about which they may be unfamiliar, while also serving to complicate their understanding of history by presenting it as a continuous conversation about the past rather than an explanation of facts and dates. By illustrating a few significant historical debates in lecture and discussion, I show students what historians do when they write history, which helps inculcate critical thinking skills. Along with critical thought, I believe history classes strengthen students’ ability to analyze complicated information and communicate ideas more effectively. In my classes, students have the opportunity to actually work like historians by doing assignments that utilize primary sources, such as newspapers and letters from manuscript collections. Additionally, student-led discussion based on thought-provoking readings encourages students to think in real-time.

Courses Currently Teaching:

• HIS228 A Slvhldrs Rebelln:TheAmerCivWar -Q
• WWU102 Connections for Honors
• HIS232 Conspiratorial America -i
• HIS103 Erly Amer&US Hst-H
• HIS104 Modern US His-H
• HIS212 The History of Race in America -U
• HIS353 World War II