Michael Vernon is a doctoral student in the History department. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Chuck Upchurch.

Tell us about your major area of research!

British History – although I didn’t intend to study British history until halfway through the first semester of my MA. When I started grad school, I intended to study early 19^th-century America. However, one of my minor field courses was on modern Britain. I was really intrigued by the process of political enfranchisement, and I more or less just ran with it.

What minor fields did you chose?

Middle East: There is a significant amount of commonality between studying the British Empire and studying the Middle East, especially since the British Empire had a large presence in the Middle East. I chose to study the Middle East with Dr Hanley to gain new perspectives on how imperialism affected people in the Middle East, and to study how nationalist and anti-colonial movements began and grew in that region.

Public History: Before I was a grad student, I was a high school history teacher, so I am used to hearing people say that they don’t like history. I am studying public history because public education is something that is important to me, and a central goal of public history is presenting the past to people in a non-academic setting. I think that by doing this, public historians are positioned to show the public that we have a closer relationship with the past than most of us realize.

Early America: I am studying Early America because I find the interactions and negotiations between the various colonial states and Indigenous peoples to be fascinating. I initially chose this field because of its ties to the early British Empire, but borderlands scholarship is where my interests are now.

How did your interest in history start more generally? What do you do for "fun" history nowadays?

My interest in history started when I was a kid. I used to love watching documentaries on the History Channel. I have been interested in history as long as I can remember honestly. For "fun" history now I enjoy reading pop history books and playing historically based video games.

What do you do as an HGSA officer? What does your job entail?

As the HGSA vice-president I have two main jobs. My first job is to assist the president in carrying out her duties, which usually means that I help plan meetings and work with the president and treasurer to set the budget. My second job is to plan the annual HGSA conference. I put together and oversee a committee that runs the conference, in which we give grad students the opportunity to present their work in a friendly and collegial atmosphere.

How do you see HGSA make a difference to grad student life?

I think that the main goal of HGSA is to create a sense of community. At times, grad school can be an isolating experience, especially when we are deep in our own research. By hosting events, HGSA helps create a sense of camaraderie within the department.