Faculty Profile
CHRISTINE SKWIOT
where are you from?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Although St. Louis seems far, far away from any ocean, the Mississippi
River connected us to New orleans, the Gulf of Mexico, and then the Atlantic ocean. That mighty river was a cul-
tural, geographic, and historic force and touchstone, as wel as an inspiration for and "character" in some of the best
American literature.
what is your educational background?
I have my B.S. in history from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, my M.A. in history from the University of
Delaware, and my Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University.
where did you teach before coming to mmA?
I started as Visiting Assistant Professor in History at the University of Missouri in 2002. In 2007, I was Visiting Re-
search Scholar in American Studies at Indiana University. From 2003 to 2013, I was assistant, then associate professor
in history at Georgia State University. I joined MMA's Arts and Sciences faculty in January of 2014.
what informed your decision to move to maine and teach at mmA?
My husband (who grew up in orono and Bucksport, Maine and whose family is from orland) first brought me to
Maine about 25 years ago, and I guess that my falling in love with him also involved falling in love with Maine. We
spent many summers in Bucksport at a camp his parents built, and from that vantage point, I grew curious and
learned a little about MMA long before the job I now hold was advertised. The ad for it appeared the day we arrived
in 2013, and I leapt to apply. I was offered the position around Thanksgiving and at the end of the fal semester, we
packed what would fit in the car and drove from Georgia with a "Castine-or-bust" sign in our rear window, arriving
two days before the historic ice storm. The weather didn't give us the warmest welcome, but everyone we met cer-
tainly did.
what courses have you taught or do you teach?
So far, composition, humanities, world history (ancient and modern) and the Honors Seminar on Moby Dick (with
Captain Eric Jergenson '00 and Sarah o'Malley). I'm looking forward to developing a course on world history
since 1945, some thematic or topical history-and-literature classes. I've also begun both in the classroom and in my
research to explore "globalizing the humanities."
what have you learned from your students?
Although I'm amazed just what and how much I learn from my students everyday, I'd like to offer one concrete
example. In 2014 and 2015, I taught ancient and modern world history at MMA. I joined a recent trend among world
historians seeking to trace the connections among the rich histories of oceans and seas that historians have long
studied separately; most notably the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas and the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.
I was not trained as a maritime historian so I was delighted how much my students drew upon their technological
and maritime knowledge to engage and transform my knowledge and understanding of the ways that oceans and
seas have shaped humanity (and vice versa) and connected the world's peoples. our cross-disciplinary explorations
helped me see my field in new ways, and many of my students told me they felt the same way about theirs. one even
said that al his fellow mariners at MMA should take this course: "MMA should be putting out sailors educated in
their trade. No one with an education would deny the importance of history and this is our history."
ideas for the future?
I'm delighted to have arrived at MMA at such a vibrant point in its history, and I'm looking forward to working with
everyone here to continue to thrive, particularly by working on initiatives aimed at bridging the intellectual and
hands-on, the cultural and the practical "sides" of our learning, teaching, and scholarship, and, in my department, of
globalizing MMA's liberal arts curriculum.
mainemaritime.edu
41

---