Lemont Dobson

Lemont Dobson

M.A. Central Michigan University (2000), ABD University of York, England
Early Medieval Europe; Anglo-Saxon England; Late Antiquity; Medieval Archaeology; Early Medieval Art History

Office: 4418 Friedman
Email:lemont.dobson@wmich.edu
Phone: (269) 387-4635

Research:

I am interested in questions of social control and conversion in early medieval Europe. My research has focused on questions of identity and the construction of social power among elites in the early middle ages. My primary area of interest is Anglo-Saxon England. However, through my research I have developed interests in a number of related areas. These include: Late Antiquity, especially the decline of Roman Imperial authority in the West; Frankish and Irish Monasticism; early medieval art history; Viking settlement and trade in Northern Europe.

Teaching:

I have taught a variety of courses in history including Late Antique to Early Medieval Cultural Transitions and at the introductory level World History to 1500 and the first half of Western Civilization. I do not see a rigid dividing line between my research and teaching. In the classroom and in my interaction with students I incorporate conversations about my own research which emphasizes both 'text and dirt' and in the classroom this offers the opportunity to introduce students to complimentary sources, which along with the primary documents, provide a wider and more diverse context in which to engage the study of history.