Dr. Dennis M. Kratz
From expertise in African-American history to the history of gender and religion, three new faculty members in the School of Arts and Humanities are expanding the scope of the history curriculum at UT Dallas.
“The addition of three historians comes at a remarkably appropriate moment — as our nation generally and Texas specifically is confronting the continuing impact of the past on our present and its role in shaping our future,” said Dr. Dennis M. Kratz, dean of the school and the Ignacy and Celina Rockover Professor of Humanities.
The school is also continuing to emphasize its interdisciplinary approach to the humanities in the form of recent developments, such as the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History.
Established in the fall of 2014, the institute includes an endowed program for doctoral students in art history, and has an extensive partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art.
The School of Arts and Humanities has degree programs in three subjects: art and performance, history and literature.
“We are fortunate to have attracted three such outstanding young scholars to our faculty,” Kratz said. “Though they study the past, they represent the bright future of the humanities at UT Dallas.”
New Tenure-Track Faculty
Dr. Annelise Heinz
Dr. Annelise Heinz, assistant professor, history
Previously: PhD candidate, Stanford University
Research interests: interrelated histories of gender, race and sexuality; transpacific history between the United States and China; American cultural history
Quote: “UT Dallas’ identity as a major public university that serves a diverse student body and supports rigorous scholarship is deeply appealing to me. I was especially drawn to the exciting interdisciplinary organization and strong program in the arts and humanities.”
Dr. Kimberly Hill
Dr. Kimberly Hill, assistant professor, history
Previously: professor, Del Mar College
Research interests: African-American history, American Protestant missions between 1870 and 1940, the history of race and racism, civil rights movements, oral history, and slavery and forced labor in the Atlantic world.
Quote: "I look forward to helping students analyze historical sources and apply those lessons to meaningful current events. It's more special for this former Longhorn that I will specialize in African-American history back home in the UT System.”
Dr. Ben Wright
Dr. Ben Wright, assistant professor, history
Previously: assistant professor, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Research interests: antebellum America, slavery and abolition in the Atlantic world, history of religion, and digital humanities
Quote: “I am interested in the way Americans and others in the Atlantic world have understood and sought to respond to social injustice, particularly around the institution of slavery. I also am committed to experimenting with technology as a means of democratizing historical knowledge. UT Dallas' commitment to interdisciplinary education and technological innovation offers a special place to pursue my interest in using technology this way. Also, my research on historical slavery informs my work in contemporary anti-trafficking organizations, and I look forward to working with students who are interested in making connections between past and present issues of injustice and activism.”
New Faculty Series
News Center is publishing profiles of tenured and tenure-track professors who have recently joined the University. The following school profiles have been published: