Richard J. Janet, Ph.D.
Professor, Department Chair
Director, Thomas More Center for the Study of Catholic Thought and Culture

• B.A., M.A., Southeast Missouri State University
• Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Courses taught:
Survey of Western Civilization, I and II, Europe in the Age of Revolution, 1776-1870, Europe in the Age of Nationalism, 1870-1945, Europe Since 1945, History of Modern Britain

Areas of interest/Current research:
Research methods in history, Catholic thought and history

Phone: 816-501-4053
Email: Rick.Janet@Rockhurst.edu

Faith Childress, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History

• B.M.E., Winthrop University
• M.M.E, Winthrop University
• M.A., Winthrop University
• Ph.D., University of Utah

Courses Taught:
World Civilizations to the 17th Century (level I), World Civilizations since 1492 (level I), Modern Middle East (level II), Modern South Asia (level II), Nationalism in the Middle East (level II), Colonialism, Nationalism, and Decolonization (level II) 

Areas of Interest:
Modern Middle East, especially in regards to education and nation building; Colonialism in Asia and Africa

Phone: 816-501-4785
Email: Faith.Childress@Rockhurst.edu

Joanna Carraway, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History

• B.A. in Religious Studies and Art, Wake Forest University
• M.A. in Religious Studies, Wake Forest University
• M.A. in Medieval Studies, University of Toronto
• Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, University of Toronto

Courses Taught:
Western Civilization I, Ancient History, Medieval History, The Renaissance Mediterranean, Law and Justice in the Pre-Modern World

Areas of Interest/Current Research:
Social and legal history of the pre-modern Mediterranean, the history of criminal justice and criminal law, vendetta and dispute resolution, the Visconti state

Phone:  816-501-4316
Email:  Joanna.Carraway@Rockhurst.edu

William J. (Joe) Fossati, Ph.D.
Lecturer in History

• B.A. in History, University of Arizona
• M.A. in History, University of Arizona
• Ph.D. in Modern European History, emphasis on France since 1789

Courses Taught:
Survey of Western Civilization I and II, History of the United States I and II, History of the French Revolution and Napoleon, History of France since 1815, History of Modern Germany, Military History, 1815 to 1975

Phone:  816-501-4680
Email:  Joseph.Fossati@Rockhurst.edu

K.D. Motes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History

• B.A. in Philosophy, University of Oklahoma
• M.A. in Comparative History, Brandeis University
• Ph.D. in History, University of California-Riverside

Courses Taught:
History of the United States I, American Indian History, The Civil War, The American West, World Civilizations to the 17th Century

Areas of Interest/Current Research

Socio-cultural continuity and change in American Indian societies, the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory in the nineteenth century, cross-cultural (mis)understanding and projections of power, land and environment in Amerindian and American history

Phone:  816-501-4108
Email:  KD.Motes@Rockhurst.edu

Cecilia Samonte, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History

• B.A. in History, University of the Philippines
• M.A. in History, University of Kansas
• Ph.D. in American Studies, Michigan State University

Courses Taught:
World Civilizations to the 17th Century (level I), World Civilizations since 1492 (level I), History of the United States I, Modern America, Contemporary America, U.S. Women's History, History of Modern China and Japan

Areas of Interest/Current Research

Nineteenth century U.S., U.S. women's history, U.S. diplomatic history, history of U.S. foreign relations, U.S.-Philippine relations from 1898 to 1946, travel writing

Phone:  816-501-4106
Email:  Cecilia.Samonte@Rockhurst.edu