Faculty Spotlight: Katherine Jewell
Be sure to check out our physical book display featuring Dr. Jewell's published works located in front of the book case at the entrance of the Library. Learn more about the amazing work Fitchburg State faculty are doing by visiting our Faculty Publication guide at fitchburgstate.libguides.com/facpubs.
Katherine Rye Jewell, Ph.D. originally grew up in the New England region, and became interested in both history and writing early on. Both of her parents were writers and she had familial connections with the American South, all of which contributed to her fascination with writing about the North-South divide, along with many other aspects of American history.
After graduating high school, she moved to Tennessee where she earned her B.A. in History and Anthropology at Vanderbilt University. Soon after, she went on to earn both her M.A. and Ph.D. in History at Boston University.
Katherine began her career at Fitchburg State University in 2010, where she currently serves as an Associate Professor of History. She teaches a variety of American History courses on campus, including United States History II, The American Presidency, Media and American Politics, and many others.
Dr. Jewell thoroughly enjoys being an educator because she loves to inspire her students, and gets inspiration from them as well. There are quite a few intersections between her coursework and her research, most of which pertain to the questions of American culture and heritage, and how it relates to political, economic and technological factors. During her busy teaching career, Dr. Jewell is also a prolific writer and, managing to publish numerous articles, book chapters, book reviews, along with serving as an editor and a conference presenter.
In 2017, Katherine published her first book, Dollars for Dixie: Business and the Transformation of Conservatism in the Twentieth Century which focuses on the evolution of Southern conservatism through the perspective of the Southern States Industrial Council (SSIC) business lobbying group that largely worked in opposition to President Roosevelt's New Deal. Presently, Dr. Jewell is in the process of working on a three new manuscripts, including the Life from the Underground: A History of College Radio, which is expected to be published in 2023.
Katherine currently lives in Belmont, Massachusetts with her husband and three children. She enjoys reading, running marathons, and watching soap operas. She also loves hiking, visiting museums, and going on other fun adventures with her family. She continues to write her various publications, and one day she hopes to have her own radio show.