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Brent Ruswick

Courses Taught

  • HIS 150: The American Experience
  • HIS 151: U.S. History to 1877
  • HIS 214: History of Medicine
  • HIS 215: History of Science
  • HIS 398/399: History of Intellectual Disability
  • HIS 400: Research Seminar
  • HIS 413: Nuclear War
  • SSC 331: Methods of Teaching Secondary Social Studies
  • EDS 411-412: Student Teaching Internship

About Me

Professor Ruswick's scholarly interests gravitate around issues of medical and scientific authority and their influence in culture and politics. Trained as a historian of medicine and science (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, 2006), he is the author of one book, Almost Worthy: The Poor, Paupers, and the Science of Charity in America and several historical and pedagogical articles. He also will be publishing a second book on poverty, an edited anthology called The Cultural History of Poverty in the Age of Empire.

As a teacher presently licensed to teach history and political science in secondary education classrooms and possessing a bachelor's degree and considerable graduate hours in education, Professor Ruswick's favorite professional pursuit is sharing conversations about good teaching practices. His current pedagogical interests include culturally relevant teaching and authentic assessment practices. A winner of several teaching and advising awards and honors, Professor Ruswick arrived at West Chester in 2013.

Outside of the university, Professor Ruswick can often be found injuring himself by running long distances, trying to garden, and chasing misbehaving cats.

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