Dr. Carol Reardon, the 2015-16 Penn State laureate and the George Winfree Professor of American History at Penn State visited Penn State Worthington Scranton on Wednesday, as part of her University campus tour. She spoke about her study of war to a standing-room-only crowd in the Hawk Lecture Hall.
The Penn State laureate is a full-time University faculty member in the humanities or fine arts who is assigned for one academic year to bring an enhanced level of social, cultural, artistic and human perspective and awareness to a broad array of audiences.
Reardon is a military historian who specializes in the study of the American Civil War and the Vietnam conflict to explore how peoples and cultures define, support or oppose, or remember the causes, conduct, costs and consequences of war. She has authored many publications, including the award-winning book, Pickett's Charge in History and Memory.
She was the first woman to win election to the presidency of the Society for Military History, where she promoted an approach to military history that expanded from its base in battle and campaign analyses to a more sophisticated discourse about war that integrates all the "elements of national power" — political, diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural forces, as well as military — to promote a deeper understanding of the many ways in which armed conflict or opposition to it touches our civic and personal lives.
In addition, she is the recipient of the University's prestigious George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest award given for teaching at Penn State.
Reardon received her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, a master's degree from University of South Carolina, and a bachelor's degree from Allegheny College.
