November 17, 2017
Scholar Power: Dr. Sharon Ann Murphy, professor of history
HIGHEST DEGREE: Ph.D., University of Virginia
EXPERTISE: 19th & 20th century United States economic and business history, financial history, history of capitalism
NEWSWORTHY: In 2017, Murphy was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities summer stipend to study banking and slavery in the antebellum South; published her third book, Other People’s Money: How Banking Worked in the Early American Republic (Johns Hopkins University Press); and analyzed historical documents for actor Noah Wyle as an expert on TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are?
QUOTABLE: “I hope that students emerge from my classes with a deeper understanding of the complexity of history and a desire to explore that complexity rather than relying on simplistic answers about the past. I focus on developing each student’s ability to think independently, research and write analytically, and present ideas persuasively — skills that will be essential to their success in any career path.”
HOBBIES: Figure skating, running, cooking, gardening, traveling
YEARS AT PC: 12
