Biography of Benjamin Tyner

If you've taken and liked these classes below, why not give me a recommendation as a teacher by visiting LinkedIn or send me a message about how to improve them? I listen and your feedback makes me feel valued and valuable. This goes for any of your teachers. 

I teach survey classes entitled:

• West and the World, part 1 (to 1500)
• West and the World, part 2 (1500 to present)
• Arts and Ideas
• Intro to Philosophy

As well as upper division history courses among which are:

• Ancient Civilizations
• Classical Civilizations
• Medieval Civilizations
• Early Modern Civilizations 
• Modern Europe

My research interests tend to be broad as a reflection of my teaching duties. However, my dissertation is focused on French Imperialism and Religion during the Second Empire (1851-1870) in the Middle East and Asia. I am ABD at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where I received my en-route Masters Degree in European history. My major field of focus is 19th century France (and modern Europe generally) and my minor field is late medieval Europe. I passed my oral exams in both of these general fields and passed with distinction in December 2008. In December 2009 my dissertation proposal was approved by my committee without revision and I am currently in the process of writing it, provisionally titled: "A Distant Conquest of Souls: The Use of Martyrs in Second Empire France, 1852-1871." 

Project Impact two-time veteran and hope to be involved in many more!

You may have occasionally (or will eventually) see me lurking near the French Club, Humanities Club and Amnesty International (Union Chapter) and future clubs-to-be-determined. I can also regularly be found avoiding cooking and driving at the best college cafeteria I've ever eaten at (Union Market, of course). It's rumored that I may make a couple of appearances on various embarassingly bad faculty/staff teams (Volleyball? Basketball?).

I like to run, play sports (especially basketball), watch good film, pointlessly philosophize, wander, harangue, become impassioned and then lull into near vegetation upon exhaustion. Bowling with little skill on Fridays with fellow Union employees is exquisite. I also enjoy losing in golf to Rich Carlson and Chris Blake, hey, I've even lost to one of my students (I'm looking at you Matt Daarud).

And sometimes I just wander around looking confused (I'm trying to finish my dissertation in the next year so I avoid sleep as much as possible). 

Recent Teaching Experience

Picture taken at Holmes Lake - Me and Gabe by Jenny Tyner

PCA/ACA 2011 Conference - April 2011

Title:                          

“God Wills It? Holy Wars in the French Second Empire Religious Press”

Abstract:                    

The opening years of the Second Empire in France (1852-1870) were the setting for a furious debate over what creed and flag would have substantive control over the sacred geography of the Holy Land. Within Ottoman Palestine, Catholic and Orthodox monks had been involved in embarrassing fist fights and blood had been spilled over the traditional site of the birthplace and tomb of Jesus Christ. Ottoman officials seemed unable or unwilling to resolve the matter, and intervention by France and Russia led to the Crimean War (1853-1856). As Catholics participated anxiously in the “Question of the Holy Places,” therefore, they were also presenting and withdrawing justifications for war and imperial intervention – justifications which evoked the crusades, the French civilizing mission and mise-en-valeur, and the divine calling of France to protect the faith. In doing so they also largely set the rhetorical terms for the French understanding of the purposes of war for the rest of the Second Empire. Emperor Napoleon III would take up the mantle of the protector of the faith again and again: in the Second Opium War in China (1856-60), in Cochinchina in 1858, in Syria and Lebanon in 1860, and in 1866 in Korea, but realities on the ground increasingly meant that this covering was perceived by the French public as fraudulent. I will examine how these pretexts of war were developed and deployed in the debate around the Holy Places prior to the Crimean War and how their use changed afterwards. 

My professional goals are all related to continuing to improve my pedagogy and to intensify my historical research and writing. In the former category I am currently using a "Memory Palace" and symbolic visuals (assisted by artwork from Allie Lee and David Akioka) in my survey classes to attempt improving retention and experimenting with Reacting to the Past games in my upper division history courses. Also, Go Prezi!

My immediate research interest is crusading imagery in 19th century French Catholic newspapers.

Anything history. But I swear I'm interested in other things. Seriously.