Stephen Volz
Department of History,KenyonCollege
(740) 427-5836
EDUCATIONPh.D. History – Africa
dissertation: “’From the mouths of our countrymen’: the careers and communities
of Tswana evangelists in the nineteenth century”
University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 2006
M.A. History – Africa
University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 1999
M.A.T. Secondary Education – Social Studies
Washington University St. Louis, MO 1989
B.A. History major, Philosophy and German minors
ValparaisoUniversity Valparaiso, IN 1985
PUBLICATIONS“Written on our hearts: Tswana Christians and the ‘word of God’ in the
mid-nineteenth century” Journal of Religion in Africa [forthcoming 2008]
“Words of Batswana: Letters to the editor of Mahoko a Becwana, 1883-1896”
History in Africa 34 (2007) 349-366
Words of Batswana: Letters toMahoko a Becwana, 1883-1896
editor and translator, with Part T. Mgadla
Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society, 2006
“European missionaries and the development of Tswana identity”
Le Fait Missionnaire: Social Sciences and Missions 15 (2004) 97-128
“European missionaries and Tswana identity in the 19th century”
Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies 17 (2003) 3-19
“British missionaries and the development of Tswana identity”
The Clarion 1, 4 (2002) 7-8
“Chief of a HeathenTown: Kgosi Sechele and the arrival of Christianity
among the Tswana” University of Wisconsin, African Studies 2001
“Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent”
photographs on website, 2000
EMPLOYMENTKenyonCollege Gambier, OH
Assistant Professor, Department of History2006-present
Instructor, Department of History2004-2005
University of Wisconsin – Madison Madison, WI
Teaching Assistant 2000-2001, 2003
Grader 2000-2001, 2003
MartinLutherHigh School Maspeth, NY
Teacher, Social Studies Department1991-1998
Thamaga Junior Secondary School Botswana, Africa
Teacher (U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer)1985-1987
PRESENTATIONSSouthern African Historical SocietyJohannesburg Jul 2007
“The life and times of Paulo Molehane, the first Tswana missionary”
African Studies Association Washington, DCNov 2005
“Written on our hearts: Tswana Christians and the ‘word of God’ in the
mid-nineteenth century”
African Literature Association Madison, WI Apr 2004
“Teaching African history with African stories” Teacher’s Workshop
National Council for the Social Studies Middleton, WI Mar 2004
“Democracy in Botswana” Great Lakes Regional Conference
African Studies Association Boston, MA Nov 2003
“Native brethren and their feudal ties: family and community in the careers of the
first Tswana evangelists”
University of Botswana Gaborone, Botswana Oct 2002
“European missionaries and Tswana identity” Sociology Seminar
KgolaganoCollege Gaborone, Botswana Oct 2002
“Early Batswana missionaries” seminar
University of Wisconsin – Madison Madison, WI
“Bringing the AfricanVillage into the American Classroom” Nov 2000
“Isaac Schapera and the invention of Tswana tradition” Jul 2000
African Studies Outreach Program, various talks, area grade schools 1999-2001
MadisonAreaTechnicalCollege Madison, WI Feb 2001
“Social Change in Botswana” Global Horizons Series
IndianaUniversity Bloomington, IN Apr 2000
“Kgosi Sechele and Tswana Christianity” Graduate Students Conference
ConcordiaCollege Bronxville, NY Apr 1996,
“Development in Africa” A.D.P. ProgramSep 1997
ValparaisoUniversity Valparaiso, IN Oct 1990
“Images of Africa in the U.S. media” Christ College Symposium
AWARDSPaul Hair Prize – honorable mention
HONORSfor Words of BatswanaAfrican Studies Association2007
Labalme Faculty Development Grant
for overseas researchKenyon College2007
Milton R. Gutsch History Fellowship
for dissertation writing University of Wisconsin 2004
Fulbright-IIE grant
for dissertation research Botswana 2001-2002
Fulbright-Hays grant
for dissertation research (declined, accepted Fulbright-IIE instead)
Ph.D. examinations
passed with distinction University of Wisconsin 2001
A.C. Jordan Prize
for best essay in African studies University of Wisconsin 1999-2000
FLAS Fellowships
for study of Swahili, Setswana University of Wisconsin 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000
Scott Kloeck-Jenson Grant
pre-dissertation travel grant University of Wisconsin 2000
Fulbright-Hays seminar
summer seminar for teachers; “India and Her Ethos” India 1995
ChristCollege Scholar
honors program; interdisciplinary Humanities Valparaiso University 1981-1985
COURSES TAUGHTKenyonCollege
Early African History
Modern Africa
History of Southern Africa
Race and Politics in South Africa
Health and Healing in Africa
African Christianity
History of the Indian Ocean
African Women in Fiction and Film
History of the U.S. in Africa
Senior Seminar: Open Topics
Individual Study: Modern Uganda
University of Wisconsin – Madison(as teaching assistant)
Africa: An Introductory Survey
History of Africa, 1500 to 1870
MartinLutherHigh School
Global Studies
U.S. History
U.S. Government
Philosophy
History of War and Peace
COLLEGIATEKenyonCollege
CITIZENSHIPStudent Fellowships and Scholarships Committee2006-07
International Studies Committee2006-07
Faculty Advisor for STAND (Darfur activism and support group)2006-07
History Dept. Curriculum Committee2005-07
History Dept. Admin. Assist. Search CommitteeSep 2006
ACM Botswana Program, Advisory Committee2006
Crossroads Faculty SeminarMay 2005, 2006
GLCA Global Partners East Africa ConferenceApr 2006
South African guest lecturers and performanceFeb 2006
History Dept. Latin America Search2005-06
GLCA Africana Studies WorkshopNov 2005
Kenyon Community Choir2004-06
MartinLutherHigh School
Faculty Chairperson1996-98
Social Studies Department Chairperson1995-98
Soccer Coach1991-98
PROFESSIONALAfrican Studies Association
MEMBERSHIPSAmerican Historical Association
Africa Network
Southern African Historical Society
Botswana Society
LANGUAGESproficient inSetswana, German and Kiswahili; reading knowledge of French