Office: RN 219

Office Phone: (916) 558-2007

Education: BA, California State University, Sacramento, 1992; MA, California State University, Sacramento, 1997; PhD., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2005

At Sacramento City College since: 2003

Email: cerrid@scc.losrios.edu

Academic Areas of Interest: General US, 20th century US foreign relations, Cold War, 1950s, Latin America

Current Courses: History 310, History 311, History 314

Personal Statement: I am a native of northern California, having been born and raised in the San Francisco East Bay area. I come from a white middle class family. It was one of the millions of working class families that successfully made the move to a middle class lifestyle thanks to post-WWII government programs making home ownership and college education more widely available. Both of my parents were educators and instilled in me a passion for learning and a belief in the progressive notion that education holds the key to success.

But when I began my college studies at California State University, Sacramento, a career in education had not yet occurred to me. Instead, I was majoring in PE, and playing football for the Hornets (as a redshirt freshman). After getting beat up on the football field that first season, I began to reconsider my future. At the same time, I took a general education history course taught by a teacher that inspired me to learn about the past, and to think critically about it. I switched to a history major, quit the football team, and continued my studies in history.

Like many college students, I also had to work to make ends meet and to cover the costs of tuition and books. All totaled, I worked for 14 years in the restaurant business as a cook/chef in various establishments, while also attending school and balancing family responsibilities. Thus, I know what it is like to work until 11:00 pm, and then to have to begin studying as the new day dawns.

My wife and I decided to pack up and move to Wisconsin so that I could attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn my Ph.D. We lived in the beautiful Badger state for six years as I worked on the doctorate in history. I continued my studies of United States History, majoring in US foreign relations and minoring in Latin American History. In July 2001, we returned to California, and I have been teaching in the Los Rios College District since 2002.

When and Why did you decide to teach History at a community college? We were committed to living in the Sacramento area upon returning from Wisconsin. The community colleges provided the most accessible employment for me, and I came to enjoy the teaching experience. Most four-year Universities place on emphasis on research and writing, but I enjoy the emphasis of being a teacher in the classroom better. The benefits of teaching at City College are numerous, and it allows for time with my family, as well. It's a wonderful life being a SCC history professor!

Top three historical heroes: Bartolome de las Casas, Dorthea Lange, Howard Zinn

Stuart D Graybill

 Office: RN 211

Office Phone: (916) 558-2309

Education: AA, Diablo Valley College (1980), BA, University of California, Davis (1983), MA, University of California, Davis (1991), PhD, University of California, Davis (1999)

At Sacramento City College since: I taught my first class here, Fall, 1990, and have been full-time since Fall, 2001.

Email: graybis@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/graybis

Academic Areas of Interest: American Intellectual and Cultural History, California History (the evolution of California as a multicultural society)

Current Courses: History 310, 311, 344, 483, 484

Personal statement: For most of my childhood, adolescence and teenage years, I was a dedicated procrastinator, and my grades in school reflected it, so I had few choices after graduating from high school. I literally shoveled horse crap, and I dug a few ditches, too.

These were inordinately unpleasant experiences (very destructive to my self esteem and ego!), so, I reluctantly decided to experiment with adulthood, got my act together, attended Diablo Valley College, raised my grades, transferred to UC Davis, and, surprisingly, earned a Bachelor's degree in international relations and economics.

I spent a few years in the 1980s working in politics, a few more in business, and then a few more years in politics, again, before I returned to UC Davis, even more surprisingly, for graduate school, where I earned a MA and PhD in United States history.

I have worked full-time at Sacramento City College since 2001, and regard myself as exceptionally fortunate to have a job that I enjoy and colleagues that are a pleasure to be around.

My wife and I live in Sacramento, with our two very strong-willed, active, mischievous, but adorable boys, age six and three. We spend a lot of time outdoors together as a family, and the boys especially enjoy camping trips, so we take a bunch of those a year. We also enjoy traveling, spending time with other family members, friends and colleagues. And we especially enjoy learning more about life, the universe, and everything!

What attracted you to the study of History? When I was 10 years old, I spent nearly two months in the hospital with an injury, unable to get out of bed. My tutor (supplied to me by the generous people of Merced County) gave me lots of things to read, but I enjoyed the biographies the most, and since I couldn't get out of bed, reading became my favorite activity. That was a pivotal moment for me, because since that experience I have always enjoyed reading.

After I became an adult, especially after working in politics for several years, I became more interested in how the United States became what it is now, and that led me to quit my job in politics, begin graduate school in US History, and eventually to Sacramento City College.

When and why did you decide to teach History at a community college? When I enrolled in graduate school I planned from the start to teach in a community college. My mentors at Diablo Valley College, Don Glenn, Norm Shumway, and others, were some of the best teachers I had, at any level. When I was considering graduate school, I sought out their advice, and they strongly advised me that community college teaching was a good life. It was great advice!

Top three historical heroes: John Dewey

Keith RV Heningburg

Office: RN 214

Office Phone: (916) 558-2510

Education: BS, (Magnum Cum Laude) Eastern Michigan University (1992), MA, Eastern Michigan University (1994), MA, University of California Davis (1998)

At Sacramento City College since: 1998

Email: heningk@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/heningk

Academic Areas of Interest: United States, Native American, African American, Ethnic Studies

Current Courses: History 320, History 321, History 310, SocSc 300, SocSc 320

Teaching Philosophy: Relax, Relate, and Release! Enjoy the Ride!

Family: Happily married, four children, five grandchildern.

What attracted you to the study of history? The stories!

When and why did you decide to teach History at a community college? This is where I felt I could do the most good for the most people.

Top three historical heroes: Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Rudolph V Heningburg--Tuskegee Airman, 1946!

Office: RS 283

Office Phone: (916) 558-2431

Education:  B.A. American Studies San Francisco State University, 1992; MA University of California Davis, 1999.

At Sacramento City College since:  2000

Email: pattons@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress:

Academic Areas of Interest: US History, Women's History, American South, African History

Current Courses: History 310 (women's emphasis), History 311 (women's emphasis), History 360 (African Civilizations)

What attracted you to the study of History? An interest in the history of radical social movements.

When and why did you decide to teach History at a community college? After I taught my first class at West Valley Community College in 1999. 

Top three historical heroes: Joan of Arc, Toypurina, and al-Kahina.  (There is a theme there.)  I'd also like to add Ida Wells and Thomas Paine. 

Office: RN 235

Office Phone: (916) 650-2937

Education: BA, San Diego State University and Cambridge University (UK), MA, University of California, Santa Cruz (1998), Advanced to candidacy for PhD, University of California Santa Cruz (1999)

At Sacramento City College since: 2006

Email: piscoph@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress: In Progress

Academic Areas of Interest: 1) Modern US History with a particular interest in people's movements for social and economic justice, and 2) Asian Civilizations with a particular interest in early philosophies and modern efforts for self-determination.

Current Courses: History 311, History 364, History 365

Personal Statement: I am a professor; yet I am also a learner. In both roles, two philosophies support me and keep me going:

One: Always be curious, with the courage to maintain a questioning mind. See this interview with Coolio and WC of the MAAD Circle:

Coolio: Who's the real gangsta, the brotha with the khakis on, the brotha with the Levis on or the (person) in the suit? Who's the real gangsta?

WC: Well, the suit is running the world, that's the real gangsta right there.

[Interview in Robin DG Kelley's Yo' Mama's Disfunktional!: Fighting the Cultural Wars in Urban America (1998)}

Two: Be deliberate and persistent!

Carl-Petter Sjovold

Office: RS 277

Office Phone: (916) 558-2274

Education: AB, University of California Berkeley (1988), MA, University of California Davis(1992), PhD, University of California Davis (1999)

Email: sjovolc@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/sjovolc

Academic Areas of Interest: US History, World History

Current Courses: History 310, History 311, History 308

Personal Statement: I grew up in Santa Barbara, and attended public schools there. After high school, I enrolled at Santa Barbara City College, with the intention of pursuing a career in journalism. I wanted to continue studying journalism at UC Berkeley, but that institution didn't have a journalism program, so I switched to history, thinking that this might be an appropriate field of study for someone who wanted to write for a major metropolitan daily. But the more I read and studied history, the more I enjoyed the field. I finished my undergraduate degree, but felt that I still had so much more to learn so, after a brief stint working at the Oakland Tribune, I enrolled in the graduate program in history at UC Davis. After I finished my PhD, I taught part-time here and there for a couple of years, and then was hired full-time at Sacramento City College.

What attracted you to the study of History? I like to read.

When and why did you decide to teach History at a community college? My years at Santa Barbara City College were formative, because it was there where I was fortunate to work with instructors who took a close interest in my development. Before I entered graduate school, I knew that I wanted to teach at a community college rather that at a four-year school. I'm glad I made this decision.

Top three historical heroes: The heroes of any civilization are the musicians, so I'd have to pick Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Robert Johnson.

Office: RN 232

Office Phone: (916) 558-2043

Education: BA, University of California Los Angeles (1976), MA, Stanford University (1978), PhD, University of California Davis (2004)

At Sacramento City College since: Fall 2008

Email: tangher@scc.losrios.edu

Webaddress:

Academic Areas of Interest: US Colonial, Borderlands History, Mexican Colonial, Latin American History, Women's History, Mexican American History

Current Courses: History 310, History 311

Personal Statement: A native Californian, I am the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants. While I grew up primarily in southern California, I had the good fortune as a child of moving to Nicaragua, where I lived for four years. I have lived in Sacramento since 1980 with my husband, where we raised two daughters and pursued our professional goals. When I am not reading, preparing lectures, or grading exams and papers, I love spending an afternoon or an entire day cooking for friends. If I could have been something other than a historian and teacher, I would have been a dancer.

What attracted you to the study of History? Two of the several books I read during the summer of 1987 convinced me to pursue graduate studies. Thomas Flanagan's, The Year of the French, and Theodore H White's, Thunder out of China made me want to learn how to gather evidence and write seamless narratives to explain complex historical problems. I was captivated by Flanagan's and White's analytical rigor and artistry.

When and why did you decide to teach History at a community college? After teaching as an adjunct instructor at community colleges and a research university, it became very clear to me that I prefer the community college environment. I find the rich diversity of the Sacramento City College community very stimulating. Also, the college's commitment to providing excellent instruction matches my interest in channeling my energies into full-time teaching.

Top three historical heroes: Mahatma Gandhi, Ida B Wells-Bernett, Emiliano Zapata