Michael T. Westrate

“I am a teacher. I consider my scholarly research and writing to be part of my role as an educator. Writing, after all, is simply teaching to a larger audience.” --Michael T. Westrate

Originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Dr. Michael T. Westrate is now the Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships at Villanova University, where he also teaches History. His fields of specialization are Russian, Ukrainian, and Eastern European History (all periods), World/Global History, and Modern German History. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Economy (Minor: Communications) from Hillsdale College in 1995; his Master’s degrees in History are from St. Cloud State University (2007) and the University of Notre Dame, (2010); he earned his PhD in History from the University of Notre Dame in 2014. Besides his completed degrees, he has also attended the University of Minnesota Law School and has taken classes in Virginia Tech’s online Master’s degree program in Political Science. He has published several articles and book reviews. His recent article, “The Self against the State: Valery Abramkin and the Destruction of Dissident Identity” won the 2013 Philip Gleason Prize. His first book, the research for which was conducted under a U.S. State Department Fulbright Fellowship, is titled: Living Soviet in Ukraine from Stalin to Maidan: Under the Falling Red Star in Kharkiv. Mike is married to a Notre Dame administrator named Natasha, and they have two daughters. Mike’s research interests include social, cultural, and political history (and theory) as well as global issues, particularly the history of globalization. He also enjoys reading, watching movies, scuba diving, and doing whatever it is that his kids are into at the moment.

For more information, please see Mike’s page at Academia.edu: https://nd.academia.edu/MikeWestrate