Elizabeth Mellyn

Excellence in Teaching, 2024

College of Liberal Arts

Liz Mellyn, associate professor of history, has a stellar record of classroom innovation. A scholar of early modern Europe, Liz consistently looks for dynamic ways to update and expand her roster of courses to actively engage students.

In addition to the classes she routinely teaches – such as Women in Modern History, The History of Modern Medicine, and Religious Conflict in Early Modern Europe (which she retitled and revised as Saints, Sinners, and Heretics: Europe in the Age of Religious Reform) – she has introduced new courses, including the honors seminar, The Mad Among Us: A Global History of Mental Disorder,; Game of Thrones: Power and Politics in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and a course on the history of the New Hampshire state mental hospital, which had students doing original, independent research on the history of mental illness in New Hampshire and the state’s attempt to address it.

Students appreciate Liz’s expertise, intense energy and passion, and her creative expansion of assignments beyond research papers to include various kinds of group work, including a podcast assignment on pandemics in an introductory class. A similar timeliness infuses her Introduction to Historical Thinking course, where she includes books on controversial subjects – the 2nd Amendment, vaccines, hermaphrodites and abortion.

As department chair Kurk Dorsey remarks, “No one could say that the study of history is not relevant to modern problems.” Students agree; while some are intimidated by the topical range and rigorous analysis, they also appreciate seeing the historical roots of modern controversies. Liz’s innovative teaching methods and passion for history not only challenge her students intellectually but also inspire them to connect the past with present-day issues, making her an invaluable asset to the university.