Dr. Robert Voss

Associate Professor of History

Faculty Senate President, Social Science Education Coordinator, M.S.Ed. Teaching History Director

Education

• Ph.D. History; University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• M.A. History; University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Teaching Credential; Simpson University, Redding, California
• B.A. History; Simpson University, Redding, California

Courses Taught

• Social Studies Strategies
• U.S. History to 1877
• U.S. History since 1877
• Introduction to Digital Humanities
• The History of Missouri
• The Gilded Age and Progressive Era
• The American West
• Research Seminar in American History (American Religious History)
• Methods of Teaching Social Science in the Secondary School

Academic Interests

My research centers on capitalism in the late 19th century, with a specific focus on Native American interactions with railroads and coal mining. I explore how Choctaw and Cherokee people managed railroads and coal mines and how the federal government responded to their efforts. Additionally, I am engaged in a project examining the migration of Chinese people across the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

I am deeply committed to integrating Digital Humanities into my research and teaching, utilizing digital tools to enhance our understanding of history and social science education. My current focus is on weaving Artificial Intelligence into these pursuits, exploring how AI can be leveraged to offer new insights and methodologies in the humanities. By combining traditional research with cutting-edge technology, I aim to enrich both academic inquiry and educational practices.

Scholarly Activity

• Faculty Panel on Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education, Northwest Missouri State University, February 2024.
• “Leveraging Generative AI in Higher Education: The Faculty and Student Experience with AI Models” co-presenter with Dr. Brooke McAtee, Professional Development Session, Northwest Missouri State University, January 2024.
• Panelist, “Far East Deep South and Reframing American Identity,” Organization of American Historians, Los Angeles, March 2023.
• Panelist, “Challenging 19^th Century Racial Hierarchies” roundtable, Southern History Association, Baltimore Maryland, November 2022.
• “Possibilities for DH Social Justice Pedagogy in the Library” Alternative Format Presentation at Association of Computing in the Humanities 2021 Conference, Online via Zoom, July 2021.
• “Ideology and Ethnocentrism: Teaching with Red Dead Redemption II,” Indigeneity and the Digital American West: Rereading the Native in Video Games panel, Western History Association, Albuquerque, NM, October 2020.
• “Teaching with Digital Humanities: Engaging your Audience”, Chapter in Quick Hits for Teaching with Digital Humanities: Successful Strategies from Award-Winning Teachers, Michael Morrone, Christopher Young, Emma Wilson and Tom Wilson editors, Indiana University Press, 2020.
• “Teaching Digital Humanities with Timeline.js”, Chapter in Quick Hits for Teaching with Digital Humanities: Successful Strategies from Award-Winning Teachers, Michael Morrone, Christopher Young, Emma Wilson and Tom Wilson editors, Indiana University Press, 2020.
• Presentation, “Sophisticated Capitalism: Native American success Resisting and Regulating Railroads in the Indian Territory” at the Railroads in Native America Symposium, Omaha, NE, September 2019.
• Presentation, “Northwest Stories: Undergraduate DH in the Short Term” at the American Historical Association, January 2019.

Other Professional Experience

• Member, American Historical Association
• Member, Organization of American Historians
• Member, Western Historical Association