Kim Hewitt
Faculty
Communications Humanities and Cultural Studies; Historical Studies
I teach American history and cultural topics and mentor students at the Staten Island Center. I am an Academic Coordinator for American History and American Studies at the Empire State College Center for Distance Learning, where I develop, coordinate and supervise the American history courses and teach online.
My desire to study American history and culture began with a cross-country road trip across America. I traveled from the corn fields of Maryland, through the Smoky Mountains, to the vibrant city of New Orleans, across the vast expanse of Texas and the Mojave desert, to the coast of California. I met all kinds of people who shared their lives and views on America with me. I began to wonder how such diversity holds together as one nation and knew I wanted to try to understand the lives of people in this country. I spent ten years in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin seeking answers, and discovered ways to ask more sophisticated questions and methods and theories to help me find answers. It's been a satisfying journey and continues each day as I continue to explore America's diverse culture in my scholarship and teaching.