History Faculty

Dr. Corcoran is a Boston native and a career educator. He has taught history and social studies in secondary schools in rural and urban communities of Maine, New Mexico, and Massachusetts. He has lived and taught in Colombia and Ecuador as well. Dr. Corcoran earned a Ph.D. in Latin American History from the University of New Mexico in 2011. His research examines the development of inter-American education and culture in the mid-20^th century. As an academic historian and a committed classroom teacher, Dr. Corcoran is passionate about supporting aspiring educators and elevating the teaching of social studies in our nation's schools.

J. Suzanne Farmer is a native of Southeast Arkansas who joined the faculty at NSU in the fall of 2011. Dr. Farmer graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Arkansas, Monticello. She received her M.A. in History with an emphasis on early modern Europe from Western Illinois University and earned a Ph.D. in History with a concentration in British history from The University of Mississippi. Dr. Farmer's research examines the relationship between politics and the economy in late-seventeenth century England by exploring the political participation of wealthy merchants during the Restoration. She is currently working on turning her dissertation into a series of scholarly articles.

Farina King is Bilagáanaa (Euro-American), born for Kinyaa'áanii (the Towering House Clan) of the Dine (Navajo). She was born and lived on the Navajo reservation as a small child, until her family moved to Maryland. Dr. King's main area of research is colonial and post-colonial Indigenous Studies, primarily Native American experiences of colonial and boarding school education. She has authored several articles and a book titled The Earth Memory Compass: Dine Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century  (University Press of Kansas, 2018). She joined the History Department at NSU in August 2016. Learn more about Dr. King at farinaking.com.

Denis Vovchenko grew up as part of the Russian minority in Kazakhstan in the former Soviet Union. He studied for his B.A. and M.A. in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at Moscow State Lomonosov University. He earned a Ph.D. in Modern European History and the Middle East from the University of Minnesota. Inspired by his religious and cultural heritage, together with a love of learning new languages, Dr. Vovchenko has written several articles about the religious and political aspects of Russia's relations with the Balkans and the Middle East. His book, Containing Balkan Nationalism: Imperial Russia and Ottoman Christians (1856-1914), is published by Oxford University Press.