Eric William Denby
Biography
I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign with a focus on 20th century LGBT Youth rights. My masters thesis (completed in May of 2015 at Western Michigan University) is titled Fighting for Inclusion: The Origins of Gay Liberation at the University of Michigan. I explore the ways in which a gay and lesbian community sought to create institutional acceptance in the early 1970s.
Prior to pursuing my college education, I held a variety of positions in marketing, communications, public relations, and sales. The majority of my career was spent in the music industry, mainly as an in-house talent buyer for national and regional entertainment.
Research Interests
- LGBTQ Social and Political Movements
- Modern U.S. History
- Women, Gender, & Sexuality
- US and the World
Research Description
I am currently interested in LGBTQ activism, resistance, and oppression in middle and high school students between 1965 and 1990.
Education
- Bachelor of Science, History, Central Michigan University
- Master of Arts, History, Western Michigan University
Distinctions / Awards
- List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent and Outstanding based on ICES Scores, Fall 2016, Spring 2017
Grants
- History Department Summer Pre-Dissertation Research Travel Grant, University of Illinois, 2017
- The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History Travel Grant
- The Virginia Karnes Archives and Special Collections Trave Grant
Courses
- HIST200: Intro to Historical Int, "A Queer United States"
- HIST101: History Now, LGBT Civil Rights from the Streets to the Supreme Court
- HIST203: Reacting to the Past: US Riots, Revolutions, and Revolts
- HIST171: US History to 1877
- HIST172: US History Since 1877
