About
Leslie Schuster is a Professor in the Department of History at Rhode Island College (RIC), where she serves as Director of the Gender and Women’s Studies program and assumed the role of First-Year Seminar (FYS) Coordinator in summer 2023. Previously, she dedicated 13 years as Dean of Graduate Studies, overseeing RIC’s graduate programs and student support systems.
Education:
- B.A. from Roosevelt University
- M.A. and Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University
Her research centers on European social and labor history, specifically examining how industrial transformations in the US and Europe reshaped working-class families and labor dynamics. With deep expertise in Saint-Nazaire’s shipbuilding industry, she explores gender intersections, community-labor relations, and pedagogical approaches for working-class students in higher education. Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary educational equity concerns.
Publications from 1994–2008 reveal consistent focus on French industrial labor history, particularly Saint-Nazaire’s shipbuilding and peat-cutting sectors, while later works pivot toward classroom applications for working-class students. Key themes include labor-community-state interactions, hidden transcripts in worker resistance, and transformative historical pedagogy.
Scientific Awards: None documented in source materials.
As former Dean of Graduate Studies and current professor, Schuster has mentored numerous graduate students through RIC’s history programs and Gender Studies initiatives. Her administrative leadership in graduate education and program direction demonstrates sustained commitment to academic support structures, though specific grant details are unreported.
She directs RIC’s Gender and Women’s Studies program and leads curriculum development for the First-Year Seminar initiative, focusing on class-conscious pedagogy. Her ongoing work includes labor strike analysis and course design for working-class student success.
