معرفی
Katherine Pence is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY). She has been actively teaching courses including Global History Since 1500 and Capstone: Search History through Spring 2025.
Her educational background includes:
- Ph.D. in History, University of Michigan
- M.A. in History, University of Michigan
- B.A. in History, Pomona College
Professor Pence specializes in Cold War history with a particular focus on German history, consumer culture, gender studies, and transnational relations between Germany and Africa during the decolonization period. Her research explores how consumer politics, gender dynamics, and Cold War competition shaped everyday life in divided Germany, as well as examining German-African relations during the Cold War era. She has made significant contributions to understanding the intersections of consumption, citizenship, and Cold War politics in both East and West Germany, with particular attention to gendered experiences. Her book Gender and Consumer Politics in Cold War Germany (Cambridge University Press, 2019) represents a major contribution to the field.
Her recent scholarly output reveals a growing emphasis on German-African relations during the Cold War, particularly examining how West Germany engaged with decolonizing Africa through trade exhibitions, development aid, and cultural diplomacy. While her earlier work focused primarily on consumer culture and gender in divided Germany, her research has expanded to explore transnational connections and the global dimensions of Cold War competition. Her publications span historical methodology, gender studies, and transnational history, with consistent attention to how ordinary people navigated political systems through everyday practices.
- Faculty Service Award for the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences (2015)
- Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching (2008)
- Feliks Gross Endowment Award for Outstanding Research (2007)
- Eugene M. Lang Junior Faculty Research Program Award (2006)
- Whiting Research Award for Excellence in Teaching (2005)
- Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award for Special Service to Students (2004)
Professor Pence has received multiple PSC-CUNY research grants for her projects on 'The East and West German Scramble for Africa,' totaling over $25,000 in funding between 2008-2017. She has served as a dissertation committee member for graduate students at Harvard University, NYU, and the University of Illinois. Her service to the academic community includes organizing numerous conferences, particularly the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR), and she has held various leadership positions within Baruch College and CUNY, including Faculty Liaison for ICUR and member of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Alliance.
Professor Pence is actively involved in campus initiatives related to undergraduate research, diversity and inclusion, and international education. She has organized multiple faculty workshops on research in undergraduate classrooms and has been instrumental in developing Baruch's Women's Studies program. Her current research projects continue her exploration of German-African relations during the Cold War era, with particular attention to local initiatives, gender dynamics, and transnational connections.
