Marla McMackin

Marla McMackin is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), expected to complete in May 2021. She concurrently serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of History, teaching courses such as HIST/GWS 252: Sexuality in America, HIST 199: Chicago and the World, and others. Her research focuses on urban social welfare history, particularly examining youth programs and social policies in Chicago during the War on Poverty era.

Education

• PhD in History (Expected 2021), University of Illinois at Chicago
• MA in History (2014), Northeastern Illinois University
• MA in Teaching (2007), Columbia College Chicago
• BA in Journalism (2002), Wayne State University

Research Interests

• Urban development and social policy in 20th-century America
• History of social welfare and anti-poverty programs
• Gender and race in urban social movements
• Hull House’s role in community interventions

Awards & Grants

• Alice J. Dan Dissertation Research Award (2019)
• LBJ Presidential Library Moody Research Grant
• Multiple Kegan Travel Awards and UIC History Department Fellowships

Teaching & Mentorship

• Adjunct Instructor: Taught courses on Chicago history, sexuality studies, and global modernity
• Teaching Assistant for foundational history courses (e.g., World Since 1400, Modern America)
• Guest lecturer on topics like “Age as a Category of Analysis”

Current Research

• Book project: Potential Delinquents: Chicago Youth, Hull House, and the War on Poverty
• Explores intersections of urban poverty, youth intervention programs, and social policy