Penny S. Gold
Professor of History
General Interests
"Although my primary identity is as a historian, my work has always been interdisciplinary in nature and eclectic in methodology. In my most recent book, I looked at how Judaism adapted to the radically altered circumstances of late nineteenth- and twentieth- century America, a problem that has me searching the history of religious education, biblical interpretation, changing roles of women and theories of cultural pluralism.
My love of research has had a pervasive impact on my teaching. One of the joys of teaching is to inspire students to ask their own questions, and to see them through the process of finding answers."
Years at Knox: 1976 to present
Education
Ph.D., Medieval Studies, 1977, Stanford University.
M.A., History, 1970, Stanford University.
B.A., History, cum laude, 1969, University of Chicago.
Teaching Interests
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, women's history, Jews in America, the Bible in history, European history.
Recent Recognition
Awards
Caterpillar Foundation Faculty Achievement Award, Knox College, 1999.
Sears-Roebuck Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership, Knox College, 1988.
Grants
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, 1997-1998.
American Academy of Religion, Research Assistance Grant, 1990.
Fellowships
Senior Fellow, Institute of The Advanced Study of Religions, University of Chicago, 1997-1998.
Recent Accomplishments
Publications
Making the Bible Modern: Re-making Jewish Identity for Children in Twentieth Century America. Cornell University Press, 2004.
The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career: A Portable Mentor for Scholars from Graduate School through Tenure. Co-authored with John Goldsmith and John Komlos. University of Chicago Press, 2001.
Cultural Visions: Essays in the History of Culture. Co-edited with Benjamin Sax. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2000.
Presentations
Presentation on the Knox Guide for Department Chairs at the ACM FaCE conference on "Wearing Many Hats: The Department Chair at Liberal Arts Colleges," 2006.
"Americanization and the Transformation of Jewish Education: 'Character Building,' John Dewey, and Theories of Cultural Pluralism." Burkhardt Lecture, Knox College, 2000.
"Bible Stories for Children in Twentieth-Century American." Teaching Bible: Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.
"The Bible and Democracy in America," Twelfth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, 1997.
"A Teacher Is Either a Witness or a Stranger," national conference on the Role of Advocacy in the Classroom, 1995.
Significant Publications
The Lady and the Virgin: Image, Attitude, and Experience in Twelfth-Century France. University of Chicago Press, l985.
Campus & Community Involvement
Coordinator, Institutional Self-Study.
Elected Chair pro tem of the faculty.
Coordinator, Faculty Development Program.
Chair, History Department.
Faculty adviser, Hillel Club.
What Students Say
"In historian's workshop class, Professor Gold challenged me to think critically about the process of historical research, and the very nature of what history is. The class encapsulated what I think is great about a Knox education: you're exposed to theories that break down preconceived notions about learning and knowledge, and then given tools to help build new foundations on a more thoughtful and critical level. Professor Gold's class opened a lot of doors for me, not just in the study of history, but in all aspects of critical thinking and learning."
- Steve Russell, History and Spanish Major
Contact
309-341-7328
pgold@knox.edu