History Professor Irmgard Steinisch (left) has been named as new associate dean (faculty relations) of the Faculty of Arts for a three-year term starting July 1.
Steinisch’s major areas of responsibility will include research promotion; mentoring programs for new faculty; tenure and promotion; and CUPE contract administration.
Steinisch was an assistant professor at Ludwig-Maxmilians-Universität in Munich until 1985, then moved to the Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Free University of Berlin. She began teaching at York in 1989 and was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1991.
Steinisch’s field of study is German history, with a particular focus on labour history and comparisons between Germany and the United States. In 1986 she published her dissertation on the struggle to introduce the eight-hour shift into the German and US iron and steel industries between 1880 and 1929. As well, she has edited a collection of articles on Canadian and US trends in labour history.
Currently, Steinisch is working on a comparison of the American Civil War and the German Wars of National Union in the 1860s, and on the history of nationalism in Germany and the US in the post-war period of the 1860s/1870s, as well as after World Wars I and II. She has taught a number of courses on modern Germany and nationalism at York, as well as a number of course on the US in Germany. From 1998 to 2000 she served as director of Undergraduate Studies in History.
Steinisch brings to her new position experience on numerous department committees, including Curriculum and Tenure and Promotion, as well as on a number or Faculty committees, including Petitions and Research Grants and Scholarships.
Steinisch can be reached at S923 Ross, ext. 33375, irmgards@yorku.ca.