Biography - Daniel Hicks

My name is Dan Hicks and I am an adjunct professor at APUS. After earning BA's in History and English from the College of William and Mary in 1996, I went to work at a couple of less-than-satisfying jobs before returning to academia in 1999. I earned my PhD in History from PSU in May 2007. My dissertation examined the national identity of American sailors during the era of the War of 1812. I've presented a number of papers on related topics and have an article on the subject in the anthology "Pirates, Jack Tar, and Memory" (eds. William Pencak and Paul Gilje).

I have taught courses covering a wide range of historical subjects, from the beginning of civilization to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although I'm new to APUS, I'm becoming an old hand at teaching online, and I also have a decade of experience as a teacher in face-to-face courses. As a teacher, I believe that my primary purpose is to help you develop your knowledge and understanding of history, by pushing you to refine your analytical skills and to develop a solid base of facts, so that you can make informed political (and personal) decisions.

I live with my wife and our three cats on the outskirts of Alexandria, VA. Teaching and research take up most of my time, but my wife and I take occasional breaks to play Lego Star Wars on our Wii. I also participate in an online trivia league, both as a participant and an author of questions.