Dr. Marvin Stern

Associate Professor

Office:    S230
Phone:   (248)-204-3526
E-mail:    stern@ltu.edu

Office hours by appointment.

Dr. Marvin Stern is completing his fifteenth year of teaching at Lawrence Tech. Dr. Stern has five degrees in Asian and Western History-ancient and modern. His highest degree is Ph.D., and the degree awarding universities are Harvard, Yale, and Brandeis. Dr. Stern was also admitted twice to Princeton.  In 1999, Dr. Stern was promoted to Associate Professor and awarded with tenure.

In Dr. Stern's second book, THORNS AND BRIARS-BONDING, LOVE, AND DEATH 1764-1870, he presents, among other new materials, the Diary of the wife, daughter, and granddaughter of one of the key commanders of the British Army in the American Revolution. THORNS AND BRIARS was given an enthusiastic review by the outstanding British scholar Roy Porter: "I got a huge amount of pleasure out of reading it. It is written by Marvin Stern with a sure touch." Etc.

Dr. Stern's aim as a teacher and a creative person is to develop a polished expertise in three areas: historical research and writing; contemporary political/cultural commentary; and short-story creativity. In 2001-2002 he was invited to be a Visiting Fellow in Cambridge and Oxford.

In February 2001, "A British Military Family," was published in CONTEMPORARY REVIEW (Oxford). In October of that year, Dr. Stern was commissioned by Oxford University to write the life of the great-grandmother of Bertrand Russell-Maria Holroyd-Lady Maria Josepha Stanley for THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY, published in September 2004. In the spring of 2001, the Editor of the most widely circulated journal in one of Dr. Stern's fields-EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES-asked Dr. Stern to review three of the most significant reference books that were published during the previous decade. The six thousand word review/essay, entitled "Fundamental Reference Works," appears in the summer issue 2002. Another review, of Esther Schor's Bearing the Dead: The British Culture of Mourning from the Enlightenment to Victoria (Princeton University Press, 1994), was requested in the same year by the Editor of THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: A CURRENT BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Also in 2002, the Editor of CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE asked Dr. Stern to write on the topic of "Reflections on September 11." The article, "When Government Fails," appears in the Winter 2002 2003 issue. In March 2003, "Loyalty Knows No Shame," was published in IDEAS, AESTHETICS, AND INQUIRIES IN THE EARLY MODERN ERA (Winter 2002 2003, Volume 8).
 
In Autumn 2005 Dr. Stern's articles appeared in the two most popular journals at Cambridge University and Oxford University. "What to do with a moment" appeared in CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE. The article is a short excursion into Dr. Stern's efforts in teaching and creativity. Also in Autumn 2005, "The Nina, the Pinta, and the...," appeared in OXFORD MAGAZINE (#243, Second Week, Michaelmas Term). In this article, Dr. Stern discusses the American habit of fable- making-in childhood and adulthood-and the problems of historical ignorance and corruption.

"When No One Returns to the Cave" (OXFORD MAGAZINE, #252, Trinity Term, 2006) is a companion to "When Government Fails" (CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE, 2002). The puzzling configurations of war in American education, culture, and politics are highlighted. And there are reminders and warnings on these pages from ancient as well as contemporary civilization. "When Heaven is For Sale," was published in OXFORD MAGAZINE, #256, Michaelmas Term, 2006. The problems of wealth and integrity in contemporary higher education in America are discussed-along with memories from Dr. Stern's personal experiences.

A short story, "SILOOJII," is in OXFORD MAGAZINE, #262, Eighth Week, Hilary Term 2007. The context is urban barbarism in New York City after WWII. In Summer 2007, "SILOOJII" was republished in the acclaimed American publication, EVERGREEN REVIEW, #113, 2007 [http://www.evergreenreview.com/113/contents.htm].

"Generations and Education" was published in the August 2007 issue of CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE (#60). In this essay Dr. Stern briefly highlights significant features of "Generations and Education" in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, 18th century Japan, 18th century America, and contemporary America.

Dr. Stern's short-story, "Give Me Your Undivided Attention," is in a recent issue of OXFORD MAGAZINE, #277, Fifth Week, Trinity Term 2008. The setting, theme, and characters belong to life in a New York City elementary school in the decade after World War II.

"Toynbee and Gibbon," OXFORD MAGAZINE, #280, Second Week, Michaelmas Term 2008. The seventy-fifth anniversary of the publication of the early volumes of Arnold Toynbee's A Study of History is the occasion for a comparative portrait of Toynbee's work with Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. These two historians-perhaps the most illustrious and prolific in the English language-have many thoughts that can benefit the contemporary world.

"A Hole in the Wall," OXFORD MAGAZINE, #286, Eighth Week, Hilary Term 2009 is a portrait of the last days of segregation in the American south and in the US Army.
 
Dr. Stern has three books in the hands of literary agents. SEARCHING FOR CARUSO is a history of meanness in a New-York-City neighborhood after World War II. SEARCHING FOR A TEACHER is a guide for students through, and also a satire of, the tomfoolery of the factory-university system in America. EDWARD GIBBON-FATHER AND SON is an intellectual and personal exploration into the life of the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  It presents new materials that Dr. Stern discovered when he was in Oxford.

Dr. Stern hopes to create many books in the near future. MARIA is the life of Maria Holroyd, First Lady Stanley of Alderley-the great grandmother of Bertrand Russell.

Some concluding personal details: Dr. Stern joined the US Army when he was seventeen, and he earned the Expert Rifleman's Medal and an HONORABLE DISCHARGE. He is a member of The Oxford and Cambridge Club of London, The Harvard Club of New York City, The Oxford University Society, The Cambridge Society, and The Oxford Union. In 2008, Dr. Stern was nominated by his peers to appear in Who's Who in America.