Karl Valois

Adjunct Professor

Ph.D. University of Connecticut

Areas of Specialty & Interest

19th and 20th Century US History; Civil War; American Revolution; Women’s History; Connecticut History; Modern Europe

Biography, Philosophy of History & Selected Publications

Karl Valois has taught at the regional campuses of the University of Connecticut for 36 years. He earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Connecticut in 1994 and has received several Fellowships—including one from Yale University in 1981. In that year, Yale published his article: “Connecticut in the Constitutional Convention.” He also was invited in 2004 to a week-long symposium on Women’s Rights at Oxford University in England, where he served as Panel Chair for discussions concerning the 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade.

In 2004, Karl was also invited to join 8 other scholars for a re-enactment of the famous 1834 Lane Seminary Debates at Oberlin College. In addition, he was selected by the state of Connecticut to present lectures on the workings of the Electoral College to the public at the State Capitol on the day that Connecticut’s electors met in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016.

He has appeared on radio, television, and historical documentaries and was the host of a half-hour TV talk show (“Historically Speaking”) for three years on Connecticut public television. Among his guests were prize-winning historians, a Congresswoman, and a member of Blue Oyster Cult!

Karl has published more than two dozen articles on History and has written two small books—The Korean War: The Limits of Power (1997) and The Cuban Missile Crisis: A World in Peril (1998).

He has delivered dozens of speeches on a wide variety of historical topics to the general public and has worked to popularize the study of History among citizens. Throughout his teaching career at UConn, he has sought to educate students about the importance of knowing the past. Indeed, he always promotes History as a “bridge to the present” that enlightens people on how we got here! In 2017, he was the recipient of the Peter Rumsey Award for “Excellence in Teaching” at UConn Waterbury.