Department of History

Email: wclaws@ncsu.edu

Office: Withers Hall 248

Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 or by appointment

Syllabus: HI 254 Modern American History

Phone: 919-513-2226

Biography 

William Laws, a second-year PhD student in Public History, was born and raised in Durham, NC. After graduating from Riverside High School in 2002, he attended East Carolina University, earning a BA in History. From there, he gained work experience as a Historic Interpreter at Bennett Place State Historic Site and began his career as an educator in 2006, teaching at Riverside High School and Carrington Middle School from 2006-2015.

William joined the History Department at North Carolina Central University in the Fall of 2015 in pursuit of an MA in History. Under the direction of Dr. Charles Johnson, he wrote a thesis entitled, “The Rich Man’s Memory that the Poor Man Buys: Analysis of Confederate Monuments in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina, 1868-1914.” He finished his MA in the Spring of 2017, concentrating in Public History with a minor in Public Administration

William is also the proud father of two wonderful children, Lily, 5 and Will, 2.

Teaching Interests

Public History, American History, Memory Studies, Monuments and Memorials, Cultural History

Projects

Currently researching Confederate monuments and memorials in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, along with the indoctrination of the “Lost Cause of the Confederacy” narrative in the post-Civil War South.

Education

BA History, East Carolina University, 2006

K12 Social Studies Teaching Certification – North Carolina State University, 2007 

Ma History, North Carolina Central University, 2017