David Contosta

David Contosta has taught American history at Chestnut Hill College for many years. He received his PhD from Miami University of Ohio. He is the author of more than 20 books. These publications include several regional topics, such as "Suburb in the City: Chestnut Hill Philadelphia" and "Metropolitan Paradise: Philadelphia's Wissahickon Valley," which has recently been adapted as a documentary film. Other books focus on national and international themes: "Rebel Giants: The Revolutionary Lives of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin" and "America's Needless Wars." At present, he is writing a book about the US presidency titled "American Monarchy." Contosta leads walking tours of sites in the local area and frequently gives talks to community groups. He received the Chestnut Hill Community Association Award in 2005. He has also lectured at Nanjing University in China and at Pyeongtaek University in South Korea. He is a recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Earlier he was a Fulbright Scholar to France and a visiting research professor at Cambridge University in England. At Chestnut Hill College, he teaches courses focusing on American history including the American History Survey I&II, the Civil War and American Life, the American Presidency, Pennsylvania Experience, Progressive America, America and the Two World Wars, the 1960s and Its Legacies, the Environmental History of the United States, and the required Research Methods seminar taken by all majors.