Dr. Bates studies the history of race in American social movements, particularly labor unions. He has also taught, published, and presented extensively on the use of primary sources and historical thinking in K-12 education. At Concordia, he teaches a variety of courses, including both halves of the U.S. history survey, U.S. Women's History, Antebellum America, and Contemporary America.

Before coming to Concordia, Dr. Bates was director of the Teaching with Primary Sources program at DePaul University, and an instructor with DePaul's Office of Innovative Professional Learning.

Degrees

  • PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • MA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • B.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Academic and Professional Highlights

  • Award for Superior Achievement, Illinois State Historical Society (2020)

Prior Professional and Academic Positions

  • Before coming to Concordia, Dr. Bates was director of the Teaching with Primary Sources program at DePaul University, and an instructor with DePaul's Office of Innovative Professional Learning.

  • Modern U.S. history, particularly labor, urban, and Black history, and the history of social movements

Publications:

  • The Ordeal of the Jungle: Race and the Chicago Federation of Labor, 1903-1922 (Southern Illinois University Press, 2019).