Questions and Comments

I get so many requests for information that I have created this page to try to filter out the standard ones. I simply cannot respond to all the queries I receive.

What I Won't Answer

I cannot respond to the following types of queries because I have no background in the area:

  1. Genealogical questions of any sort. I cannot tell you whether so-and-so was related to William the Conqueror or where to find more information about some ancestor of yours. There are many genealogical sites on the Internet and I refer you to those.
  2. Any sort of question at all that falls after about 1700. I was trained in medieval and early modern history. I don't do that modern stuff.
  3. Egypt. I have a medievalist's knowledge of Greece and Rome, but outside those boundaries I am pretty much lost.

I will not respond to the following types of queries because they violate scholarly and pedagogic principles.

  1. Final exam questions. Having answered many and having written many more, I can recognize them when I see them. If you are working on an assignment, I will not answer questions of fact. I also will not give references and so on, as learning to do bibliographic research is part of your education.
  2. Requests for so-called interviews as part of a school assignment. You are welcome to read about my reasons for refusing these requests.
  3. Any question that is clearly answered in my on-line lectures.

What I Will Answer

So much for what I won't or can't do. On the other hand, I'll gladly respond to anyone who has obviously done some research on the subject and has questions. I certainly can't guarantee that I can help, but I will try.

I also welcome corrections of any mistakes in my lectures, and comments on the site itself. I also welcome queries from fellow teachers who are curious about teaching on-line.

When was the essay written? — A common question. Date of publication makes little sense on a website; I make changes to essays now and again. I began these in 1995, so if you're being required to supply a publication date, pick any time after 1995 and you'll be fine.

If, after having read all the (somewhat unfriendly) text above, you still want to send me a message, here is my e-mail address: sknox@boisestate.edu

Affiliation and credentials

I am adjunct professor of history at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho USA. I have held that position since 1986. I received my MA in medieval history from the University of Utah in 1980 and my PhD from the University of Massachusetts in early modern European social and economic history in 1984.