Karen Sonnelitter

After graduation from Ithaca College with my Bachelor's degree in History and Philosophy I knew I wanted to continue my study of history. I went first to the University of Connecticut for my Master's in History and then to Queen's University Belfast for my Master's in Irish Studies before winding up at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. There I finished my Ph.D. in 2011 my research focused on eighteenth century British and Irish history. In my dissertation I examined how eighteenth century Ireland developed its own unique adaptations of new models of philanthropy in response to the political and social instablity of the era.

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

 In my classes I endeavor to teach history in a student-centered, highly interactive and challaneging manner that fosters independent thinking as well as historical knowledge. I encourage students to become well-informed reflective individuals who are able to thrink critically, express opinions clearly, and question traditional assumptions. 

What I Love About Siena

 The thing I love most about Siena College is the sense of community, the cooperative atmosphere between faculty, staff, and students makes this a great place to work and to teach.

My Favorite Courses to Teach

 I love teaching in general. So far my favorite classes to teach at Siena College have been classes on the History of Ireland, Early Modern England, and the Reformation.  The students are vibrant, engaged, and curious to learn more about the subject.

My Professional Experience

Current Research

My research specialty is the social and cultural history of Early Modern Ireland and Great Britian and the history of philanthropy. My first book was entitled "Charity Movements in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: Philanthropy and Improvement" it examined the influence of the Enlightenement on the development of organized charity societies in Ireland.
https://boydellandbrewer.com/charity-movements-in-eighteenth-century-ireland-hb.html

I also published a primary source reader on the Great Irish Famine  https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-great-irish-famine-a-history-in-documents/#tab-description

I'm currently working on a research project on military families and philanthropy in eighteenth century Ireland.

Articles & Book Reviews

• Poor in the Dublin Workhouse 1726
  Archivium Hibernicum
  2021
• Review of Christine Kinealy, Jason King, and Gerard Moran (eds.), Children and the Great Hunger in Ireland, (Quinnipiac University Press, 2018)
  H-Albion
  2019
• Review of Douglas Kanter and Patrick Walsh (eds.), Taxation, Politics, and Protest in Ireland 1662-2016, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019
  Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2019
• Review: Hannah Greig, The Beau Monde: Fashionable Society in Georgian London
  The Historian
  2014
• Review: Donnchadh O Corrain and Tomas O'Riordan, eds., Ireland 1870-1914: Coercion and Conciliation
  The History Teacher
  2013
• Review: Patrick Walsh, The Making of the Irish Protestant Ascendancy: The Life of William Conolly, 1662-1726
  Canadian Journal of History
  2012
• Review: William P. Kelly and John R. Young eds., Scotland and the Ulster Plantations: Explorations in the British Settlements of Ireland
  Sixteenth Century Journal
  2011
• 'To Unite our Temporal and Eternal Interests': Sermons and the Charity School Movement in Ireland, 1689-1740
  Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2010
• The Reformation of Manners Societies, the Monarchy, and the English State, 1696-1714
  The Historian
  2010

Awards & Distinctions

• Jerome Walton Excellence in Teaching Award-Finalist
  Category: Teaching
  Siena College, 2022
• Outstanding Tenure-Track Service Award
  Category: Service-University
  Siena College School of Liberal Arts, 2018
• Outstanding Tenure-Track Teacher-Scholar Award
  Category: Teaching-Research
  Siena College School of Liberal Arts, 2017

Books & Book Chapters

• A Cultural History of Prostitution in the Age of Enlightenment
  
  2022
• Irish Famines Before and After the Great Hunger
  Cork University Press
  2020
• Irish-English Relations
  
  2020
• The Great Irish Famine
  Broadview
  2019
• Charity Movements in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: Philanthropy and Improvement
  Boydell and Brewer
  2016
• Prostitution: A Companion to Mankind
  Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
  2016
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009
• International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
  Blackwell
  2009

Presentations

• Charity Schools and Military Families in Eighteenth Century Ireland
  2022
  New England Conference on British Studies, Lewiston, Maine
• "Philanthropy and Soldiers' Children in Eighteenth-Century Ireland,"
  2021
  Canadian Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, Ottawa, Canada
• "'Every True Friend and Lover of His Country:' Philanthropy and Soldiers' Children in Eighteenth- Century Ireland,"
  2020
  Military Welfare History Network, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
• "'Innocence and Want are Powerful Pleas': Emotions, Charity, and Soldiers' Children in Eighteenth- Century Ireland,"
  2019
  Royal Historical Society Symposium, Nottingham, England
• 'Every True Friend and Lover of His Country: Philanthropy and Soldier's Children in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2018
  Children's History Society Biannual Conference, Greenwich, Great Britain
• Philanthropy and Improvement: Voluntary Societies and Civil Society in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2016
  International Society for Third Sector Research, Stockholm, Sweden
• Soldier's Children in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2016
  New York State Association of European Historians, Albany, New York
• Financing Improvement: Funding Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2015
  Mid-Atlantic Conference on British Studies, Baltimore, Maryland
• The American Irish Legislators Society of New York and the MacBride Principles: Local Politics and the International Northern Irish Peace Process
  2015
  New England American Conference on Irish Studies, New Haven, Connecticut
• 'The Benevolent Sympathies of the Female Heart:' Protestant Women and Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2014
  Irish Women, Religion, and the Diaspora Research Symposium, Liverpool, Great Britain
• Philanthopy and Famine in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2014
  Ulster-American Heritage Symposium: Irish Hunger, Poverty, and Migration: A Transatlantic Perspective, Hamden, Connecticut
• Proselytism and Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: The Incorporated Society for Promoting Schools
  2014
  North American Conference on British Studies, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 'The Benevolent Sympathies of the Female Heart:' The Dublin Magdalene Asylum and Female Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2013
  American Society for Eigheenth Century Studies, Cleveland, Ohio
• 'The Worst in Christendom:' The Church of Ireland and Improvement in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2013
  New England Conference on British Studies, Storrs, Connecticut
• Women and Charity if Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2013
  Mid-Atlantic Conference on British Studies, New York, New York
• Financing Improvement: Philanthropy and Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2012
  European Social Science History Conference, Glasgow, Scotland
• The Politics of Religious Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: The Incorporated Society for Promoting English Protestant Schools
  2012
  Biennial Boston College Conference on the History of Religion, Boston, Massachusetts
• Elementary Education in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: The Incorporated Society for Promoting English Protestant Schools
  2011
  British Scholar Society, Austin, Texas
• Lady Arbella Denny and the Dublin Magdalene Asylum: Women and Charity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
  2010
  Social Science History Association, Chicago, Illinois
• The Reformation of Manners Society, the Monarchy, and the Nation, 1696-1714
  2009
  British Scholar Society, Austin, Texas
• 'To unite our temporal and eternal interests': Sermons and the Charity School Movement in Ireland, 1689-1740
  2007
  American Society for Eigheenth Century Studies, Atlanta, Georgia
• Memory and Commemoration in Early Modern Ireland: 23 October 1641
  2007
  Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies, Chicago, Illinois
• The Politics of Commemoration in Early Modern Ireland
  2007
  Temple University James Barnes Club Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania