Sean Brennan
Entered Notre Dame: Fall 2003
Advisor
Semion Lyandres
Profile
M.A., Villanova University, 2003
B.A., Rockhurst University, 2001
Interests
History of 20th-Century Russia and the Soviet Union, especially diplomatic, political, and religious history. Also, Tsarist Russia, Modern Germany, and American Foreign Relations.
Dissertation
The Politics of Religion in Soviet-Occupied Germany: The Case of Berlin-Brandenburg 1945-1949
Awards
Dominica and Frank Annese Dissertation Fellowship, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, The University of Notre Dame, 2006
Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship, Indiana University, 2002
Graduate Student Service Award, Villanova University, 2003
Conference Papers Presented
“ ‘Religious Freedom exists under Socialism’: The use of religious propaganda
and clerical progressives by the Soviet military government in
Berlin-Brandenburg 1945-1949” American Association for the Advancement of
Slavic Studies Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“‘Unity Schools are Secular Schools’:The Struggle Over Religious
Education in the Secondary Schools of Berlin-Brandenburg 1945-1949” April 4, 2008, American Catholic Historical Association Spring Meeting, St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN.
“Finding the Truth about the Soviet Occupation Zone of
Germany in the Archives of Moscow and Berlin” September 26, 2007, Phi Alpha Theta Lecture, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas.
"A Subversive Activity: The Conflict over charitable work by the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Berlin-Brandenburg 1945-1949," January 5, 2008, American Historical Association Conference, Washington, DC.
"The Constant Enemies Within: The Policies of the Soviet Military Administration towards the Protestant Church and the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin-Brandenburg 1945-1949," November 18, 2007, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
"The Limits of Cooperation: The Allied Religious Affairs Committee in Germany, 1945-1948," American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, November 5, 2005.
“Religion and Society in Early Modern and Modern Germany” Midwest German Historians Workshop, University of Minnesota, October 15, 2005.
“Creating Situations of Strength: Dean Acheson, the Korean War, and German Rearmament June 1950-May 1952” James W. Barnes conference for Graduate Research in History, Temple University, April 6, 2003.
Recent Publications
The Limits of Cooperation: The Allied Religious Affairs Committee in Germany
1945-1948" Contemporary European History (Summer 2008)
"A Constant Chill Throughout the Cold War: The Recent Historiography of Soviet/Japanese Relations from 1945-1991," Concept, The Journal of the Villanova Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Spring 2002) (click here for online version)
"The Little School on the Hill: The Founding of Rockhurst College," The Missouri Historical Review 16(1), p.32-45 (October 2001)
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant, Department of History, University of Notre Dame (2004-2006)
- Western Civilization II 1500-Present (Doris Bergen)
- History of US Foreign Policy since 1945 (Wilson Miscamble)
- The Collapse of East European Communism (Laura Crago)
- Early Twentieth Century Russian History (Semion Lyandres)
- Western Civilization, 1600-Present (Jeffrey Johnson
Contact
Email: Sean.Brennan.69@nd.edu