Stephen D. Carls

Stephen D. Carls is University Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History. After receiving his B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois) in 1966, he earned his M.A. (1968) and Ph.D. (1982) from the University of Minnesota. Before coming to Union University in 1983, Dr. Carls taught at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, for twelve years. His areas of expertise include 20th-Century France, World War I, and interwar Europe.

Louisiana State University Press published Carls's book, Louis Loucheur and the Shaping of Modern France, 1916-1931 in 1993. Les Presses Universitaires du Septentrion in France released a revised version of the book in April, 2000, under the title Louis Loucheur: Ingénieur, homme d’état, modernisateur de la France, 1872-1931. Dr. Carls has also written book reviews for publication and presented papers at a number of history conferences. His current research interests are France’s industrial mobilization during World War I and French housing policy between the two world wars.

During his career, Dr. Carls has traveled to Europe on twenty separate occasions; some of these were concerned with research in France, but he also took student groups to Europe six times in the 1970s and 1980s. His most recent trip was a 2008 Holocaust travel/study experience for students to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland.

In addition to his administrative, teaching, and scholarly endeavors, Professor Carls is the faculty advisor to the Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and a member of several professional organizations, including the American Historical Association and the Society for French Historical Studies.

Office Telephone Number: (731) 661-5262
Fax Number: (731) 661-5175
E-Mail Address: scarls@uu.edu