Thomas J. Mauhs-Pugh
Green Mountain College

Dean, General Education
Associate Professor of Education
Chair, Education Department
One College Circle
Poultney, VT 05764-1199

E-mail: mauhspught@greenmtn.edu
802-287-8297  Fax: 802-287-8099

Dr. Mauhs-Pugh specializes in the history and philosophy of education. Trained in the cultural foundations of education at Syracuse University, he draws from a broad mix of social and political theory, analytical philosophy, and American history. His research emphasizes the history of educational policy within the context of an evolving, liberal, democratic society. Of particular interest is the central position education holds in developing and maintaining a civil society and the tension between the administrative requirements of managing an educational system and the goals of that system.

In addition to teaching standard courses within the education department and supervising student teachers, Dr. Mauhs-Pugh regularly teaches interdisciplinary and team-taught courses, such as The Northern Forest and Renewing Civil Society: Social and Political Philosophy and Democratic Education. Dr. Mauhs-Pugh also regularly contributes to the Environmental Liberal Arts program, teaching such courses as Environmental Ethics, Images of Nature, and Simplicity and Sustainability.

Education

Ph.D. History and Philosophy of Education, Syracuse University. 1994. Degree awarded with distinction.
Dissertation: Rural School Consolidation in New York State, 1795-1993
M.A.T. English, Brown University. 1984
B.A. English, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 1983

Dr. Mauhs-Pugh taught English in grades 6-12 in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Research Interests

• Developing a defense of public schooling in light of its mission to provide a secular, democratic education.
• Producing a comprehensive history of schooling in New York State.
• Strengthening the role of historical research and philosophical analysis in educational practice and policy debates.
  

Selected Publications
"12,000 Little Republics, Civic Apprenticeship and Democratic Decline: The Creation of New York's School System, 1795-1995." (In process.)

"Rural Education," in The Encyclopedia of New York State. Peter Eisenstadt, ed. Syracuse University Press, Fall 2002 expected publication date.

"Compulsory Education," in The Encyclopedia of New York State. Peter Eisenstadt, ed. Syracuse University Press, Fall 2002 expected publication date.

"Andrew Sloan Draper," in The Encyclopedia of New York State. Peter Eisenstadt, ed. Syracuse University Press, Fall 2002 expected publication date.

"Developing the Good Person: The Role of Local Publics," chapter 3 in Educating Tomorrow's Valuable Citizens. Joan M. Burstyn, ed. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1996.