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Riley K. Sutherland

History Ph.D. Student

rileysutherland@fas.harvard.edu

@rkjsutherland

Riley Sutherland (rileyks48)

Riley Sutherland

Education

started August 2023

Harvard University

History Ph.D.

August 2022 – May 2023

University of South Carolina, Columbia

History M.A.

August 2019 – May 2022

Dissertation (tentative): in progress

Primary field: U.S. History to 1820

Additional fields: in progress

Thesis: “In Her Possession and Keeping: Revolutionary War Widows and the Politics of Family Archives, 1820–1850.”

Primary field: U.S. History to 1877

Secondary field: cultural history

University of South Carolina, Columbia

BARSC (Women's History, American Studies, Memory)

Thesis: “Portrait of a Camp Follower: Continental Army Women in the Revolutionary War and American Memory”

Honors: Graduation Summa Cum Laude with Leadership Distinction in Research and Honors from the South Carolina Honors College, elected Phi Beta Kappa

Leadership Distinction Portfolio: https://rsut1775.wixsite.com/sc-gld

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Grants & Fellowships

Nicholas Sellars Fellowship, American Revolution Institute, Society of the Cincinnati, May 2022

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Magellan Voyager Grant, University of South Carolina Office of Undergraduate Research, Apr. 2022

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Scholarly Travel Grant, University of South Carolina Honors College, Apr. 2022

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Magellan Scholar Grant, University of South Carolina Office of Undergraduate Research, July – Dec. 2021

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Exploration Grant, University of South Carolina Honors College, Oct. 2020 – June 2021

Teaching Experience

Department of History, University of South Carolina, Aug. 2022–May 2023

Graduate Teaching Assistant

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            SCHC 421: Era of the American Revolution (2023)

            HIST 111: United States History to 1865 (2022—2023)

            HIST 108: History of Science and Technology (2022)

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  • Led four, fifty-minute weekly course sections (100+ students) in discussions of assigned readings and professors’ lectures. Prepared questions and activities for students to critically engage with course material.

  • Graded and provided feedback on 950+ student essays, written assessments, and primary source analyses

  • Coordinated course field trips with Drayton Hall and Middleton Place (Charleston, South Carolina) with associated public history lesson and museum analysis project

  • Advised Honors seminar discussions on women’s history, archives, the American Revolution, and the Digital Humanities

  • Co-developed course syllabus with primary material, scholarly articles, video lectures, and podcasts on early American history. Created digital history project review assignment.

  • Met with students during office hours and provide clerical assistance

  • Attended in-person training and completed online modules on lesson planning, equitable grading policies, student engagement strategies, academic integrity, and classroom conflict management

Professional Experience (University)

Department of History, University of South Carolina, Dec. 2019 – May 2023

Undergraduate and Graduate Research Assistant

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  • Recorded, calculated, and analyzed statistical data for seventeen Continental Army hospital returns (1775–1779). Gathered data on civilian deaths in Essex County, Massachusetts towns (1774­–1775)

  • Assisted Dr. Maskiell with finalizing her manuscript for the monograph Bound by Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry (2022)

    • Used online archival collections and books to verify the accuracy of quotations

    • Confirmed the accuracy of footnotes

  • Assisted Dr. Woody Holton with the monograph Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution (2021)

    • Revised and provided feedback on monograph manuscript and created a bibliography using Zotero

    • Communicated with 23 libraries, museums, and universities to secure permission to reproduce images

    • Researched 1775 North American population statistics for the United States, Eastern Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. Compiled and formatted the statistics in a table for publication in Liberty is Sweet (pp. 20–22)

  • Verified the accuracy of quotations, statistics, and 1,800 endnote citations

  • Prepared the promotional Twitter campaign #LemuelHaynesProject to highlight abolitionists’ roles transforming public perception of the Declaration of Independence

  • Studied use of “all men are created equal” in 200 newspapers from 1776–1826

    • Wrote and scheduled Twitter thread to share findings

  • Conducted deep readings of 60+ federal laws against diversity training, educational gag orders, and “anti-CRT” board of education resolutions from 2021–2022. Compiled the results in expanded and abbreviated reports. Drafted a website to present the findings

for public history experience and professional publications, see "Public History" and "Articles and Presentations"

Service

Center for Teaching Excellence, University of South Carolina, Oct. 2022

Oktoberfest Teaching Symposium Moderator

  • Maintained room schedule, timed presenter remarks, and welcomed attendees

  • Provided speaker and organizing faculty members with clerical support

Office of Undergraduate Research, University of South Carolina, Aug. 2021 – May 2022

Magellan Ambassador

  • Presented to eleven University 101 (undergraduate freshmen) classes, or 165 students, about developing research questions, connecting with faculty mentors, presenting findings, and applying for grant funding

  •  Led students in interactive activities to form their own research questions

  •  Staffed promotional tables at organization fairs to connect students with the Office of Undergraduate Research

  • Participated in Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning student panel. Attended meeting with University Parents Advisory Council to speak about student research experiences and answer questions

  • As a member of the Humanities Research Team, presented to undergraduate students about getting started in research upon humanities professors’ request. Created a list of humanities-specific grants for students

Public Talks and Lectures

“Sarah Osborn Benjamin: The American Revolution, Archival Silence, and Memory.” Invited guest lecture,

SCHC 421, The Era of the American Revolution, Dr. Woody Holton, University of South Carolina; 27 Feb. 2023; Columbia, South Carolina.

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"Portrait of a Camp Follower: Continental Army Women in the Revolutionary War and Historical Memory,"

The Powder Magazine Museum’s (Charleston) Zoom at Noon Lecture Series, 7 Sept. 2022

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“Army Women, the Revolutionary War, and American Memory,” Columbia Town Committee Chapter,

National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 15 March 2022

Honors & Awards

  • Sharon Ritenour Stevens Prize, Association for Documentary Editing, 2023

  • Robert H. Wienefeld Essay Prize, Department of History, University of South Carolina, 2023

  • First Place, University of South Carolina Libraries Award for Undergraduate Research, 2022

  • USC Outstanding Senior Award, University of South Carolina, 2022

  • Cary and Helen Grant Scholarship, Department of History, University of South Carolina, 2021

  • Walter Edgar Scholarship, National Society of Colonial Dames in South Carolina, 2021

  • Discover UofSC Undergraduate Student Award, Office of Undergraduate Research, University of South Carolina, 2021

  • Academic Excellence Award, University of South Carolina, 2019 – 2022

  • President’s List and Dean’s List, University of South Carolina, 2019 – 2022

  • Tacha Freedom Award, Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, 2019

  • Dr. Aura Lee and James Hobbs Pittenger American History Scholarship, 2019

Professional Certificates

  • Preparing Future Faculty Certificate, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of South Carolina, May 2023

  • Fostering Proactive Learning Environments Certificate, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of South Carolina, Nov. 2022

  • Green Zone Ally, Veterans and Military Services, University of South Carolina, Sep. 2022

  • Safe Zone Ally, Office for Multicultural Student Affairs, University of South Carolina, June 2022

  • National Park Service Best Practices in Cemetery Preservation Certification, May 2021

  • Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program, Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research Certification, Oct. 2020

Skills

Proficient in ArcGIS, Microsoft Programs, Google Files, InDesign, PhotoShop, Audacity​

Memberships & Affiliations

Association for Documentary Editing

British American Nineteenth-Century Historians

Society for Military History

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