Tenyia Miller, PhD

Instructor - History

Teaching Philosophy

“Histories make men wise,” wrote the early modern statesman Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies.” This is a nice (if old-fashioned) plug for studying history. But Bacon didn’t stop there. He went on to list a number of other intellectual disciplines – math, natural and moral philosophy, logic and rhetoric – that he also considered necessary for a well-exercised mind. I see the history courses at Briercrest College working in a similar way, as one of many areas of study contributing to a well-rounded education. Studying the past offers not only a set of tools for critical thinking, but also the gift of “alterity”: a not-now, not-us space from which to gain some perspective on ourselves in the present.

Background

I grew up in Portland, Oregon, the eldest of four homeschooled kids. Learning Latin and Greek in high school attracted my future husband’s interest (though I still had to learn Hebrew before he’d marry me). Thanks to David’s combined love of travel and learning, I’ve had the privilege of studying in Jerusalem, Hamilton, Saskatoon, and Cambridge, while making the Saskatchewan prairie home. I’m an early modernist by training, which perhaps explains my equal fondness for exploring outside my field. Teaching is a wonderful excuse to do both, and keeps the mental mill “well imployed.”

Education

PhD in History, University of Cambridge, 2022
MA in History, University of Saskatchewan, 2011
BA (Hon) in History, McMaster University, 2004
AA (Oregon Transfer Degree), Mt Hood Community College, 2000

Research

Early modern Bible reading and devotional composition
Early modern women’s writing
Seventeenth-century England and Scotland
Religious scripts in illness narratives