Hanna Aggen
Dr. Christopher Bonura is a new hire for the History department at Mount St. Mary’s University. Bonura graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 with a degree in History and Classics.\
After receiving his Master’s in History at the University of Florida, he moved to the West Coast where he graduated from UC Berkley with his PhD in History in 2019, focusing on Ancient, Medieval and Byzantine history.
After studying at very large public universities, he was looking for a bit of change. As an undergrad, it took Bonura some time to get to know his professors, and he felt that at first, he did not have the guidance he was hoping for.
When asked what brought him to the Mount, he said, “One thing I really like about the Mount is how close the professors and students are.”
Bonura has been looking forward to the change of pace that a liberal arts university like Mount St. Mary’s will bring. In his time here, he hopes to help strengthen the core curriculum.
Outside of work Bonura enjoys traveling, seeing historical sights and swimming. Some advice Bonura shared for undergraduate students is to “take as diverse a range of courses as you can.” Bonura said that he found out what he wanted to do by taking many courses from different areas.
He also believes that undergraduates should use their time in college “get exposure to foreign languages and cultures, which will help them better understand the wider world, as well as their own country and its history.” Bonura is excited to be here at the Mount and is eager to continue his teaching.
Professor and Chair of the History Department, Dr. Timothy Fritz, had great things to say about Bonura. Fritz shared, “Bonura brings a wealth of different experiences to the History Department. We were excited about his past engagement with scholars in Rome and Canada and his varied teaching experiences at places like UC Berkeley and VMI (Virginia Military Institute). His research on apocalyptic literature, a topic we felt would excite Mount students, is fantastic.”
As Fritz stated, Bonura’s specialization in Ancient and Medieval history is exciting for the Mount, especially for students who major in History. Students can continue to select from a diverse selection of history to study with Bonura’s hiring.
Fritz adds, “Altogether, his interests will help reinvigorate the courses taught by his predecessor, Dr. Teresa Rupp, who retired last year, as well as provide new opportunities to mentor students in researching the pre-modern area. He is a thoughtful and meticulous colleague, and the History Department welcomes him to the team.”
The Mount and History Department welcomes Bonura and awaits to see what amazing work and cultivation he does with students through his expertise.
Kelly Blanco