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Kristin A. Olbertson, J.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of History
Joined Alma College Faculty in 2006
SAC 322
(989) 463-7246
Office Hours: MW 2:30-4:00, TTh 2-3, and by appointment

Education

Ph.D., History, University of Michigan (2005)
J.D., University of Michigan School of Law (2000)
B.A., History, Carleton College (1994)

Research Interests

Law & Language
Early America
Criminal Law

Recent Courses Taught

Masculinities in American History. HST 380.
Approaches to Michigan History. HST 206.
Constitutional History. HST 327.
The American Century, 1877 to the Present. HST 105.
American Legal History I. HST 121.
Making of America to 1877. HST 104.

Selected Book Publications

Kristin A. Olbertson. The Dreadful Word: Criminal Speech & Social Order in Massachusetts, 1690-1790 (forthcoming). University of North Carolina Press.

Selected Articles

Kristin A. Olbertson. "Religion and Rights in 19th-Century American Law." American Journal of Legal History. 2013. Vol. 20. Issue 1.
Kristin A. Olbertson. "'She Stedfastly Accused Him in the Time of Her Travail': Women's Words and Paternity Suits in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts." Cardozo Journal of Law and Gender. 2012, Vol. 19, Issue 1 201211.

Selected Reviews

Kristin A. Olbertson. Review of The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, by Thomas P. Slaughter. American Journal of Legal History. April 2012, Vol. 52, Issue 2, 250-253
Kristin A. Olbertson. Review of The Michigan Affirmative Action Cases, by Barbara A. Perry. Michigan Historical Review. 2008. Fall.

Recent Presentations

""Ye Edge of ye Civil Sword": Law, Speech, & Power in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts." Legal History Seminar, University of Michigan Law School. Ann Arbor, Michigan. September 2009.
""She stedfastly accused him in the time of her travail": Women's Words and Paternity Suits in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts." American Society for Legal History. Ottawa, Canada. November 14, 2008.
"Criminally Impolite: Law, Speech, and Power in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts." The Society of Early Americanists and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History. Williamsburg, VA. June 9, 2007.
"Freaks of Madness, and Wilds of Enthusiasm: Politics, Preaching, and Prosecution in Colonial Massachusetts." Saginaw Valley State University. October 26, 2006.

Selected External Research Grants

Kristin Olbertson. "Littleton-Griswold Research Grant." American Historical Association. Effective: March 1, 2009.

Professional Memberships

American Society for Legal History
American Historical Association

Service to the College

Coordinator, Pre-Law Program
Co-Chair, American Studies Program
Coordinator, Constitution Day Events
Member, HST Dep't Search Committee
Treasurer, Alma College Phi Beta Kappa
Member, ENG Department Search Committee
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Service to the Profession

Honoring Thomas A. Green

Since 2003, Alma College students have been awarded 43 prestigious nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, including 22 Fulbright scholarships. Alma’s Nationally Competitive Scholarship Committee identifies and nurtures exceptional candidates for postgraduate awards....

Mercy Bourdet
Graduation: 2014
Major: Anthropology

A Posey Global Fellowship gave Mercy Bourdet the opportunity to make her lifelong dream of traveling to Africa a reality. It also changed her life.

“I taught classes at a school in Ghana that is supported by Literacy Beyond Borders,” she says. “Though I really enjoyed teaching, I realized interacting with the people and learning about their daily lives was my true passion. Anthropology is what I’m meant to major in.”