Eric’s Vita
Eric W. Plaag
2136 Wallace St.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 466-7050
eplaag @ hotmail.com
Education
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Ph.D., History, 2006. Fields: US History to 1877, Public History (preservation studies and material culture), and Culture, Identity, and Economic Development. Additional graduate work in photography and filmmaking.
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, M.F.A. Creative Writing, 1994
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, B.A. in Religion, secondary concentration in Philosophy, 1988
Dissertation
“Strangers in a Strange Land: Northern Travelers and the Coming of the American Civil War.” Advisor: Mark M. Smith; Readers: Thomas J. Brown, Don H. Doyle, Jill Lepore (Harvard University)
Work History (Non-Teaching)
Independent Historical Consultant, National Register of Historic Places nominations, freelance archival research, and other public history projects, 2002-Present
Historical Technician, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, historical research and writing on various federal contract projects, 2008-Present
Guest Curator, SilverYana: The Photography of F. Tobias Morriss, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, May 2010-Present
Project Coordinator and Guest Curator, Natural Curiosity: The University of South Carolina and the Evolution of Scientific Inquiry into the Natural World, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, October 2006-November 2007
Dean of Students, New England Conservatory of Music, July 2000-July 2002
Regional Director, Portsmouth and Salem Campuses, Graduate and Professional Studies, Franklin Pierce College, March 1998-July 2000; Director, Portsmouth Campus, December 1996-March 1998; Assistant Director, August 1996-December 1996
Publications
Public History and Bibliographic Works
As Other People Now: Fort Jackson and the Sandhills of Richland County, SC, settlement history of the Fort Jackson area (forthcoming, 2010)
All That Time Has Spared: Fort Frederica National Monument, administrative history of Fort Frederica National Monument (in progress, 2010)
Union Church of Port Royal, Port Royal, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2010
Cedar Grove Evangelical Lutheran Church, Leesville, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2010
John Lawton House, Estill, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009
Conestee Mill Complex, Greenville County, SC, historical advisor and contributing writer, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009
Manning Commercial Historic District, Manning, SC, historical advisor and contributing writer, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009
Providence United Methodist Church, Providence, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2008.
Hope Rosenwald School, Pomaria, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.
Mary H. Wright Elementary School, Spartanburg, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.
Dantzler Plantation, Holly Hill, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.
Resources Associated with Segregation in Columbia, South Carolina, 1880-1960, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Nomination, co-author, 2005.
Guide to Online and Library Resources, Department of History Website, University of South Carolina, co-author, 2003.
Book Chapters
“’There Is An Abundance of Those Which Are Genuine’: Northern Travelers and Souvenirs of the Antebellum South,” Dixie Emporium: Consumerism, Tourism, and Memory in the American South, University of Georgia Press, forthcoming, 2008.
Photography
Ineffable Light, Blurb Press, 118pp, 60 images, forthcoming, 2010.
While in This Place, Limited Edition Group Portfolio, 11” x 14” handcrafted linen box with 20 original prints, 2007.
“Foundation, Ft. Livingston, Grande Terre” and “Coming Home” in 2007 Jubilee Anthology, Nicholls State University Press, 2007.
Articles in Refereed Journals
“‘Let the Constitution Perish’: Prigg v. Pennsylvania, Joseph Story, and the Flawed Doctrine of Historical Necessity,” Slavery and Abolition 25:3 (2004): 76-101.
“New York’s 1741 Slave Conspiracy in a Climate of Fear and Anxiety,” New York History 84:3 (2003): 275-99.
Book Reviews
Review of Traveling South: Travel Narratives and the Construction of American Identity (John D. Cox), South Carolina Historical Magazine 108:1 (2007): 119-21.
Review of Justice of Shattered Dreams: Samuel Freeman Miller and the Supreme Court During the Civil War Era (Michael A. Ross), Slavery and Abolition 26:1 (2005): 159-60.
Review of The Great New York Conspiracy of 1741 (Peter Charles Hoffer), New York History 86:3 (2005): 301-04.
Encyclopedia Articles
“R. F. W. Allston.” The South Carolina Encyclopedia, edited by Walter P. Edgar. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.
“Richard I. Manning.” The South Carolina Encyclopedia, edited by Walter P. Edgar. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.
Introductions to Books
Introduction. Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville. New York: Barnes and Noble World Digital Library, 2002. MS Reader eBook. Reprinted in traditional book form, 2003.
Introduction. The Education of Henry Adams, by Henry Adams. New York: Barnes and Noble World Digital Library, 2002. MS Reader eBook.
Presentations
“Traveler’s Time: Temporal Dislocation and Sectional Identity in the Antebellum South,” American Historical Association conference, Philadelphia, PA, January 2006.
“’There is an Abundance of Those Which Are Genuine’: Northern Travelers and Souvenirs of the Antebellum South,” Dixie Emporium Symposium, sponsored by the Watson-Brown Foundation and the Institute for Southern Studies, University of South Carolina, Thomson, GA, October 2005.
“Making Sense of the Old South: Northern Travelers and the Coming of the American Civil War,” Cleanth Brooks Graduate Student Forum, St. George Tucker Society Conference, Thomson, GA, August 2005.
“‘Let the Constitution Perish’: Prigg v. Pennsylvania and Justice Story’s Codification of Historical Necessity,” South Carolina Historical Association Annual Meeting, Columbia, SC, March 1, 2003.
“Blending the Online and Traditional Models of Teaching: The Next Paradigm for Adult Education,” Center for Internet Technology in Education Conference, March 23, 2000.
“Insiders, Outsiders, and Cather’s Internal Storytelling,” Graduate English Student Association Conference, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, June 5, 1993.
Photography
Selected Exhibitions
The Illusion of Truth: Three Photographers on Implicit Memory, Vista Studios Gallery 80808, Columbia, SC, August 2010
Summertime and the Art Is Good Lookin’, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, May-August 2010
Contemporaries Artist of the Year Competition, juried competition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, May 2010
Wonder and Curiosity, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, March-May 2009
But One Man Alone…, solo exhibition, USC Arts Institute, University of South Carolina, June-December 2008
In Black and White: Louisiana’s Retreating Coast and Communities, curated exhibit, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, April-August 2008
Spring for Art!, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, March-May 2008
2008 USC Art Department Auction, Capstone Building, University of South Carolina, April 2008
52nd Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, juried competition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2008
Photogra3, Vista Studios Gallery 80808, Columbia, SC, January 2008
Contemporaries Artist of the Year Competition, juried competition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, November 2007
Coastal Landscape Photography, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Cocodrie, LA, May 2007
Memento Mori, City Art Gallery, Columbia, SC, April 2007
Mediafest 2007, juried competition, University of South Carolina, April 2007
2007 USC Art Department Auction, Capstone Building, University of South Carolina, April 2007
51st Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, juried competition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2007
Salon des Refusés, juried show, McMaster Student Gallery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, February 2007
Collections
Office of the President, University of South Carolina
Thomas Cooper Library, Rare Books Collection, University of South Carolina
College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the Dean, University of South Carolina
McMaster College of Art, University of South Carolina
Other Professional Experience
Managing Editor, While in This Place, Limited Edition Group Portfolio, 2007
Juror, Riverbanks Zoo Annual Photography Contest, Columbia, SC, 2007
Film and Video Production
Documentaries
Nubby Linen, or a short history of the Christopher Wren Singers (2007), producer, writer, editor, original camera; digitization of archival video, audio, and photographs for use in production
The Girl in the Dream (2007), producer, writer, editor, original camera and sound; digitization of archival Super 8 film, video, and photographs for use in production
USC Photovoice International (2007), first camera, lighting technician
Untitled, Topper Archaeological Site (partial web release, 2007), assistant camera, crane operator
Had We But World Enough, And Time (2006), principal production editor; camera, sound, writing, and editing on “We Have Embarked!” segment
Community Harvest (2006), co-editor, special graphics effects assistant
Neither Here Nor There (2006), co-editor and production assistant
Dramatic Work
Black Jax (2006), actor (“Doctor”), voiceover work
Awards
Award of Merit, 52nd Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2008
Third Prize, Black and White Photography, Mediafest 2007, University of South Carolina, April 2007
Award of Merit, 51st Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2007
Mellon Research Fellow, Virginia Historical Society, 2004
Mary Catherine Mooney Fellow, The Boston Athenaeum, 2003-2004
Second Prize, Humanities Division, Graduate Student Day, University of South Carolina, 2003
Graduate School Fellow, University of South Carolina, 2002-2006
Winner, North Shore Community College Council on International Education Mini-Grant for Curriculum Development, “The Immigrant in America,” Spring 1996
Teaching
University of South Carolina
Instructor, September 2004-May 2006, US History Survey I & II
Graduate Teaching Assistant, January-May 2004, US History Survey I
Graduate Research Assistant, Dan Carter and Patricia Sullivan, August 2002-December 2003
Franklin Pierce College
Instructor, Division of Graduate and Professional Studies, January 1994-August 2000, various courses in American Studies, Creative Writing, English Composition, American Literature, English Literature, Mass Communications, Effective Speaking, Philosophy, and Core Curriculum Humanities Courses
Endicott College
Adjunct Instructor, September 1995-May 1997, US History, American Culture, and Effective Speaking
North Shore Community College
Adjunct Instructor, January-May 1996, Effective Speaking, English Composition, and State and Local Government
New Hampshire College
Adjunct Instructor, January 1996-August 1996, English Composition and Introduction to Drama
Keene State College
Adjunct Instructor, September-December 1994, English Composition
Johnson State College
Adjunct Instructor, External Degree Program, March-June 1994, Philosophy
Community College of Vermont-Brattleboro
Adjunct Instructor, January 1994-August 1995, English Composition, Introduction to Religion, and Core Curriculum Humanities Courses
Current Professional Affiliations
American Historical Association
National Council on Public History
Organization of American Historians
St. George Tucker Society (Fellow)
