Biography
Christopher A. Snyder is William L. Giles Distinguished Professor at Mississippi State University. He became the first Dean of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University in 2011. He is Professor of History and Director of British Studies at MSU, an affiliated faculty member in the Department of English, and was a History Research Fellow at the University of Oxford (2014-19) and Senior Academic Visitor at Oriel College (2023-24). His MA and PhD in Medieval History are from Emory University, and in addition to Emory he has taught at the College of William and Mary and at Marymount University, where he served for nine years as Chair of the Department of History and Politics and five years as Director of the Honors Program. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Distinguished Alumnus of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, where he majored in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Dr. Snyder has authored ten books and numerous articles in the fields of archaeology, history, literary criticism, ethics, and medieval studies. Dr. Snyder has also lectured frequently at Oxford and at the Smithsonian Institution and has appeared on the History Channel, The Learning Channel, the National Geographic Channel, and BBC television and radio. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals and internet projects in medieval and Arthurian studies.
Ph.D., History, 1994
Emory University
Dissertation Title: “‘The Tyrants of Tintagel’: The Terminology and Archaeology of Sub-Roman Britain (AD 400-600)”
Master of Arts, History, 1992
Emory University
Bachelor of Arts (Magna Cum Laude), Medieval & Renaissance Studies, 1988
West Virginia University
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY (with tenure) AND MEMBER OF THE GRADUATE FACULTY
Shackouls Honors College/Department of History, Mississippi State University, 2011-present
AFFILIATED FACULTY
Department of English, Mississippi State University, 2011-present
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY (tenured in 2003)
Department of History and Politics, Marymount University, 1996-2011
LECTURER
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 2000-2006
VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
History Department, The College of William and Mary, 1995-1996
VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
History Department, Emory University, 1995
INSTRUCTOR
History Department, Oxford College of Emory University, 1993
TEACHING ASSOCIATE
History Department, Emory University, 1992-94
TEACHING ASSISTANT
History Department, Emory University, 1991
DIRECTOR OF BRITISH STUDIES
Mississippi State University, 2022-present
FOUNDING DEAN
Shackouls Honors College, Mississippi State University, 2011-2021
DIRECTOR
Honors Program, Marymount University, 2006-2011
CHAIR
Department of History and Politics, Marymount University, 1998-2007
DIRECTOR
National Celtic Heritage Center, Arlington, VA, 2000-2011