Patricia Hill is Professor of American Studies, History at Wesleyan University.  She holds a Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from Harvard University and an M.T.S in American religious history from Harvard Divinity School. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender and religious history, with a special emphasis on issues of social justice.  She has published on the American women’s foreign mission movement, gender as a category of analysis in diplomatic history, and a number of articles on Harriet Beecher Stowe who is the focus of her current book in progress. At Wesleyan she co-founded the Center for the Americas, a project which also included incorporating a hemispheric perspective into the American Studies major at Wesleyan, making it a national leader in the move toward transnational American Studies.  Her administrative work has included several terms as Director of the Center for the Americas. As long-term chair of American Studies, she recently oversaw its transition to departmental status. Her teaching reflects the interdisciplinary nature of her training, ranging from history, religion, and literature to media and sound studies.