Carolyn Johnston

My background as a research historian is in nineteenth-century France. My research examines working-class theater and pantomime in periods of revolution – especially 1830 and 1848. I am also broadly trained in the history of Paris, with a focus on revolutionary movements. I have taught courses in the History Department dealing with Modern Europe. I currently teach almost exclusively in IAH, with IAH 202 and a course on the history of Paris – IAH 221C.

I am also the historian of the MSU History of Cisplatin/Carboplatin project. This project’s main goal is to record oral history interviews of the scientists and administrators who were directly involved in the discovery, and eventual development of the chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and carboplatin, two of the most important cancer drugs of the 20^th century. They were developed in the laboratory of Barnett Rosenberg at MSU. This is also a broad historical project that considers archival material to understand an important moment in the history of cancer research, metals chemistry, as well as the development of university offices of technology transfer.

 Outside of my historical work, I run a regenerative- agriculture sheep farm in mid-Michigan.