Florida Institute of Technology
High Tech with a Human Touch
TAYLOR, Robert A.
Professor
Humanities and Communication, College of Psychology and Liberal Arts
Personal Overview
Dr. Taylor is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Humanities Council.
He is also President Emeritus of the Florida Historical Society,an advisory board member for H-Florida, and serves as a board official in the Selective Service System. He resides in Palm Bay and St. Simons Island,Georgia with his wife Virginia and a house full of pets.
Educational Background
B.A. University of South Florida 1983
M.A. University of South Florida 1985
Ph.D. Florida State University 1991
Recognition & Awards
Kerry Bruce Clark Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2003-2004
Florida Tech Alumni Association Award, 2009
Current Courses
HUM 3331 American History: Pre-Columbian to the Civil War
HUM 2085 Critical Approaches: American Military History
HUM 3385 Special Topics in History: The American Civil War
HUM 3385 Special Topics in History: The History of the Space Age
HUM 3385 Special Topics in History: The History of Florida
Professional Experience
Dr. Taylor is the current head of the Humanities and Communication Department. He has taught at Indian River State College, University of Saint Francis, Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University and the University of South Alabama.
Additional Duties
Advisor, Humanities
Advisor, Humanities (Pre-Law Option)
Member, University Promotion Committee
Member, Academic Affairs Council
Writer In Residence, Florida Tech Creative Writing Institute
Current Research
- Experience of common soldiers in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War
- Evolution of American military leadership during the early 19th century
- The impact of the Civil War and World War II in the state of Florida
-The role of Navy "frogmen" in the D-Day invasion.
-The political career of Governor Dan McCarty
-John F. Kennedy and Florida
Selected Publications
(co-author) "Florida: A Military History" (Westholm Press, forthcoming)
"Florida Goes to War." Florida Humanities Council Forum. Vol. 43, No. 1 (2010), 5-9
"Cat on a Cold Steel Dive Plane."
Naval History. Vol. 24, No. 1 (2010), 40-43
(contributor) 2008.
Women in the American Civil War.
Lisa T. Frank ed. 2 vols. ABC-CLIO
(co-editor) 2006. This War So Horrible: The Civil War Diary of Hiram Smith Williams, 40th Alabama Confederate Pioneer. Paperback edition, University of Alabama Press.
2005. Florida: An Illustated History
Hippocrene Press.
(co-author) 2001. Florida In The Civil War (Civil War History Series). Arcadia Press.
(co-editor) 2000. This Cruel War: The Civil War Letters of Grand and Malinda Taylor. Mercer University Press.