Ryan Lynch, D.Phil.

Education and Certifications

• B.A., Stetson University (History and Religious Studies)
• M.Litt., University of St Andrew (Middle Eastern History and Language)
• M.Phil., University of Oxford (Islamic Studies and History)
• D.Phil., University of Oxford (Middle Eastern History)

Biography

Dr. Ryan Lynch is a specialist of Islamic history, specifically the Islamic conquests and the establishment (and representation) of the first Islamic states throughout history.

He is the Program Co-Coordinator for the CSU Digital Humanities program, along with serving the Columbus State University Honors College as Associate Dean of Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies. In the Honors College, he advises and teaches students throughout their time in Columbus and provides leadership for the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies program at the university.

Dr. Lynch arrived to CSU in Fall 2016, having previously taught for the University of Oxford, Stetson University, and Middlebury College's Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He teaches introductory classes on World History to 1500 CE, foundational classes on Historical Methods and the Digital Humanities, as well as seminar classes on early Islam, Late Antiquity, jihadism, and the Caliphates.

Dr. Lynch’s research and teaching interests also combine the pre-modern with modern digital techniques and approaches, and he has an increasing specialization on computation textual reuse analysis as well as the use of the past in modern media such as video games. In addition to recently serving as a lead editor on OpenStax World History, he is currently under contract for his next project on the depiction of the Middle East and the region’s people in video games.

Academic Areas