James D. Rietveld
Lecturer, INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION, College of Education and Integrative Studies
About Me
Ever since I was twelve, I was instilled with a passion for historical studies, the result of my father bringing my family and I to live in Europe for seven months in 1979. Here Roman ruins and the history, culture, and religion of the people who left them behind began to fascinate me. Because of this experience, I decided to become a Professor of History. When I saw Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, I became fascinated with the idea of combining the study of History with that of both Religion and Archaeology. Of course, I discovered that making all three areas into a serious scholastic focus required much time and effort. In fact, it took a little over two decades to complete my university studies and degrees at CSUF, UCI, and Claremont Graduate University (from 1985 to 2006), but when you love what you do, all that time and training is worth it.
Because I enjoy both researching in archives and actually going to where the events I study actually happen, I have travelled all about Europe and the Middle East, especially Turkey, studying the art, architecture, and archaeology of many forgotten civilizations. In a general sense, I view myself as a scholar of History, Religion, and Archaeology, focusing these studies on the Mediterranean world from the Paleolithic era all the way through the Late Middle Ages, with an emphasis on the Eastern Mediterranean, Greco-Roman Studies, and Asia Minor (Turkey).
On a personal level, because my studies are also my hobby, I actually enjoy doing research on many historical topics just for fun and then presenting public talks about my findings at locations all about Los Angeles and Orange County areas (often as much as four times a month). Additionally, I am an avid science fiction fan (I’m a big Star Trek geek), love watching Old Hollywood movies, and enjoy playing the guitar.
Degrees
I received my PhD from Claremont Graduate University School in 2006, combining Religion with the areas of History and Archaeology, focusing on the History of Christianity in the Early, Medieval, and Byzantine periods, New Testament Studies, and Greco-Roman Religions. While at Claremont, I also minored in Islam and Hinduism. I have both a Bachelor of Arts in History (1991) and a Masters of Arts in History (1998) from California State University Fullerton.