Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Access Restrictions

A small amount of material is embargoed due to FERPA, Personally Identifiable Information, or in the interest of privacy. Folders that are restricted are marked in the contents list.

Preferred Citation

Jack Censer collection, C0241, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Jack Censer in 2013 and 2016.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in October 2017. EAD markup begun by Jordan Patty in 2014 and completed by Elizabeth Beckman in October 2017. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in November 2022.

Biographical Information

A historian of France (particlulary the 18th century and the French Revolution), Jack Censer is an emeritus professor of history and former chair of the History and Art History department and Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University. Censer received his BA from Duke University and his MA and PhD from Johns Hopkins University. He taught at the College of Charleston in South Carolina before coming to George Mason University in 1977, where he taught a wide range of classes, from undergraduate courses in Western Civilization to graduate seminars on the French Revolution. His wife, Jane Turner Censer, is also a professor in the George Mason University History and Art History department.

Jack Censer has done significant work studying the French 18th century press, including a great deal of archival research both in France and the United States, and he has written numerous books and articles. His interest in the press and the media also led him to write a study of the media response to the 2002 D.C. Sniper shootings, 'On the Trail of the DC Sniper: Fear and the Media.' Censer retired from Mason in 2015 (History and Art History Department, George Mason University, 'Jack R. Censer').

Scope and Content

This collection contains material from throughout Jack Censer's career as a researcher, historian of the French Revolution, university professor, and administrator.

Series 1: Offprints contains articles collected by Censer throughout his career that date from 1953-2010. Most of the articles are from scholarly publications and deal with French history, particularly French 18th century history, although other places and times are represented. Some of the articles have notes to Censer and are signed by the author. The series also contains a number of reviews published in journals by Censer. There is a mixture of photocopies and original printings.

Series 2: D.C. Sniper research contains notes, printouts of television transcripts and print coverage, and other research material dating from 2002-2010, collected in the course of Censer's work on his book 'On the Trail of the D.C. Sniper: Fear and the Media' between 2002-2010.

Series 3: Teaching consists largely of syllabi, exam questions, and paper prompts for Jack Censer's graduate and undergraduate classes dating from the 1960s-2003, though mostly from his time as a professor in the history department at George Mason University.

Series 4: Research (1968-2006) contains material used in Censer's research on the press in 18th century France, as well as various aspects of the French Revolutionary era (mostly photocopies). It also contains multiple versions of some of Censer's scholarly output and related material, including articles, book chapters, essays from his time as a student, publishing logistical materials, reviews, and correspondence. Also included are materials from Censer's participation in professional organizations such as the American Historical Association.

Series 5: Administrative papers contains material from 1972-2011 that documents Censer's work as Chair of the Art and Art History department at George Mason University. Also included are materials for work he did beyond the university for the Educational Testing Service and Bryant Adult Center, as well as correspondence and graduation programs from other institutions.

Series 6: Audiovisual materials dates from 2001 to circa 2010s and largely contains CDs of D.C. Sniper-related research materials and copies of Microsoft Word, Eudora, and Outbox files. There is also an interview on two audiocassettes.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following 6 series, based on their organization by Jack Censer:

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds the papers of other George Mason University professors as well as collections on the French Revolution and other periods of French history.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Censer, Jack Richard
• Criminal snipers -- Washington Metropolitan Area
• France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799
• George Mason University