Lois Banner, PhD, is an accomplished educator who began her teaching career as an assistant professor at Rutgers University in 1971, where she played a major role in establishing one of the first women's studies programs in the nation. She subsequently worked as a United States history lecturer at Princeton University and a National Endowment for the Humanities Professor at the University of Scranton. While in Pennsylvania, Lois Banner, PhD, taught US history courses, as well as classes on gender and sexuality. Lois Banner, PhD, has taught at many prestigious schools in the US and abroad, including Stanford University, the University of Maryland, Australia's National University in Canberra, and Josai University in Tokyo.
During her more than two-decade tenure as a professor of history, gender studies, and American studies at the University of Southern California, she also engaged in extensive academic work and chaired several departments. In 2017, she served as the Fulbright Chair in American Studies at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.
Lois Banner, PhD, studied history as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles. She continued her education at Columbia University, graduating with a Master of Arts in European history. She then completed a doctoral program at Columbia, earning a Ph.D. in US history. Her career achievements include a Berlin Prize Fellowship at the American Academy in Berlin, and a Bode-Pearson Prize, the latter of which is a lifetime achievement honor from the American Studies Association.
During her career, she was the primary parent for two children, whom she usually took with her to her academic positions away from home.