Dr. Brian Whetstone

Assistant Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Brian Whetstone. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Brian Whetstone is an Assistant Professor at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, where he explores the intersections of housing, labor, equity, museums, and historic sites. His current research revolves around a manuscript project titled 'Renting History: Housing, Labor, America’s Heritage Infrastructure,' which examines the role of renting and its provision of housing within historic sites and museums throughout the twentieth century. Drawing on experiences from tenants, caretakers, and employees, this research situates tenants as pivotal figures in the development of modern public history practices and in the preservation and interpretation of historic sites. Additionally, Whetstone is investigating the role of historic preservation in relation to the expansion and contestation of mass incarceration from the mid-twentieth century to the present. His teaching interests cover public history, American architectural history, oral history, and urban history. Before joining the University of Pennsylvania, Whetstone served as a historian with the National Park Service and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, focusing on the Center for Preservation of Civil Rights Sites.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

— Present

Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

Teaches courses and conducts research in Public History and related fields.

Historian

— Present

National Park Service • Northeastern United States

Coordinated research and preservation documentation projects in national parks.

Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism, and Humanities, Princeton University •

Conducted research as a fellow at the Center for Preservation of Civil Rights Sites.

Awards

#

Membership Committee

Requirements for University of Pennsylvania

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.6
GRE General
Verbal
Required:162
Quantitative
Required:162
Overall
Required:162
GMAT
Total Score
Required:728
Overall
Required:728
TOEFL
Total
Required:115
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or equivalent Strong quantitative background
Application Checklist
  • Academic Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation (2-3)
  • Resume/CV
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Essays
Specialization Notes

Wharton Doctoral programs cover fields like Finance, Marketing, Management, and Operations, Information and Decisions.