He earned his BA at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, an MA at Villanova University in Philadelphia, and a PhD at the University of Delaware. He primarily teaches courses in World History, 19th Century Europe and Imperialism. His scholarship is basically a mile wide but only an inch deep and leans towards issues of science, technology and empire. He has published two primary-source readers, one scholarly article and one book, Fire Arms: The Lifestory of Technology. This text was used as the basis of the first episode of the PBS series, Ground War which premiered last May. Dr. Pauly's fifteen minutes of fame were used up when he appeared as a commentator on that particular program. His latest book, Fortitude and Foresight: A History of Faulkner County is scheduled for publication this year.