Quick Information: A New Course for Fall 2010

Dr. Skip Knox will be offering his HIST 380: History of the Late Middle Ages, online, in Fall 2010.

Walker Wins Fellowship to Israel

David Walker, one of our faculty members, has been named an academic fellow by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and willtravel to Israel in June for an intensive course in terrorism studies and how democracies can defeat the worldwide terrorist threat.

Walker, a special lecturer in the Department of History, teaches classes in military and diplomatic history as well as world history, historiography and historical methodology. His current research investigates the links between military innovation and imagining future war.

The FDD Academic Fellows program provides a 10-day learning experience to U.S.-based teaching and research professionals to provide them with cutting edge information about defeating terrorist groups. The program will be conducted at Tel Aviv University May 29-June 9 and includes lectures by academics, and military and intelligence officials, as well as diplomats from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States. It also includes “hands on” experience through visits to police, customs, and immigration facilities, military bases, and border zones to learn the practical side of deterring and defeating terrorists.

“I’m hopeful for a fresh perspective on how people that live with terror as a daily threat adapt and confront that threat,” Walker said. “There are few places in the world that can offer a better view on the shifting nature of fighting terror than Israel.”

Introducing New Courses in Fall 2010

The history department will be offering three courses for the first time in the fall semester:

HIST 381: "Issues in Public History," MWF 10:40-11:40, taught by Leslie Madsen-Brooks, will "look at how people engage with history outside the classroom" Madsen-Brooks writes. "We’ll learn from changing urban landscapes, consider what everyday objects can tell us about an historical moment, and reflect on how and why people collect and catalog photos and texts. Along the way, we will meet practicing historians and think through what it means to practice and preserve history in an increasingly digital world."

HIST 381: "The United States and the Wars in the Middle East," TuTh 1:40-2:55, taught by David Walker, will examine US involvement in the Middle East in the twentieth century.

HIST 380: "The Cultural Logics of Death and Dying," TuTh 3:15-4:30, taught by Sarah Hoglund, who offers this description: "This course will focus on eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain and its colonies, tracing the cultural, social, economic, and political transformations in the conception of death and dying. We will draw on works of literature, art, history, philosophy, and theology, unpacking the multiple meanings of nineteenth century cemeteries and sepulchral monuments, funeral rituals and the cult of mourning."

History Department Hires New Public Historian

The department has hired Leslie Madsen-Brooks to be its new public historian, beginning in August 2010. Madsen-Brooks received her doctorate from UC Davis in Cultural Studies in 2006. She writes about women in science, material culture, museums, and digital history (of which she is a practitioner as well as a student). She will teach undergraduate courses in public history and US gender history, as well as graduate seminars in public history.

Center for Idaho History and Politics Lassoes Some Grants

Todd Shallat reports that the Center for Idaho History and Politics heard back on a couple of successful grants last week. One, for $5,000.00, comes from the Library of Congress to create a workshop to train Boise school teachers to use historical documents that relate to Idaho history. The other, for $3,500.00, is from the Idaho Humanities Council. John Bieter and Nancy Tacke wrote the application, and will fund the placement of ceramic and cast-iron historical markers at some "ethnic landmarks," notably the all-Basque chapel, now a law office on Idaho Street.

Kasey Reed Studying at Oxford

Kasey Reed, a Boise State University graduate in ancient history, has been accepted to study Roman history, with a focus on economics, at Oxford University, beginning in October 2010. Congratulations, Kasey!

New Exhibit at the Idaho Black History Museum

The Idaho Black History Museum has installed a new exhibit: "The History of the NAACP in Idaho," honoring local faces, places, and histories of many great leaders behind the movement to instill civil liberties and Civil Rights legislation in the state of Idaho. For more information, contact Chandra Silva at 426-4879.

Student Scholarship Opportunity

"Students in Service" is a part-time AmeriCorps program that offers scholarships to college students who participate in community service.

Contact Jiliana Finnegan at 426-5631 or jilianafinnegan@boisestate.edu. Go to
www.studentsinservice.org for more information.

Introducing the History Department Librarian!

Hello, my name is Erin Passehl, and I am a Librarian/Archivist in Special Collections, located on the 2nd floor of Albertsons Library. I am also the liaison to the history department. A Midwest native, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor degree in history and political science. I also have a Master of Science in Information (MSI) from the University of Michigan where I specialized in archives. I am excited to work closely with students, faculty, and staff in the history department.

I encourage everyone to check out the History Subject Guide that serves as a starting point for library research using books, journals, and databases, as well as links to other useful information such as websites and digital collections that may relate to your studies or research. Albertsons Library also has a blog that provides information on news and resources from the library, and a Twitter feed that showcases new resources both on and off-campus.

I am here to help faculty, staff and students with any questions related to historical research using the library or special collections. Please contact me anytime to schedule an appointment, request/suggest a purchase of materials for the library, or for help in general. You can find my contact information on my profile page.

Have a great semester!
Erin Passehl

Our "Top Ten Scholars"

Two of this year's Top Ten Scholars, Pankhuree Dube and Dane Vanhoozer, were history majors. Here they are, pictured just before the reception held in their honor on Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Conference

Pictures of some of our participants: Brian Lawatch (with McNair Program advisor David Walker), Amber Thompson (with McNair Program advisor Lisa Brady), and Dane Vanhoozer. Caroline Valderrama, who will enter our graduate program next year, also presented.

Two Historians among 2009 Top Ten Scholars

Pankhuree Dube and Dane Vanhoozer have been selected as Top Ten Scholars for the 2009 graduating class. Dube focused on Latin American history while an undergrad at Boise State, while Vanhoozer worked on US history. Congratulations to them both for their achievements, and good luck in their future endeavors!

Graduate School Beckons Lawatch, Dube

Two history undergrads, Brian Lawatch and Pankhuree Dube, have been admitted to graduate programs in their chosen fields. Lawatch will attend George Washington University in Washington D.C. to study international history, and Dube will head to Emory University, which offered her a five-year fellowship to study the history of Mexico.

History Undergrads Present Their Research...

...at the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Conference on Monday, April 20. Dane Vanhoozer, Brian Lawatch, and Amber Thompson will be presenting their work. The conference will be held in various rooms in the student union building from 1 to 4 p.m. The conference program will help you find your way through the many presentations.

New Courses This Fall!

The history department made several revisions to its major this year; those revisions will go into affect next fall (2009). In general, we suggest that history majors to meet with an advisor to discuss the implications of these changes! Specifically, though, there are a few new courses that students need to know about:

History 100: This is an introductory course designed as a core option for non-majors. If you are a history major and do wish to take it, it will count for elective credit only.

History 199: This was until this semester History 291. We have changed the content slightly and now urge students to take it during their first year.

History 498: This is now the only history seminar we will offer, and is designed solely for senior history majors. This new seminar will not be a traditional "lectures and books" class. Instead, it will be entirely devoted to the writing, sharing, presenting, and critiquing of a historical research paper. The professor of record in the course will determine the fields covered by the seminar. Thus, in the fall of 2009 we will offer two of these seminars, one by Michael Zirinsky and the other by Shelton Woods. You can assume that in Zirinsky's seminar, you will be writing a paper on Middle Eastern and Islamic history, including US policy in the region. You can also assume that in Woods' seminar you will be writing a paper on East Asian history.

If you are a history major, please spread the word about these changes! There will probably be some confusion at first, but that's what advisors are for.

Night Stalkers

On March 13, 2009, Phi Alpha Theta volunteered at "Night Stalkers," a flashlight tour of the Old Penitentiary. Students helped by taking tickets, handing out brochures and programs, and helping keep the guests safe from the ghosts of...

Masters Defenses Coming Up

There are a number of masters defenses coming up in the next couple of weeks. They are open to the public:

Alissa Peterson, "Traditions in Transition: Basques in America" (Schackel) March 18, 2009, Wednesday, 3:30 pm, Library 170, Sociology Conference Room

Karen Wadley, "The King and His Council" (Odahl) March 20, Friday, 1:30 - 3:00 pm, Library 194, History Conference Room

Josh Bernard, "History and Beauty: The History of the Idaho State Parks" (Shallat) March 30, Monday, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Library 170, Sociology Conference Room

Kelly Orgill, "Bequeathment: How the Hardships of Idaho's Settlers Have Shaped Idahoan Identity" (Brady) March 31, Tuesday, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Library 170, Sociology Conference Room

Olivia Umphrey, "From Screen to Page: Japanese Film as a Historical Document, 1931-1959" (Woods) April 3, Friday, 12:30- 2:00 pm, Library 194, History Conference Room

Students: The Library Wants You

The library has created a new committee called the Student Library Advisory Committee. That committee will help the library administration learn what students think about library operations and how they could be improved. The first meeting will take place March 18, at 4:20 pm in Library 201C. If you are interested, please RSVP to Kim Leeder at 426-1621 or KimLeeder@boisestate.edu.

Lubamersky and Miller Lecture at UC Berkeley

This week Professors Lynn Lubamersky and Nick Miller will be delivering lectures at the University of California, Berkeley. Lubamersky will discuss commemorations and national identity in Lithuania since independence, and Miller will give the annual "Peter Kujachich Lecture in Serbian and Montenegrin Studies." His talk will be titled "Serbia in 1989: Where Was the Serbian Havel?"

Carissa Black Wins Photo Contest

Graduate student Carissa Black, who will soon defend her Masters project, recently won a photo contest hosted by the Idaho State Historical Society in honor of 2009's Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month. We've asked Carissa if we can post the photo, and await word on that front. More on the award at the Idaho State Historical Society.