Uncategorized | History and American Studies

Winter Celebration–And Best Wishes for Finals Week!

December 9, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

The Department enjoyed a Winter Celebration party with History and American Studies majors on Friday afternoon, after a great day of senior thesis presentations at our department’s research symposium.

Cheers to all who came to celebrate with snacks, games, and prizes, as well as good conversation. We’ll be celebrating again next spring, so stay tuned!

We’re on now to Finals Week. Stop by the the department hallway for coffee if you need a break between exams. We’ll have some brewing. Best of luck with finals, papers, and projects, and have a great winter break!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

History and American Studies Symposium–December 6, 2019

November 25, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

History and American Studies Symposium

University of Mary Washington – Friday, December 6, 2019
9:00 am – 1:00 pm

SESSION ONE. 9 AM. Monroe 210 – Writing, Texts, and History
Moderator: Dr. Krystyn Moon

Carolyn Stough. “Gender and Perspective in Eighteenth-Century Women’s Travel Writing”

Justin Curtis. “Performing Imperialism: Dime Novel Representations of Wild West Folk Heroes”

Kyle Moore. “Shanghai as a Representation of China in 1930s Chinese Fiction”

SESSION TWO. 9 AM. Monroe 111 – Infernos and Fevers in United States History
Moderator: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken

Connor Carmichael. “The Great Conflagration of 1871: A Social History of the Great Fire’s Aftermath in Chicago”

Nicole Stell. “Presidential Illnesses of the Twentieth Century and the Role of the White House Physician”

SESSION THREE. 10 AM. Monroe 210 – Selected Papers in American Studies and U.S. History
Moderator: Dr. Erin Devlin

Cassiel Haynes. “Migrant Labor through the Eyes of Braceros”

Courtlyn Plunkett. “Americanization at Hull House”

Rebecca A. Akers. “Dolley Madison: The Real First Lady”

SESSION FOUR. 10 AM. Monroe 111 – Military History and World War II
Moderator: Dr. Susan Fernsebner

Jack Hagn. “Early United States Military Aviation: How American Aviation Stalled Out”

Devin Wright. “Moral Courage: German Resistance against Hitler and the Nazis during World War II”

SESSION FIVE. 11 AM. Monroe 210 – Religious History: Of Mothers, Converts, and the Messiah
Moderator: Dr. Allyson Poska

Samantha Hampton. “Khadija: The Mother of the Believers”

Jacob Spencer. “Conversos and the Spanish Inquisition”

Alec Cameron. “Sabbatai Sevi: Kabbalah and the Messiah”

SESSION SIX. 11 AM. Monroe 111 – New Perspectives in American Studies
Moderator: Dr. Steven Harris

Ellora Larsen. “‘Only a Footnote in History’: Native Americans in Decline of the Western and the Rise of Red Power, 1950-1970”

Ginny Bixby. “The Complicated Legacy of a Segregationist: The Renaming of Mills E. Godwin Middle School”

Sherronda Robinson. African American Involvement in the ‘Just Say No’ Campaign.

SESSION SEVEN. 1 PM. MONROE 210 – Environment and U.S. History
Moderator: Dr. Porter Blakemore

Cole Hogan. “History of the Rappahannock River”

William Roszell. “Urbanna Oyster Festival: A History of Celebration through the Festival”

Nick Skibinski. “Secessions in Succession: Contrasting South Carolina and Virginia in the Secession Crisis”

SESSION EIGHT. 1 PM. MONORE 111 – Famine, War, and Labor
Moderator: Dr. Nabil Al-Tikriti

Erica Piper. “Ukranian Resentment: The Famine of 1932-33 Recounted by Ukranian Peasants” [S. Harris]

Timothy Shinkle. “Soviet-Afghan War: Understanding the Complexity Surrounding the War through the Soviet Perspective”

Will Everett. “A Long and Bitter Fight: The Interplay of Socialism, Organized Labor, and Nationalism during the Irish Revolution, 1912-1923”

Filed Under: Symposium, Uncategorized

Talk: “The Hamilton Phenomenon: Is it Good for History?” (10/21, 7:30 pm)

October 21, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

Filed Under: Talks, Uncategorized Tagged With: American Studies, talks, WGST

People of Caledon Program at Caledon State Park – “Life of the Enslaved” (Sat., 10/19)

October 15, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

Filed Under: Events, Uncategorized Tagged With: events

Dr. Krystyn Moon Winner of Brennan Archaeology Award

October 9, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

On October 2, Krystyn Moon, Professor of History and American Studies Program Director, was awarded the 2019 Brennan Archaeology Award as a member of the Fort Ward Interpretive Committee (together with Frank Cooling, Mary Furlong Minkoff, Carol Johnson, Frances Terrell, Adrienne Washington, and Charles Ziegler.)

The Alexandria Archaeological Commission announced the award, which was presented by Mayor Wilson and Councilmember Redella “Del” Pepper. Dr. Moon has volunteered for the past few years doing history research as part of the Fort Ward Interpretive Committee to provide an integrated narrative of the Fort Ward City Park, which was the site of a Union fort and an African American neighborhood from the 1860s through the 1960s. Dr. Moon has shared her work as both a professional historian and a city resident.

The Fort Ward Interpretive Committee was celebrated at the event”for their stalwart devotion to the ongoing interpretation of history at Fort Ward Park; for their leadership in guiding and directing the implementation of a new interpretive experience for visitors to the park, as a Civil War fort and then the center of an African American community; for their pursuit of and vision for a new and updated park history based on the theme, Bastions of Freedom, which charts the arc of history at the park from Civil War to Civil Rights; and for immeasurably enhancing the interpretation of the park with their knowledge, foresight, and dedication to one of Alexandria’s most treasured historical sites.”

For more, see Professor Moon’s own report on the history of Fort Ward City Park, entitled “Finding the Fort: A History of an African American Neighborhood in Northern Virginia, 1860s-1960s.”

Filed Under: Awards, Uncategorized Tagged With: awards

Talking History with Dr. Nabil Al-Tikriti: “A Year in Baku” (9/25)

September 16, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

Filed Under: Talks, Uncategorized

Native American Cultural Celebration events

November 12, 2018 by Jason Sellers

Native American Cultural Celebration 2018

Indigenous Peoples: An Ongoing Tradition

For the past few centuries, indigenous people and their traditions have been inaccurately depicted due to numerous stereotypes permeating throughout history. In recent years, they have fought to showcase the diversity of indigenous cultures from the Americas. As their traditions continue to extend to new generations, they are enhancing the definition of what it means to be an indigenous person. Join the Native American Student Association and the James Farmer Multicultural Center for educational presentations and entertaining cultural performances.