Posted in Events, Jim LaGrand, Public Lectures and Symposia on October 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Please join us for the Faith & History Lecture tomorrow.
“Considerations of a (somewhat) Calvinist historian”
The 2011 Messiah College Faith & History Lecture
Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 4:15 pm, Boyer 336
Professor LaGrand will speak on some of the influences on him as a Christian and a historian, noting both his roots in the Calvinist tradition and other influences from a range of Christian traditions during his time as a student and a professor.
Posted in American History, Courses, Jim LaGrand on October 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
During the Spring 2012 semester, Professor LaGrand will be teaching a topics course called “HIST 399: Nationalism and its Discontents in Modern America.” I include here a course description:
“Many people today see nationalism as a problem. For Christians, it conflicts with the universal identity of Christ’s church. For Americans in recent times, it seems a constricting, ethnocentric way of thinking of identity. The ideal, we’re often told, is global citizenship. Yet a look at several chapters of modern U.S. history complicates this understanding. Examining the history of anti-war movements, the civil rights movement, the rise of the new liberalism during the 1960s, and the New Right during the 1970s and 1980s reveals both staunch nationalists as well as anti-nationalists. In this course, students will engage these people, as well some of the extensive recent scholarly literature on the phenomenon of nationalism itself.”
Posted in Courses on October 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Department of History is pleased to announce our list of courses for spring 2012. Follow the links to the course descriptions.
HIST 132: European Missionaries in Africa. Gen Ed: European History [J-Term].
HIST 141: U.S. History Survey to 1865. Gen Ed: U.S. History [J-Term].
HIST 101: Western Civilization before 1500. Gen Ed: European History.
HIST 102: Western Civilization since 1500. Gen Ed: European History.
HIST 142: U.S. History Survey since 1865. Gen Ed: U.S. History.
HIST 172: World Civilizations, 1500 to present. Gen Ed: Non-Western Studies.
HIST 320: Renaissance & Reformation Europe. Gen Ed: European History.
HIST 322: Modern Europe, 1789-1918.
HIST 353: Immigrant America. Gen Ed: Pluralism.
HIST 391: Historical Study of Peace.
HIST 399: Topics: Nationalism & its Discontents in Modern America.
HIST 407: Secondary Social Studies Curriculum & Instruction [for cert. students].
LATN 102: Fundamentals of Latin II. Gen Ed: Languages and Cultures.
HIST 319: Topics: History & Archeology of Cyprus. Gen Ed: Cross-Cult. [May Term].
IDSC 260: Ethnographic Performances in Nepal. Gen Ed: Cross-Cult. [May Term].
Posted in Anne Marie Stoner-Eby, Events, PACS, Public Lectures and Symposia on October 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The PACS program is pleased to announce that Lee Camp will present an Alternate Chapel talk entitled “Must Christians and Muslims be Enemies?” It is drawn from his just-released, one-month old book Who is My Enemy? Questions American Christians Must Face about Islam — and Themselves. Lee Camp is Professor of Moral Theology and Christian Ethics at Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the author of Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World. It is being held this coming Monday 10/31 from 4:00-5:00 in Fry 110.
Contact Professor Anne Marie Stoner-Eby, Coordinator of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) Program, if you have any questions!
Posted in Events, Jim LaGrand, Public Lectures and Symposia on October 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Next Tuesday, November 1, Messiah College Department of History will present our second annual Faith & History Lecture. Professor James LaGrand will speak on the subject of “Considerations of a (somewhat) Calvinist historian,” discussing some of the influences on him as a Christian and a historian including both his roots in the Calvinist tradition and other influences from a range of Christian traditions during his time as a student and a professor.
The lecture will begin at 4:15 PM in Boyer 336. If you are interested in how to think about the relationship between your Christian faith and the study of history, you will not want to miss this lecture. Refreshments will be served!
Posted in Uncategorized on October 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Dr. Michael shared a wealth of information about his current research projects as well the highlights from his summer. He is, at present, working on a book length manuscript that should be published by Anthem Press in London. He explained this has been a lengthy process, but that he is being aided by a Natalie Burack, a Smith scholar intern. When asked to explain, he stated that “the book is basically about the territorial disputes surrounding the Anglo-Gorkha War that involved the English East India Company and the Himalayan state of Gorkha (present day Nepal). The war, which lasted two years, concluded in 1816 with the territorial demarcation of the present India-Nepal boundary. Dr. Michael hopes to explore questions of spatiality, state formation, and the cartographic history and provide another perspective from which to approach the war. He argues the territorial disputes surrounding the war actually encoded contrasting visions about the geography of the state. Another project that he is gathering materials pertains to the history of Western Nepal. Dr. Michael also undertook a civil rights tour that took him to the deep south. The trip gave him opportunity to understand race relations and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In addition to his he attended a diversity workshop at the University of California at Los Angeles and traveled to South Asia to conduct research and visit family. Finally, Dr. Michael recounted his first ever family reunion (from his wife Shanti’s side) when a large multicultural family from India, Nepal, and Switzerland gathered in Tennessee. During the family reunion, Dr. Michael explained that there had been a professional photographer, family honors bestowed, and even a soccer game amongst family members. Towards the end of summer he spent considerable time working on diversity matters that required his attention.
Posted in David Pettegrew, Faculty Activities on October 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
One might picture a summer for a history professor as being locked away in an archive or library. However, the summer of a history professor might not be as research intensive or dry as one might think. To disprove this, Dr. Pettegrew agreed to discuss his experiences during this summer and the types of research that he has been actively pursuing. Dr. Pettegrew recounted his summer as being incredibly eventful, going on several trips and accomplishing a few projects along the way. He recalled that the first part of his summer entailed leading nineteen students on a may term trip to Greece and Albania to engage in ancient Greek historical sites. The focus of this may term trip was to immerse students in ancient antiquity. Research based trips did not end in Greece for Dr. Pettegrew. After his first trip, he traveled to Cyprus to continue his work on the Pyla Kousopetria archeological site. Dr. Pettegrew’s historical research is currently focused an ancient trade route in known as the Diolkos within the isthmus of ancient Greece. Dr. Pettegrew ended his summer spending a week in London with his wife and son James. He explained that he and his family visited a number of tourist sites; some of these sites included boating on the Thames River and seeing Buckingham Palace.
Posted in Uncategorized on October 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
As some of you know, the Messiah College History Department and the Oakes Museum operate an archaeological dig at an 18th-century farm in the Dillsburg area. To learn more check out the new Big Dig at Stouffer Farm website.
Posted in Digital History, Internships on October 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The digital humanities is a field that is characterized by innovation and new methodologies. The new practices of the digital age continues to expand academic fields to meet the needs of scholars and the common inquirer. With the world changing at a rapid pace, ever improving technology allows for scholars to dig deeper in research in the hopes of making better sense of humanity and the world in which it resides. For many, the digital tools in the humanities are useful in two major ways. The first, is that it has become a powerful tool of inquiry that allows one to answer the many questions surrounding mankind. A second use of digital technology in the humanities, is that it allows a person to spread a wealth of information and ideas to others who seek it.
My experience thus far as a digital history intern has helped me to step into a different discipline than others I have studied. The digital humanities has introduced me to new ways of organizing information through programs such as Zotero. Additionally, I have learned to use digital tools in order to help spread information in a digitally connected society. Blogging and using different types of social media (Facebook, WordPress, Video) has helped me to integrate myself in some of the new methods that scholars are using to facilitate learning within the humanities. Over the last month, I have been working closely with several professors of the humanities. Attending digital humanities meetings has allowed me to dabble in the new theories and practices that are being brought to the field. In the following weeks I will be blogging about some of recent experiences of Messiah College faculty over the summer, as well as some of their current research.
Posted in Careers, Graduate School on October 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Messiah College is hosting the Career and Graduate School Expo next Monday. Here’s the blurb from the career center:
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Monday, Oct. 24, 11:00 – 2:30 PM in Brubaker Auditorium. Approximately 145 exhibitors will be on campus to recruit for internships, professional employment, and graduate school programs. A complete list of exhibitors is available here. Some benefits of attending include:
* Explore career options, internships, employment openings, and/or graduate programs.
* Identify what recruiters seek in ideal candidates in order to be strategic and intentional with their time at MC.
* Realize the transferability of majors and skill sets to a variety of career/graduate school options.
* Practice the art of networking and marketing themselves to recruiters.
* FREE T-SHIRTS! We have a limited number of t-shirts intended to advertise the Expo. Stop by the Career Center during our Open House on Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, to get yours (and a donut!). They will be available to the COE on a first-come, first-served basis. We just ask that you wear it at least once around campus before fall break.
An addition to this year’s event will be an appearance by Road Trip Nation (RTN), popularly known by their green RV and PBS documentary series. Their movement is known for inspiring individuals to create lives based on doing what they love. More information can be found on their website.
