Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Passing of Historian Howard Zinn

One of America's greatest social historians passed away today at the age of 87. As a young high school teacher in the late 1980s, the work of social historians, in particular Howard Zinn, opened the mind of this "wet behind the ears" teacher. As I included a number of Zinn's articles in my classes, the young minds that sat, blankly, in front of me began to enjoy the narratives of the "little people" and the "forgotten people" that created, fought, and dreamed . . . history and the telling of their stories formed an appreciation and connection to the past. I still remember, these twenty-plus years later, that the narrative discussing Columbus and his engagement with peoples of the First Nation's captured the best spirit of his writing.

The writings of Zinn captivated the spirit and mind of thousands of students and non-students of history. His style and connection to all audiences will be missed. America has lost a great historian and national story-teller. Dr. Zinn . . . rest in peace.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

San Diego Conferences

One week ago ten current history majors and one 2009 alumnus from Park University's Program of History attended the 2010 Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Conference and American Historical Association Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. The recent trip represented the Program's fifth American Historical Association meeting and our third Phi Alpha Theta conference since 2006.

Six current majors presented conference papers at the Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Conference. Paper topics included: "The Rise of the Intellectuals against Censorship and Disillusionment: The Origins of the Prague Spring", "Human Right Infringements in the Balkans: Post World War II", "A Portrayal of Warfare: World War I in the Journals and Novels of Soldiers", "The Impact of Transcendentalist Thought on the Movement to Abolish Slavery", "The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Twentieth Century Point v. Counterpoint" and "The Einsatzgruppen Reports as Proof of Intentionalism."

Engaging undergraduate students in the historical profession is a highlight of the Program of History, but also my personal professional career. The opportunity to have students partake in these conferences represents the strength of our curriculum and professionalism.