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History | Faculty News

Eventful summer for History Professor

Peter Boag 15

Professor Peter Boag participated in a variety of public presentations during the summer. On June 13, he delivered the University of Oregon History department’s graduation commencement address in Eugene, Oregon. Peter is a 1988 Oregon PhD, and gave an upbeat talk about his time in the History Department there long ago.  He also mentioned the many changes the UO History Department and faculty have experienced in the last 30 years.

Professor Boag led the inaugural “Pride Forever: Portland LGBTQ History Walking Tour” in Portland on June 25. This was co-sponsored by Know Your City and the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest.   The tour began and ended at the Darcelle XV Showplace in Portland’s Old Town.  The tour also included a variety of sites dating from 1900 to the present that are significant to local, regional and national LGBTQ history.

Prior to the “Pride Forever” tour, Dr. Boag could be seen on television as a talking head in the Oregon Experience episode “Darcell XV.”  This is an Oregon Public Broadcasting production that tells the story of Walter Cole, creator of the Darcelle persona, set against the LGBTQ history of Portland.  Professor Boag also consulted on the historical background for the film.

Karoline Cook’s latest book published

614I5JflwoL[1]Karoline “Kaja” Cook is a Clinical Assistant Professor and teaches in the Roots of Contemporary Issues Program. She has a PhD in history from Princeton University (2008).  her book, Forbidden Crossings: Moriscos and Muslims in Spanish America, 1492-1650 has been published by the University of Pennsylvania Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanford History Project 2017 Conference

imagesWSU – Tri-Cities (in Richland Washington), is hosting a conference March 17-19, 2017:  “Legacies of the Manhattan Project at 75 Years.”  A Call for Papers has been issued with the abstract deadline of September 1, 2016.  For more information, visit Hanford History Project.

Abstracts are limited to 250 words. Conference papers are anticipated to be published as an edited volume in the following year.  Send abstracts or questions to ourhanfordhistory@tricity.wsu.edu.

imagesHanford’s History

Once a small farming community, the area was transformed when it became the site of the Manhattan Project’s plutonium production facility in the Second World War. Hanford continued to produce plutonium throughout the Cold War, contributing to the nation’s national defense, even as the environmental cost built up locally. In recent years, Hanford has been the site of an extensive clean-up effort undertaken by the US Department of Energy in agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

History professor interviewed for Daily Evergreen Apr 13

Lawrence HatterDr. Lawrence Hatter was interviewed by Theo Mynka, a Daily Evergreen columnist, for the article “Our education system measures up despite failures.”  With data gleaned from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and from Pearson’s annual “Learning Curve” report, an index was created based on literacy, graduation rates, cognitive skills and other factors.

Dr. Hatter, who studied in the U.K. for elementary school through undergraduate, commented on comparing education in the U.S. with that of education in the U.K. 

Hatter commented that one of the things he liked about the British education system was that it “focused exclusively on the specific subject.”  This means that from an early age, one had the opportunity to focus on the subject that they would be pursuing a career in and not have to spend time learning subjects they would not use in the future.  // //

At the same time, having a broad education system is beneficial in creating more well-rounded and knowledgeable individuals. Hatter went on to add that it “does, also, narrow down your knowledge of broader subjects.”

Read the entire article to gain insights of someone who has studied in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

CAS Global Case Competition team will travel to Geneva in November

Kenneth FaunceHistory/political science major, Madeleine Hunter, led her CAS Global Case Competition team to first place. Her team, which was advised by history department faculty member, Dr. Ken Faunce, looked at the growing number of Americans incarcerated because of debt. As a result of winning this competition, Madeleine, her teammates, and Dr. Faunce will travel to Geneva, Switzerland in November to present their findings on America’s debtors prisons to a group of United Nations dignitaries.

History faculty to be recognized at OUE awards ceremony April 18

Charles WellerDr. Charles Weller has been chosen as the co-recipient of the “Critical Literacies Achievement and Success Program (CLASP)” Faculty Award.

This award is to recognize his work supporting “underrepresented students” both through the development of pedagogy and willingness to work with students outside of class.

 

gerberDr. Lydia Gerber has been chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Education to receive an award for her “Excellence in Support of Undergraduate Research.”

 

 

Kenneth FaunceDr. Ken Faunce has been chosen by the Office of Undergraduate Education to receive the Richard G. Law award for “Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.”

 

 

The Office of undergraduate Education Awards Ceremony will be held Monday, April 18 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Compton Union Building  Ballroom.

 

Dr. Matt Sutton awarded Guggenheim Fellowship

Matthew SuttonDr. Matt Sutton has been appointed a 2016 Guggenheim fellow “on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise.” The fellowship was awarded to 178 scholars in the U.S. and Canada from nearly 3,000 applicants.

Sutton’s $50,000 prize in the U.S. history category will fund work on his book, tentatively titled “FDR’s Army of Faith: Religion and Espionage in World War II,” to be published by Basic Books in 2019. Learn more at https://connect.cas.wsu.edu/october-2015/a-secret-history-of-politics-religion-espionage/.

Article by Dr. Matt Sutton in The Seattle Times

Matthew Sutton“Why Hillary Clinton needs Jesus” appeared in the April 9, 2016 edition of The Seattle Times.  The article was written by Dr. Matt Sutton of WSU’s Department of History.  Sutton article says “For years, Clinton has acknowledged her deep and abiding Christian faith. But she has been reluctant to go public with it. When asked about her convictions, she rarely says the word “Jesus.”  The entire article can be seen here: http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/why-hillary-clinton-needs-jesus/

Matthew Avery Sutton is the Edward R. Murrow distinguished professor of history at Washington State University and the author of “American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism.” He is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow.