Nov. 13: The GHS Workshop on C.V.s and Cover Letters -- Profs. Giblin and Stromquist agreed to workshop students' submissions of C.V.s and cover letters with an eye toward job applications in particular, but also conference and grant applications.  This colloquium benefited students in all stages of their careers, including those who did not submit anything.

Nov. 13: Omar Valerio-Jimenez, Professor of History, participated in the "UICHR at 10" Faculty Colloquium on "Human Rights Research and Teaching at UI." Other participants included Sonia Ryang from Anthropology, Anne Wallis from Public Health, Adrien Wing from College of Law, and Mary Cohen from the College of Education.

Nov. 11: Pomerantz Lecture--"The Sparks Fly Upward: Learning about the Holocaust, Defying Genocide." Dr. Cathy Mansfield, professor of law at Drake University and operatic composer, delivered this year's lecture.

Nov. 9-11: Professor Anne Bang spent the week as our Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor. Professor Bang, a member of the Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, and the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, at the University of Bergen in Norway, is a leading authority in the emerging field of Indian Ocean studies, where she focuses particularly on Islamic culture and scholarship in the region.  Her most prominent publication, Sufis and Scholars of the Sea: Family Networks in East Africa, 1860-1925 (London and New York: Routledge Curzon: 2003) traces networks of family ties and Islamic scholarship which connected the Hadramaut (the southwestern corner of the Arabian peninsula in modern Yemen) and its far-flung diasporas throughout the Indian Ocean. Professor Bang participated in a Graduate Student Seminar, in conjunction with Crossing Borders Proseminar –"Giving voice to chaos: The challenges of writing multiple histories"; a Public Lecture –"Indian Ocean History:  Places and the Spaces Between"; and a History Department Faculty Seminar – "Movements of Islam in the Western Indian Ocean: Theoretical and Conceptual Challenges."

Oct. 23: Dr. James Polachek spoke on Chinese traditional arts (esp. dance) and the staging of history in the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies--"An Unharmonious Choreography: Divergent Views of Grandeur in the Designing of the 2008 BJ Olympics Pageant".

Oct. 23: GHS colloquium on  Research Trips -- Panelists included Jo Butterfield, Nathaniel Chimhete, and Jason Verber. They discussed how to be thrifty and efficient on a research trip.  Topics included travel arrangements and accommodations, the use of technology, preparation strategies, etc.  Students in all stages of their careers with interests in all fields benefited from this colloquium. The guide linked here for preparing for archival research trips from the Southern Association for Women Historians was used as a starting point for our discussion.

Oct. 22-23: Nabil Matar, Professor of English at UMinnesota and author of Europe Through Arab Eyes was on campus.  On Oct. 22 he gave a public lecture on his work. On Oct. 23 he had a more specialized discussion--"Mediterranean Intersections-the Arabic Narrative"--with faculty and students who have read his book.

Oct. 19: Robert Brigham of Vassar was on campus as a U.S. in World Affairs (USWA) speaker. He spoke on "Robert McNamara and Lessons from the Vietnam War." Brigham accompanied McNamara on his famous trips to Cuba and Vietnam in the 1990s.

Oct. 19: Robert Brigham met with the history graduate students for a discussion--the topic was Brigham's recent essay on "human rights and counterinsurgency."

Oct. 16: Victoria de Grazia of Columbia was on campus as the GHS featured speaker. Her talk titled "Mobilizing American 'Soft Power': From the Cold War to the Global War on Terror."

Oct. 16: Victoria de Grazia met the history graduate students for a general discussion about working on "global" or "international" history projects.

Oct. 15-17: The 2009 Obermann Humanities Symposium - "Platforms for Public Scholars" ran Oct. 15 -17 and featured four noted historians.  Matthew Countryman of Michigan and Sean Takats of George Mason were featured on a panel on digital and public history.  George Sanchez of USC and Jim Gregory of  UWashington were featured on a panel on "cityscapes" and public history. Link for a full schedule with participant bios.

Oct. 15: Tracy C. Davis, Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor, continued her UI visit with the presentation titled "The Witness Protection Program: Making Theatre, Every Day."

Oct. 15: American Studies hosted a lunch for graduate students to talk informally with Professor Tracy Davis about performance studies methodologies and her current research.

Oct. 14: Tracy C. Davis, Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor, presented "Acting Black, 1824" related to Charles Matthews, a white English music hall performer, who toured the U.S. and developed popular impersonations of African Americans apparently without the use of black make-up.

Oct. 10-16: Victor Navasky, publisher emeritus of The Nation, was on campus (Ida Beam professor co-sponsored by History and Journalism). He gave a talk, "Caricature: An "unserious" medium with serious consequences," on Oct. 13, with a reception beforehand. There was also a session on Oct. 14 for faculty and doctoral students.

Oct. 9: Professor Michael Moore presented "Fifteen Theses Against Google Books"-- discussion about his paper followed.

Oct. 8: Marilyn Young met with history graduate students to discuss the consequences of the Vietnam War.

Oct. 8: Marilyn Young of NYU was on campus as a U.S. in World Affairs (USWA) speaker. She spoke on "Limited War, Unlimited", a critical analysis of America's current, recent, and Cold War military engagements and their consequences. On the same day she met separately with graduate students.

Oct. 2: Department Meeting

Sept. 22: GHS Book Sale

Sept. 14: CLAS Annual Faculty Meeting - featured introductions of new faculty (Tom Arne Midtrød included) and a display of books added to the University Libraries in honor of newly promoted faculty members.

Sept. 12: Graduate History Society (GHS) Picnic

Sept. 4: Department Meeting

Aug. 28: Departmental party for Graduate Students and Faculty (Lisa's house)

Aug. 28: Department Meeting

Aug. 24: Opening of Fall Semester