ACADEMIC
ACHIEVMENTS
HISTORY DEPARTMENT HOSTS 2nd
ANNUAL
“EVENING WITH YOUNG HISTORIANS”
On April 10, 2007
the Department of History
hosted an “Evening With Young Historians,” a public symposium organized
to provide students with an opportunity to present the results of their
senior thesis research to the larger ENC community.
As can be seen from the titles below, the papers that made up the
program were extremely diverse in scope. However, each
represented the
culmination of each student’s work in history in ENC and all were
grounded in original sources. Where to find such sources, how to
read
them, and how to make the best use of them had been a primary
concern.
In the process the students focused on those questions they found
intriguing personally and the answers to which they hoped would
contribute meaningfully to a greater understanding of the world and
their place in it.
Blake Marshall
“Uncle Joe”: Senator McCarthy’s Peculiar
Relationship With Robert F. Kennedy
Luis
Rodriquez
Ancestors of the Swift Running
Water: A Short Treatise on the Life and Contributions of Ponca
Chief Standing Bear
Justine
Twofoot
Fundamentalism vs. Modernism: The
United States Cultural Switch from a Traditional to a Liberal Society
Noreen
Anderson
A Look at the Change in Women’s Roles in
Society through the Change in Wedding Fashion
John
Sullivan
Defined by Protest: How the Emerging
Church Can Be Understood
Kevin
Uscinski
A Search for Heresy: Myths Concerning the
Spanish Inquisition
This new departmental event
was extremely well received in its first year and eagerly anticipated
this past year, suggesting that the evening is fast becoming yet
another of the many illustrious events that make up the yearly calendar
of the ENC History Department.
ENC STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL
CFH STUDENT CONFERENCE
ENC History majors
Kevin Uscinski (’07) and Anne Reilly (’08) delivered papers at the 2006
Conference on Faith & History Undergraduate Conference at Oklahoma
Baptist University in September.
Uscinski participated in a panel on “Millenarianism, Mysticism, and
Orthodoxy: Faith and Practice in the Spanish Empire” where his paper,
“A Search for Heresy: Myths Concerning the Spanish Inquisition”,
attempted to disprove the theory that the Spanish Inquisition had been
a tool used solely by the church to persecute Muslims, Protestants and
false conversos (Jewish
converts) in order to regain authority over religious faith in the
Iberian peninsula. Uscinski argued instead that the Inquisition
had been an institution both sponsored and supported by the monarchy
for the purposes of asserting and retaining political control over the
newly unified Spanish nation. His paper was extremely
well-received and generated significant conversation in the discussion
time that followed.
Anne Reilly delivered a paper entitled “It Takes a Woman: The Critical
Role of Females in the French Resistance, 1940-1944” in a panel on
“Defying the Swastika: Resistance and the Holocaust, 1933-1945”.
Reilly noted that women became favorite targets of the unofficial hunt
for collaborators following the liberation of France in 1944 but that
this characterization did not match the disproportionate contribution
by women to the French Resistance during the war. She went on to
argue that women played such an important role in the Resistance that
“without their support…the Resistance would have crumbled.”
Reilly’s paper proved quite provocative and received numerous positive
comments from members of the audience.
ENC
HISTORY MAJORS STORM WEST POINT
On April 21st, 2007 seven ENC history majors
traveled to the United States Military
Academy at West Point to
participate in the annual Southern New England Regional Phi Alpha Theta
Conference.  Students from 10 different colleges and universities
in the southern New England, New York,
and New Jersey area presented
papers on a plethora of topics and their rigorous scholarship,
thoughtful analysis, and energetic deliveries made for a wide-ranging
and extremely interesting conference. All in all, the day proved
quite successful for ENC as the school won a prestigious book award and
garnered numerous accolades for bringing the largest contingent of
students.
Blake Marshall, in “Mogadishu – ‘A Not So Splendid Little War’” argued
that the United States failed to fully understand their enemy during
“Operation Restore Hope” which led to a civil war and created an
“international quagmire”. He went on to suggest that the theories
of a variety of military analysts as well as the “Western war of war”
thesis might be of relevance in the “context of current military
operations in Iraq” as well as with other forms of “unconventional
warfare” in the future. Persuasively delivered, Blake’s paper
received a unanimous vote among the members of the award jury and went
on to win a coveted book award for best paper.
Luis Rodriguez’s paper entitled “Ancestors of the Swift Running Water:
A Short Treatise on the Life & Contributions of the Ponca Chief
Standing Bear” explored the often complex and violent relationship
between Native Americans and the United States government in the late
1800s. The 1877 court case involving the little known Native
American chief Standing Bear proved to be the first time in American
history that a court of law recognized Native Americans as human beings
who could legally challenge their detentions on US reservations.
Rodriquez went on to show that this event also served as a catalyst for
both increased awareness concerning injustices towards Native Americans
on the part of the American public and increased assimilation of Native
Americans as they moved further under the umbrella of American
jurisprudence.
 Cameron Young delivered a paper entitled “The
Dixiecrat Experiment: The
South’s Bolt from the Democratic Party in 1948” which noted that while
the White South voted for the Democratic Party for nearly a century
following the Civil War, many Southerners had become disenchanted as
the national party began to support a civil rights agenda in the late
1940s. When thirty-five southern democrats walked out of the Democratic National Convention and organized a
separate party under J.
Strom Thurmond in 1948 the schism proved complete. Over the next
two decades the Republican Party gained ascendancy in the South and
permanently transformed the political landscape of the region.
Passionately presented, Cameron’s paper in the end narrowly missed out
on winning a book award of its own.
Besides these
three presenters, fellow ENC students Emily Dunham, Josh
Burley, Brian Campbell, and Jeremy Stanford attended the conference and
ENC’s PAT faculty advisor, Prof. Carla Lovett, coordinated a panel of
three papers entitled “Modern Europe” which received numerous
compliments for the manner in which it was moderated.
It should also be noted that Prof. Lovett’s successful involvement with
ENC’s Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society over the past few years
(in which ENC students have won book awards at every conference)
resulted in her being selected for the 2006-2007 edition of Who’s Who
Among America’s Teachers.
Phi Alpha Theta is the national history honors society and provides
various opportunities for young minds to become both more deeply
engaged in the study of history and more fully involved in the history
profession itself. It is open to students who have taken at least 4
history courses with a GPA of 3.1 or above in history, a GPA of 3.0 or
better overall, and are in the top 35% of their class.
HISTORY MAJOR ANNE REILLY STUDIES AT
OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Anne Reilly spent
the spring at Oxford University’s Wycliffe Hall. The Council
of Christian
Colleges and Universities’ (CCCU) Scholars' Semester program
provides honors students with the chance of a lifetime. As a Visiting
Student of  Oxford
University Anne and others gained full-access to the Bodleian Library (opened in
1602), all Faculty Libraries, and the library at Wycliffe Hall, and
attended lectures and tutorials. In
addition to their course work, many
students, Anne included, participated in College clubs, and
societies.
Anne described some of her experiences on her student
blog:
"I attended my first lecture on January 16. We have to attend
four
lecture series during the term. I decided which lectures I would
attend: New Perspectives on Victorian Culture and Society; London:
Economy, Politics and Society, 1500-1720; Literature and History; and
Society, Nation and Empire, 1815-1914. I am also attending the
annual
Slade Lectures. This year the topic is English Gothic Art and
Architecture before the Black Death.
For fun I am
singing in the Oxford Student Chorus, which meets in the Oriel College
Chapel. We will be performing Faure's Requiem and Cantique de
Jean
Racine at the end of term. I also attend the weekly meetings of
the
Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Every Thursday they sing through
one of
the operettas. So far we have done HMS Pinafore and Patience, which
were both a lot of fun. The other members are so talented that it's
almost like being at a real performance! Continuing with my
practice
of trying different churches, I attended the University Church of St.
Mary the Virgin last week and the Magdalen College Chapel today.
I
really enjoyed the latter because it was the first service I've been to
in Oxford with a boy's choir." Read more.
Read Melody Anderson's
story about Anne on the ENC web site.
UNFORGETTABLE EUROPE: MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME
by Kate Brule
 When
I first heard that Professor Carla Lovett offered a summer course on
the history of the European Union, the idea of a three-week long
backpacking trip to some of Europe’s greatest cities (London, Paris,
Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna, Venice, and Rome) seemed terrific all
by itself. So I signed up expecting to gain a college credit and
some unforgettable memories. Now having returned, I can say that
I did walk away with
countless memories, and the class is
listed on my college transcript; but I also gained new perspectives
that will change me forever. . . read the rest of
Brule's piece.
ENC INTRODUCES 2007
The Department of
History is pleased to introduce Blake Marshall, Jeremy Stanford, and
Cameron Young as the newest inductees into ENC’s chapter of Phi Alpha
Theta, the National History Honor Society. Congratulations!
USCINSKI RECEIVES
DEPARTMENT’S MOST OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD
The Most
Outstanding Senior Award is given annually by the faculty in the
Department of History to the student best displaying the following
characteristics: high academic performance, individual growth in the
discipline, research achievement, and potential for future
contributions  to the field of history.
Kevin Uscinski is an intellectually gifted young man and his academic
achievement at ENC has been exceptional. He was inducted into the
History Honors Society as a sophomore and proof of both his growth in
the discipline and research accomplishments came when he was invited to
deliver his first professional paper, entitled “A Search for Heresy:
Myths Concerning the Spanish Inquisition”, at the biennial meeting of
the national Conference on Faith & History at Oklahoma Baptist
University this past September.
This paper was very well received by faculty, and apparently by fellow
students as well; for the rest of the conference I either found Kevin
engrossed in deep conversation with some expert in the field of Spanish
history or totally surrounded by college-aged women hanging on to his
every word!
Over the summer Kevin continued his research on this topic for his
senior thesis which resulted in a second conference invitation – this
time to the 2007 Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Conference held at the
West Point Military Academy two weeks ago.
Besides being an exceptional student, Kevin contributed significantly
to the betterment of the ENC community during his tenure here – in
addition to other responsibilities, he has served on the SGA Council,
as an SI leader for Western Heritage, and as President of the History
Club.
Needless to say, the Department of History at Eastern Nazarene College
is very proud to present Kevin Uscinski with two heavy tomes and a
substantial amount of money – otherwise known as our 2007 Most
Outstanding Senior Award. Congratulations!
2007-08 ENC
HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP
RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED
 Matt
LeBlanc, a senior from Templeton, Massachusetts has been awarded the
Charles Todd Caldwell Memorial Scholarship for 2007-2008. Sgt. Todd
Caldwell, an ENC History major in the Class of 1989 and a member of the
115th Military Police Company, Rhode Island National Guard, was killed
by a roadside mine south of Baghdad, Iraq on September 1, 2003. His
friends and family set up a scholarship in his honor. It is awarded to
a deserving upper-class History major.
Josh Burley, a junior and also from Templeton, Massachusetts, has been
awarded the Kyung and Jung Kim Scholarship for 2007-2008. ENC Class of
2004 graduate Jonathan Kim established the scholarship in honor of his
parents for a deserving History major who is also active in student
ministries.
HISTORY CLUB EVENTS, 2006-2007
HISTORY CLUB ENJOYS ACTIVITY-FUELED YEAR
Under the auspices
of its capable council members (Kevin Uscinski, President; Matt
LeBlanc, Vice President; Anne Reilly,  Scribner;
Cameron Young,
Treasurer; Blake Marshall, Member of Parliament; and Prof. Carla
Lovett, Faculty Advisor) the 2006-2007 History Club produced a full
slate of exciting activities enjoyed by young freshmen and old seniors
alike.
In September the Club kicked off the year with its annual Freshman
Welcome BBQ at the home of Professor Donald Yerxa. This event is
always a hit as the entire department comes out (of curiosity and en
masse) to meet the newest members of the history major.
In October the History Club reached an important fundraising milestone
by earning over $500 at the annual ENC Homecoming Weekend Street
Fair. The wonderfully delectable results of Beth Stephens’ (wife
of Dr. Randall Stephens) culinary efforts proved irresistible to
visitors and worth their weight in coin to the hardworking and
energetic History Club salesmen and women who manned the booth.
In addition, a number of musically talented and “hip” history majors
led by the “granola” Matt LeBlanc and “crunchy” Blake Marshall donated
their street performance earnings to the History Club coffers.
Lastly, the “Strike Out the Yankees” bean bag game proved a
money-making hit with the many loyal Beantown fans among ENC’s alums
November and December brought more gastronomic treats with the highly
festive departmental Thanksgiving Dinner and the end-of-the-semester
Christmas Reception. History majors worked off the calories in
advance with a couple of softball games against their (they hoped) less
sportive peers from other departments.
History majors survived the winter and heralded the coming of spring
with a continuation of the fully scheduled social calendar – a tour of
the Adams National Historical Park, movie nights and more softball
games. The year ended with both great mirth and sad farewells for
departing seniors at the annual Senior Banquet on May 2nd.
HISTORY CLUB COUNCIL, 2007-2008
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L-R: Jeremy Stanford, Emily Dunham, Cameron Young, Anne Reilly, Matt
LeBlanc,
Professor Carla Lovett (not pictured): Faculty Advisor
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