News and Highlights
Phoebe Labat '19 Gives Lecture on Campus
On Thursday, October 17th, 2024 Phoebe Labat (History, Loyola '19) returned to campus to give a lecture on her current research in a talk titled "Race, Relief, and Rebellion: Navigating Natural Disasters and Slavery in the French Atlantic." Phoebe is a Ph.D. candidate at Brown University where her dissertation focuses on the intersections of race, slavery, trade, disaster and the environment during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
During her visit, Phoebe also met with current students. Steph Piscal (Class of 2026) reports on her experience at the lunch: "This week a group of history majors, from first years to seniors, had the opportunity to attend a lunch talk with Phoebe Labat. She answered student's questions and gave valuable insight into the graduate school application process, life as a Ph.D. candidate, building competitive resumes, and the various avenues available with a history degree. Our students also got to hear about her current research project and learn more about the research process. Thank you to Phoebe Labat for returning to Loyola and sharing her experience!"
Getting to know Phoebe Labat:
What are you doing now?
This year I am transitioning from researching to writing. Holding the Peter Green
Scholarship from Brown University's Dept. of History and the J.M. Stuart Fellowship
from the John Carter Brown Library, also enables me to continue traveling to the Caribbean,
including Louisiana, during the academic year. In 2025-2026, I am looking forward
to designing and teaching my own class about natural disasters in the Americas and
sharing my work at conferences.
How has your history major helped you on this path? How are you using your experience
as a history major?
My history major from Loyola has helped me at all stages of my graduate career--from
applications to facilitating seminars and researching abroad. Some of the most important
skills that I learned from my history professors were ones that also helped me beyond
my graduate coursework, including: reading critically, asking questions that deepen
my understanding of things, writing for different audiences, and making sense of large
amounts of information. I have used these skills as a teacher, as a conference organizer,
as a circulation associate at a public library, and as a traveler.
What advice do you have for current Loyola history majors?
I have three pieces of advice for current Loyola history majors. One: figure out what
you don't want to do. Cooking for campers, dissecting animals, writing letters to
urologists, planning office events, chopping down trees all seemed like the beginnings
of exciting career paths. I was fortunate enough to have opportunities to try all
these things; I figured out that none of these things were for me. I couldn't confidently
scratch off my list being a chef, biologist, pharmacist, HR representative, or forest
ranger until I had given each job a fair trial.
Two: learn a second or third language. Learning another language will open many doors in your personal and professional lives. Learning French has enabled me to travel and connect with people in Francophone countries, to draw on more archives for my research, and has made new worlds of cinema and literature accessible to me.
Three: Stay curious and ask questions. When you demonstrate your genuine curiosity about people and their passions or skills, then you will find lots of beauty in the world. Making personal and professional connections often comes from asking insightful questions of people who have knowledge, skill sets, creativity, or athletic abilities that interest and inspire you.
Congratulations to Dr. David Carey Jr., the 2023 recipient of the Nachbahr Award
Dr. Carey was honored at the Center for Humanities annual "Celebration of the Humanities" event with the Nachbahr award. The Nachbahr Award is given each year by the Center for Humanities to recognize Outstanding Scholarly Accomplishment in the Humanities.
Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt Elected Vice President of African Studies Association
Congratulations to Dr. Schmidt, Professor Emerita. Dr. Schmidt was elected Vice President of African Studies Association.
Whiteford Medal
Regan Kielmeyer was bestowed the 2022 - 2023 Whiteford Medal in History. The Whiteford Medal which is the most prestigious award of the History Department, is granted each year to a graduating senior history major who achieved an outstanding grade point average and whose written work holds promise of noteworthy contributions to historical scholarship. Congratulations Regan!!
Phi Alpha Theta 2023 Inductees
We would like to congratulate the 2023 Phi Alpha Theta Inductees: Frederick William Bradbury IV, Ryan Busby, Timothy J. Dias, Guillermo Diaz, Maya du Plessis, Alexis Faison, Elizabeth Gilmore, Amaris Makena Greene, Catherine May Grogan, Regan Kielmeyer, Lucy Marous, Maura McGowan, Gwen Doran O'Meara, Fletcher Wilson, and Anna Kathleen Young.
HS485 Presented Descendant Voices: Oral Histories and the Legacies of Slavery at Loyola
During Spring 2023, six undergraduate students participated in an oral history and philanthropy course (HS485). Each of the students conducted multiple interviews with descendants from the 272 enslaved men, women, and children who the Jesuits sold in 1838. Inspired by the generosity and expertise of these Black storytellers, the students will share their findings which range from the extent to which the descendants identify with the past and have confronted discrimination to the importance of family and education. Here is a recording of their presentations.
Dr. David Carey's Humanities Endowed Chairs Lecture
On February 24th, Dr. Carey presented his "Slavery and Its Legacies at Loyola University Maryland". The presentation was recorded and can be viewed at your leisure: recording
Welcome Back Ice Cream Social
Dr. Ross Interviews
This year one of the Counseling Center's public health initiatives is Gender Awareness, Inclusivity, and Health. Dr. Ross participated in some of the interviews on their webpage. Content includes topics such as Gender Awareness, Gender Inclusivity and Gender Health.
Congratulations to the 2022 Phi Alpha Theta Inductees
The following students were inducted into the Phi Alpha theta Honor Society on April 29th.
| Mitchell Bardsley | Lauren Bayer | Marissa Carlone | Zack Caruolo |
| Tom Hall | Maggie Hall | Drew Hill | Norah Foley |
| Sade Horsham-Chee-Wah | Sharon Houlihan | Zoe Lester | Michael L'Etoile |
| Brandon Lyda | Jackson Martin | Aaron Miller | Liz Murphy |
| McKinley Seaver | Claire Volz | Joshua Walker | |
Dr. Matthew Mulcahy's New Book
Dr. Mulcahy Co-authored Sea and Land.
Sa'ed Atshan presenting "Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique"
Professor Atshan of Emory University will be speaking on his book Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique on March 14, 2022 5:45pm in the Andrew White Student Center, 4th Floor Program Room.
Reclaiming Afghan Identity amid Taliban Restrictions on Women's Rights
Dr. Bahar Jalali, Visiting Professor in Middle East History, along with Oghentoja Okoh (Professor Of History), Janine Holc (Professor of Political Science) and Mary Kate Schneider (Director of Global Studies) engaged in critical conversation on the current situation in Afghanistan in a teach-in sponsored by the History Department, the Global Studies Program and the Political Science Department here at Loyola University Maryland.
Dr. DeVries discusses the 10th century Battle of Brunanburh
Along with Dr. Michael Livingston, this Podcast discusses the Battle of Brunanburh in this episode of Bow and Blade.
Dr. Schmidt published in the "Washington Post"
Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt, Professor Emeritus of History, has published an article in the Washington Post that places the recent cop in West Africa Republic of Guinea in historical context.
Dr. Jalali's Support of Women's Rights in Afghanistan
Dr. Jalali has been quoted and interviewed as an expert on the Taliban oppression of women in Afghanistan. Interviews with CNN
Former Student's Book Release
Dr. Lee Wilson, a former History Major and graduate of Loyola released her book Bonds of Empire.
Three History Majors Complete Internships
In Spring 2021, three History majors completed internships. Samantha Burnett interned virtually with the American Historical Association’s Communications and Marketing Department. Samantha worked on a membership recruitment project for the AHA, which is the main professional organization for historians in the United States. Christopher Linfante and Joseph Seminara interned with Archives and Special Collections at Loyola Notre Dame Library, where they worked on a collection of materials related to Father John J. Griffin, who taught at Notre Dame. Christopher processed the collection and wrote a finding aid and Joseph designed the physical exhibit. Together they also designed an online exhibit related to this collection.
Dr. Carey Interview
Dr. Carey was interviewed by Loyola Magazine on How to collect and record oral histories.
Dr. Okoh and Dr. Sandler host a webinar with Dr. Tiffany Florvil
On April 13th, Dr. Tiffany Florvil presented "Afro-German Activism in International Context.
Phi Alpha Theta Induction
Dr. Willeke Sandler held the 2020 - 2021 Phi Alpha Theta Induction on April 21, 2021. Alumni Phoebe LaBat (class of 2019) was a guest speaker. Please congratulate the 2020 -2021 Inductees:
Class of 2021:
Crystal Bahn, Brittany Bonin, Gillian Chambres, Mark Cojocaru, Matthew Cunniff, Geoffrey Ford, Neel Ghose, Megan Kaiser, Emily Robinson, Matthew Zamow
Class of 2022:
Daniel Ayd, Tyler Bluestone, David Chango, Gabriella Cirincione, Edward Fine, Stephen Kaiser, Christopher Linfante, Sachin Medler, Katie Metzgar, Emma Niles, Madison O'Donnell, Gabriel Pavia, Joseph Seminara, Luke Verdon, Patrick Waters
Class of 2023:
Duce Diaz-Alvaranga
Dr. Thomas Pegram consults on a new film about the Klu Klux Klan
Along with several other historians, Dr. Pegram provided on-screen commentary for a recently released Smithsonian Channel film entitled "The Klan Makes a Movie," which explores a mysterious 1920s movie made by the Ku Klux Klan. Documents in Pegram's possession provided critical evidence in the investigation.
Dr. Okoh's Collaboration with Baltimore Museum of Art
This past Fall (’20) Dr. Okoh collaborated with the Baltimore Museum of Art to enhance her classes’ exploration of matriarchy and kinship in the course –Gender and Power in Modern Africa. It was perfect timing that the exhibit –A Perfect Power– debuted just as they began this unit in the course.
Here is Dr. Okoh’s reflection on the success of this collaboration: Having access to the wide variety of images and objects in the exhibit really enriched our discussion by engaging how concepts of matriarchy were actually symbolized in many West and West Central African societies. This worked beautifully with the readings I selected on this topic and made the discussions much more vibrant. Most enriching was the opportunity to have Dr. Kevin Tervala, the exhibit’s curator, guest lecture and engage with the students. Attached to our discussion was a visual assignment that asked them to situate selected objects from the exhibit in the historical context we were learning about. At Loyola, we pride ourselves in engaging high impact teaching and learning practices. This was an excellent engagement with this pedagogical mission. Students not only came away feeling enriched, many were excited to engage historical thinking through this visual medium, having it anchor the more abstract concepts of kinship and matriarchy in material culture.IncorporatingA Perfect Power into this iteration of the course has expanded my own imagination for how to excite and challenge students in my history courses – courses that, on the surface, can be quite intimidating to prospective students. This was the most engaged iteration of this course, which I’ve taught three times in different settings. This is most surprising given the constraints of the current pandemic. I am most grateful for this experience
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2019-2020 Whiteford Medal & Whelan Medal
The History Department wishes to congratulate Jack Weeks for receiving the 2019-2020 Whiteford Medal in History. The Whiteford Medal is the greatest honor and most prestigious award of the History Department and is bestowed at graduation. It is granted to a graduating senior history major who achieved an outstanding grade point average and whose written work holds promise of noteworthy contributions to historical scholarship. In addition to the Whiteford Medal, Jack also was the recipient of the Whelan Medal, given to the graduating senior with the highest academic average. Congratulations, Jack!
2019-2020 History Essay Contest Winners
The History Department also would like to congratulate the winners of the 2019-2020 History Essay Contest. Congratulations to Nicholas, Kyra, Naylah, David, Vivian, Katie, Alexandra and Sam (twice)!
HS 100-Level Essay:
- First place: Nicholas Bosi, "Sex and Revolution in Rio De Janeiro: The Emerging Gay Community in Post-War Brazil." Written for HS 108D, The Making of Modern World: Latin America, Prof. Carey, Spring 2020.
- Second place: Kyra Atkinson, "The Call for Remembering the Forgotten." Written for HS 103, The Making of Modern World: The United States II, Prof. Pegram, Spring 2020.
- Third place: Naylah Perodin, "The Struggle to Assimilate." Written for HS 103, The Making of Modern World: The United States II, Prof. Pegram, Spring 2020.
Upper-Division Short Essay
- First place: David Traugott, “The Phillis Through the Eyes of the Slavers and Enslaved.” Written for HS 345, The Peoples of Early America, Prof. Mulcahy, Spring 2020.
- Second place: Vivian Nguyen, "The Cultural Endurance of VapoRub: Theories and Application of Humoral Medicine." Written for HS 422, Health and Illness in Latin America, Prof. Carey, Spring 2020/
Upper-Division Long Essay
- First place: Katie Metzger, "Betterment Planning: Destruction and Defiance." Written for HS 400, History Methods, Prof. Okoh, Fall 2019.
- Second place: Samantha Burnett, "Tuberculosis: An Agent of Apartheid". Written for HS 400, History Methods, Prof. Okoh, Fall 2019
Seminar Paper
- First place: Alexandra White, "About 'That' in Post-Communist Russia." Written for HS 478, Global Histories of Sexuality, Prof. Ross, Fall 2019.
- Second place: Samantha Burnett, "'The Child that Went with the Fairies': The Victorian Folklore of Disability and the Living Changeling." Written for HS 498, Histories of Intellectual Disabilities, Prof. Scalenghe, Spring 2020.
Alumni News
Two recent history majors know a thing or two about the history of disease and humanitarian outreach. While studying abroad in Ireland her junior year, Phoebe Labat (2019) became interested in a statue in the Irish countryside that commemorated a cash donation from the Choctaw Nation to help alleviate suffering during the potato famine. Thanks to a grant from Loyola’s Center for the Humanities, Phoebe spent a summer researching the history of the Native American-Irish connection and writing a paper which she presented on campus the following September. The subject of her research was in the news again this month, as the New York Times reported on Irish citizens repaying past kindness with donations to the different Native American nations as they struggle with Covid-19. “This kind of generosity is part of a larger history of reciprocation between Native American nations and Ireland,” Phoebe observed when we spoke with her recently. She noted that Irish citizens in Galway raised money for Choctaws in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. And activists from both sides of the Atlantic campaigned together for hunger relief in the 1990s. Phoebe is set to begin graduate work in history at Brown University next fall as a presidential fellow. Keenan Gibbons (2018) spent most of the year in Germany on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship exploring the history of medicine and infectious disease. Her interest in the topic began with her senior thesis at Loyola, which investigated the 1918-19 influenza epidemic in Baltimore. Among other issues, she traced the spread of the disease across the city by wards and explored how race factored in both the epidemic and its coverage in the press. “One does not need to look far to find similarities between the public health crisis in 1918 and the one outside our present doors,” Keenan told us. The newspapers are filled with similar stories, she noted: “Civilians sheltered in place, make-shift hospitals, public panic, and disparities in healthcare access. While the First World undeniably exacerbated the pandemic in 1918, I believe the lack of centralized federal public health infrastructure both then and now highlights a major obstacle we continue to face in the United States.” Although her Fulbright year was cut short by a few months, she spent seven great months in Berlin. Keenan will begin a Master’s in Public Health program in the fall.
History is not a Useless major: Fighting Myths with Data
The American Historical Association has an article on the benefits of being a History Major.
Dr. DeVries Web Series on Vanity Fair
In October 2019, Dr. DeVries along with Prop Master, Larry Zanoff, fact checked battle scenes from 'Game of Thrones', 'Gladiator', '300', 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', 'A Knights Tale' and 'Maximillian'. Each movie is analyzed for their historical accuracy and Use of weaponry. Check it out!
Washington Post Article
Washington Post has an article regarding the importance of Humanities Majors. The article specifies English majors, however there is also information regarding importance of Humanities majors and courses.
2019 Fall Publications
Dr. Ross's book was published this summer. Public City, Public Sex traces the relationship between prostitution, homosexuality, and urban change in nineteenth-century Paris.
2018-2019 Whiteford Medal Winner
The History Department wishes to congratulate Phoebe Labat for her receipt of the 2018-2019 Whiteford Medal in History! The Whiteford Medal is the greatest honor and most prestigious award of the History Department and was bestowed on Phoebe at graduation. It is granted to a graduating senior history major who achieved an outstanding grade point average and whose written work holds promise of noteworthy contributions to historical scholarship. Congratulations, Phoebe!
Congratulations to all graduating History majors! Here is a short article you might find useful: "Entering the Job Market with a BA in History."
2018-2019 Essay Contest Winners
HS 100-Level Essay:
- First place: Brandon Miller, “How Frederick Douglass’ Literacy Paved the Way to His Freedom.”
- Second Place: Glenn Prushinski, “Opinions of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt.”
- Third Place: Kayla Lipson, “Sentimental Families.”
Upper Division Short Essay:
- First place: Rebecca Vincent, "Stories of Selfhood and Solidarity: Exploring Women's Lives Throughout African Communities," HS 389D
- Second place: David Traugott, "The Southern Ideology that Led to the Civil War," HS 348
Upper Division Long Essay:
- First Place: Brandon Miller, “Frantz Fanon and Amilcar Cabral: Philosophies of Decolonization”
- Second Place (Tie): Rodlyn-mae Banting, “Preparing for Judgment Day: The Economics
and Moralities of U.S.-Regulated Prostitution in Colonial Manila (1898-1902)
Maureen O’Kane, “An Opportunity for Agency: Religious Syncretism and Gender in Colonial Mexico”
Seminar Papers
- First-place: Gavin Wolf, “The United States’ Cold War Misconceptions and its Consequent Effects on Southern Africa,” (Schmidt seminar)
- Second-Place: Phoebe Labat, “Order Overseas: Peace, Aristocracy, and Entrepreneurship in New France, 1672-1675,” (Brennan seminar)
Faculty News
- Dr. DeVries was interviewed by CTV Toronto News about the Game of Thrones. Military historians draw links in Game of Thrones.
- Dr. Robert Chiles will be talking about his new book on Al Smith on C-SPAN this Sunday. Here is a link to the information on the C-Span talk C-Span talk. Dr. Chiles Book, is The Revolution of '28 .
- Dr. Carey was interviewed by the Oral History Review about his recent book Oral History in Latin America: Unlocking the Spoken Archive. The interview can be read here .
- Dr. Pegram discusses prohibition and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in an interview with The History Channel. https://www.history.com/news/kkk-terror-during-prohibition.
- Dr. Willeke Sandler has written a new book: Empire in the Heimat.
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Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt has written a book, .Foreign Intervention in Africa after the Cold War: Sovereignty, Responsibility, and the War on Terror.
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Dr. Chad Diehl published an article "Lambs of God, Ravens of Death, Rafts of Corpses: Three Visions of Trauma in Nagasaki SurvivorPoetry." Japanese Studies 37:1 (2017): 117-138.
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Dr. Sara Scalenghe has written a new book: Disability in the Ottoman Arab World, 1500 - 1800 which won the 2016 Disability History Association Outstanding Book Award.
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