Dear History Blog Readers,
The fall semester ended successfully for the history department in December and we are now excited to begin a spring term. I am taking a break from chair duties this spring as I take a long overdue sabbatical. During my time away, Professor Sean Stilwell will fill in (until I return in July). While I anticipate that the blog will lie dormant during this period, there may be some posts. Our social media presence on Twitter and Facebook will be maintained by the department’s social media intern, who will be overseen by Richard Watts and Sophia Trigg in the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office.
As we begin the new year, it is important to note that the history department remains a very busy place with lots of wonderful student work and impressive faculty research.
From the past few weeks, a couple of recent important developments are worth noting:
1) Professor Melanie Gustafson has published an impressive biographical article titled “Restless Lady: The Life and Writings of Frances Parkinson Keyes” in the online version of the New England Quarterly. What is important about this piece is that it was co-written with students who took her seminar on US Social History. The piece contains a prefatory essay on innovative teaching and showcases some of Professor Gustafson’s pedagogical skills. For more details, please follow this link:https://newenglandquarterly.org/2018/12/05/869/
2) Professor Alan Steinweis recently delivered the Ina Levine annual lecture at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In it, he discussed the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler by German cabinetmaker Georg Elser in 1939. Dr. Steinweis examined several aspects of Elser’s story: the background and motivation of the would-be assassin (including the question of whether objections to the persecution of Jews played a role); the Nazi regime’s responses to the assassination attempt; the debate in postwar Germany over the propriety of tyrannicide; and the relatively late emergence of a commemorative culture around Elser and his act. More details can be found here: https://www.ushmm.org/online-calendar/event/MALEVINELEC1218
Much more will be happening in the history department during the spring 2019 semester. Please keep on top of things by reviewing our website at: https://www.uvm.edu/cas/history
I wish you all well and urge you to continue to follow us in the months to come.
Best wishes and Happy New Year!
Paul Deslandes
Chair, Department of History
