Professor Loughlin Presents Paper in Louisiana

Dr. Loughlin presented his paper, "French Antimilitarism from the Dreyfus Affair until World War I: Gustave Herve and the Affiche Rouge of 1905," to the Western Society for French History's Annual Conference in Lafayette Louisiana. The area around Lafayette contains one of the largest groups of French descendants in the United States and so was an appropriate backdrop for the conference.

Loughlin's paper was well received and the Cajun food reportedly good.

First Year Experience Students Celebrate Award Winners

HPJ First Year Experience students wrapped up their class today by awarding several members for papers that they turned in as part of the work for the class. (more to come)

Department Celebrates Professor Waters' Birthday

Faculty and students came together Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Dr. Robert Waters birthday in the second floor Hill Conference Room.

Waters teaches contemporary American History, as well as Latin America, African American, contemporary Africa, and Western Civilization.

Waters had to endure some good natured fun at his expense due to the landmark nature of this particular birthday (the nature of which is a closely held secret).

Happy Birthday Dr. Waters!

Professor Nsia-Pepra Presents Paper on U.S. Foreign Policy toward Africa

Dr Kofi Nsia-Pepra on November 6, 2010 presented a paper titled ‘America’s Militarized Foreign Policy in Africa- Backlash to Its Strategic Interests” at the International Studies Association Midwest Conference in St Louis, Missouri. The paper examined the inherent contradictions in US foreign policy of pursuing its idealist goals using realist mechanisms and the effects on its strategic interests on the African continent.

The paper argued that the US assumes that it can promote its objectives by securing human rights, human dignity, and international justice by advancing the respect of rule of law. However, instead of employing liberal mechanisms to achieve such idealistic ends, America employs realist mechanisms, especially the use of military force, to achieve its putative liberal goals, thereby undermining the attainment of those liberal ends.

In the post 9/11 era, America’s heightened, but selective, military involvement in Africa in the pursuit of its strategic interests has backfired due in large part to the inherent contradiction between the use of realist means to achieve liberal ends. To meet its strategic goals on the continent, it would be prudent for America to deemphasize “hard power” and heighten “soft power” in its foreign policy.

Weekend Seminar: The Salem Witch Trials

Students in Honors Seminar on "The Great Witch Hunt, 1450-1700" added to their knowledge of this dark but fascinating episode in the history of the Western world at a weekend seminar on "The Salem Witch Trials." This mini-seminar took place at the ONU Nature Center in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, on October 30-31.

Dr. John Lomax, who teaches "The Great Witch Hunt," led the students on an intense exploration of the witch hunting frenzy that took hold of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. He was assisted by Professor Ray Schuck, a specialist in public history and museum studies. The students at this seminar were Tracy Campbell, Clara Harrod, Nicole Heidelberg, Carolyn Lishawa, Bethany Miller, Kelly White, and Carol Wilson.

They read, discussed, and reported on documents from the trials themselves as well as seventeenth-century theological treatises on witchcraft, contemporary accounts and responses to the Salem witch trials, and modern scholarly studies of the trials. They discovered that the Salem episode is an excellent case study in the witch hunting ideology of the early modern era. At the same time, they found that it is necessary to consider factors that were specific to Salem and the colony of Massachusetts to account for size, velocity, and ferocity of the 1692 hunt.

The weekend was topped off with two films, the classic Arthur Miller drama "The Crucible," an account of the Salem witch trials that drew its inspiration from the hunt for Communists during the Red Scare of the 1950's. They also viewed "The Blood on Satan's Claw," a decidedly B-grade English cult horror film of the 1960's that nonetheless a smörgåsbord of the stereotypical traits of early modern witch hunts and modern ideas about witches, such as malicious magic, the pact with the devil, devil worship, demonic familiars, the witches sabbath, ritual murder, and cannibalism.

The weekend seminar took place at the ONU Nature Center, a study center established in 1989 through the generosity of The Hiller Family Charitable Trust. Academic departments, administrative units, and other groups at ONU regularly take advantage of the many features of the Nature Center, which include a modern study center with classrooms, laboratory facilities, display areas, lounge, dining area, a restaurant-quality kitchen, and lodging facilities for sixteen students. The Nature Center is on the historic Metzger farm, which has a fully renovated farm house to house faculty and visitors, a barn, a pond, and an archaeological site. Wayne and Carol King, who operate the facility for the university, always provide mounds of quality family style food for students, so it is best to go there hungry.

Every year, Professor Schuck conducts a Field School in Archeology on the site, at which students learn the basics of site preparation and excavation, the handling and identification of artifacts, and the proper storage and display of artifacts. Other Weekend seminars that HPJ has held there include Teacher Licensure Orientation, Film and War, Serial Killers, Hostage Negotiation, and Football on Film.

Students and Faculty Gather to Watch Election Results

Election night 2010 brought several students and faculty back to the Hill to watch the election results Tuesday night. Alpha Phi Omega, the Political Science honorary supplied the pizza and pop, and Dr. Jimmy Wilson chipped in with his homemade ice cream.

Civic spirit was on full display throughout the day, with students and faculty reminding each other to go out and fulfill their public duty by voting. Despite differing political views, the night remained good natured, with only minor skirmishes over whether to watch returns on Fox or MSNBC. The television generally remained on the more down-the-middle CNN, and aside from political triumphs or tragedies, a good time was had by all.

Mock Trial Kicks Off New Season

The ONU Mock Trial Program opened its 2010-2011 season traveling to (more to come). This year's team is young and struggled in their first test. Team 449 did come home with a Spirit of AMTA (American Mock Trial Association) Award, and Brandon Bryant won an Outstanding Witness Award.

Their next competition will be held at the St. Francis Invitational.