Category: News


Summersell Initiative in Public History Students Explore Options for History Majors

Archives, genealogy projects, museums, libraries — all of these are potential career paths for history majors, combining historical knowledge with technical skills and a love of the public. Drs. John Giggie, James Mixson, and Dan Riches , along with the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, have teamed up to create a track for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in public history. The Summersell Initiative in Public History is a year-long program: over the Fall 2016 semester, […]

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Dr. Lawrence F. Kohl to Retire

After 30 years in the University of Alabama’s Department of History, Dr. Lawrence F. Kohl will be retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. Dr. Kohl is known across campus for his courses on the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, however this was not the period he was trained in. In fact, Kohl says, “I never had a course on the history of the Civil War, ever.” Kohl’s graduate work was in Jacksonian America, but that wasn’t his […]

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GATE Students Visit Department

Last week, Dr. Teresa Cribelli welcomed third, fourth, and fifth graders from the Tuscaloosa County School System to ten Hoor Hall. Dr. Cribelli spoke to them about Brazilian history and culture, including Brazilian food and capoeira, the national martial art, and life as a university professor. The students were part of the Gifted and Talented Education (G.A.T.E.) Program. Mrs. Jodi Williams, a teacher with the program, noted that the children were learning about balances in world cultures and languages, and […]

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Department holds First-Ever Career Conversations Luncheon

Yesterday, the Department held its first-ever Career Conversations luncheon, and it was a huge success! Students enjoyed a tasty lunch and spoke with our professors, as well as experts in fields related to history: Christina McLellan, from UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts Art Museum; Megan Payne, UA Masters in Marketing/MBA programs; Tyler Roberts, UA pre-Law program; Pam Derrick, UA Experiential Learning program; and Tiffany Goodin, UA Career Center. Thank you to everyone who was involved!

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Beach Bash at the Southern

Last weekend, the UA History Department participated in the Southern Historical Association‘s first ever ‘Beach Bash’ at their annual meeting in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida. UA faculty, graduates and alumni joined other attendees for food and drinks on the beach. It was a terrific event to close out the conference, and a good time was had by all!  

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Career Conversations Lunch to be Held Thursday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. until Noon.

Ever wondered what you might do with a History degree? Are you thinking of majoring, but unsure of the career prospects? If so, you’ll want to join us next week! On Thursday November 10, from 11-2 p.m., in 251 ten Hoor, the History Department will host a drop-in “Career Conversations” lunch. We will have experts on hand to answer all of your questions. And of course, free food. Come on by whenever you can. Even a few minutes might make […]

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Congratulations to Dr. James Mixson, Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award

The History Department is proud to congratulate Dr. James Mixson, winner of the 2016 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award. This award is given by the National Alumni Association annually to four full-time faculty members whose work with students demonstrates an exceptional commitment to their students’ success, both inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Mixson is the department’s Undergraduate Director and beloved by undergraduate and graduate students alike. He is the department’s eighth faculty member to be so honored. Previous winners […]

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Dr. William E. French to Speak on “Love and Letters in Northern Mexico, 1871-1931.”

Dr. William E. French, an Associate Professor of History at the University of British Columbia, will deliver a talk on Oct. 24, at 5:15pm in ten Hoor 252, titled, “‘Dictated by my Heart:’ Love and Letters in Northern Mexico, 1871-1931.” The talk is open to the public and all are welcome. Light refreshments will be served before the talk in the Summersell Room (ten Hoor 251). Dr. French is currently working on a monograph on the 12-volume courtship diary of […]

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Three Department Alums Featured in New York Times Disunion Compendium

Department of History PhD alums Glenn Brasher (2007), Christian McWhirter (2009), and Larry Kreiser (2001) are featured in the newly released New York Times compendium, Disunion: A History of the Civil War. From the publisher’s dust jacket description: “Between 2011 and 2015, the Opinion section of The New York Times published ‘Disunion,’ a series marking the long string of anniversaries around the Civil War, the most destructive, and most defining, conflict in American history. The works were startling in their […]

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Doctoral Candidate Adam Petty Publishes Article in Alabama Review

Department of History Doctoral Candidate Adam H. Petty’s article, entitled “Latter-day Saint Beginnings in Alabama,” was published in the July 2016 edition of the Alabama Review. Petty’s article explores the beginnings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He examines John Brown’s (not the one of abolitionist fame) role as the first LDS missionary to preach in the state; the growth in LDS church membership despite strong opposition from critics, […]

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Department Celebrates George Rable’s Career

The History Department came together yesterday to celebrate the career of Dr. George C. Rable, who retired as the Charles G. Summersell Chair of Southern History last year. Dr. Kari Frederickson introduced the speakers, and moderated the symposium. Speakers included Dr. T. Michael Parrish, the Linden G. Bowers Professor of American History at Baylor University, Dr. John F. Marszalek, the Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University, and Dr. A. Wilson Greene, the Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park […]

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Presentation to Explore the Standardization of Mandarin

How did people in the early decades of the twentieth century learn to write and speak the national language in China? This roundtable presentation will feature Robert Culp and Janet Chen in conversation, to discuss how textbook editors, linguists, and educators tried to standardize Mandarin when it was in the infancy of its formation. The event will be held in rm 205 Gorgas Library at 7:00 PM, on Monday, October 10. For more information, contact Assistant Professor Di Luo.

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George C. Rable Symposium to be Held October 7, 2016

Join the Department of History as we honor Dr. George C. Rable, Professor Emeritus and former Charles G. Summersell Chair in Southern History, on Friday, October 7, 2016, from 2-4 PM at the Bryant Conference Center. Guests will include: Dr. A. Wilson Greene, Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier and former president and CEO of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, a predecessor of the Civil War Trust. […]

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Loud Speaker Session: Latino & Hispanic Heritage Discussion With Dr. Juan Ponce-Vazquez, Assistant Professor, History Department

Dr. Juan Ponce-Vazquez, Assistant Professor, History Department, will be the speaker at the next Loud Speaker Session, which will focus on Latino & Hispanic Heritage. The Loud Speaker Sessions discuss the statement: “I am _______, therefore they think ________.” Loud Speaker participants explore the identities of the faculty, staff and students at UA. Where: Intercultural Diversity Center When: October 5, 2016 @ 6:30pm Sponsored by Intercultural Diversity Center & the Hispanic-Latino Association

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