Last Day of Classes, Let's Play Games

On Friday, the last day of classes, we got together in the Friedsam Library to play some games.  Everyone seemed to need to have some fun before finals.  Fueled with pizza, we played a bunch of games, including Risk, 1775, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, and a few others.

Two Upcoming History Club Events

The History Club will be holding a trivia night on Thursday December 1st, in La Verna at 7 pm.  The trivia will include five rounds of general history, geography, sports, pop culture, and St. Bonaventure history and teams of three will be competing for prizes. The prizes are gift cards to Randy's, Domino's and Applebees.

Need to unwind, destress, and recharge before finals?  Join us for board games (and maybe other games) December 9^th, the last Friday of classes, starting at 3 p.m.  We’ll be in the lower seminar room next to the University Archives in Friedsam Memorial Library.  Pizza and soda will be available.

SBU at the Robert H Jackson Center

Great evening and thanks for encouraging a great turnout. All were extremely pleases. Onward and upwards. Greg

St. Bonaventure, Jackson Center Form Partnership

By Katrina Fuller kfuller@post-journal.com

The brown and white banner of St. Bonaventure adorned the front of the Robert H. Jackson Center auditorium Thursday night in honor of a special occasion.
The center opened its doors and welcomed a guest panel of St. Bonaventure faculty and staff along with a well-known student from the area to give a little insight into the St. Bonaventure way at an open house event. The open house highlighted the partnership that has recently developed between the two organizations.
The partnership agreement was signed in May which allows St. Bonaventure students and staff to access the Jackson Center archives. Also, history courses will be developed based around the use and analysis of the Jackson archives. A technological link will also be developed between the two entities, and an internship is being planned to help the Jackson Center increase its digital archive capacity.
Currently, Phillip Payne, history professor, is holding a historical methods course in which the students are using the archives.
"It's a small step," he said, adding it is a good way for the students to become involved in using the archives.
The panel featured Payne; Tim Kenney, athletic director; Pauline Hoffmann, Jandoli School of Communications dean; Taylor Rosenburg, admissions counselor; and Cameron Hurst, journalism major and graduate of Jamestown High School. Greg Peterson, Robert H. Jackson Center co-founder, moderated the panel and introduced the guests.
"We are so glad to have this open house with St. Bonaventure University," Peterson said.
He said he was thrilled to see that a portal to four-year education has been opened to downtown Jamestown.
Andrew Roth, St. Bonaventure University interim president, said he is excited to see the possibilities of the partnership unfold.
"It's a fascinating facility and absolutely rich in educational and intellectual potential if we can think our way through how to use the archives," Roth said. "I'd like to thank Greg for the evening, and I look forward to your visit to campus in week or so as we continue to figure out how to cooperate and collaborate with one another to enrich the life of the Southern Tier of Western New York."
Discussion from the panel ranged from the upcoming basketball season to how the partnership could offer a variety of opportunities for students and the community in the future.
Kenney said there is such a thing at St. Bonaventure called the "St. Bonaventure Bubble," that many people don't leave, but this partnership will encourage movement and sharing.
"We're looking to do more," he said.
Hurst said his experience at St. Bonaventure has been amazing and he is thrilled the partnership has come to his hometown. He said he can't explain the feeling that St. Bonaventure brings to his life.
At the end, the panelists offered one word that summed up why a student should consider attending St. Bonaventure University which included the words, "Opportunity, experience, faculty and community."
Payne said his thoughts echoed those of his colleagues.

"It's not just about the academics," he said. "You think about (the students) as people."

THATCamp photos

Here are some pictures from yesterday's THATCamp.  We had a lot of fun and learned a great deal.  Brian Mayer's presentation on games and his participation in the sessions added a lot.

Introducing New History Major: Jacob Keenan

My name is Jacob Keenan and I am a freshman history major attending St. Bonaventure University. I am from East Aurora, New York which is up near Buffalo, I have an older sister, and am the first in my direct family to go to a four year college. I attended Iroquois High school where I did very well in history which when compounded with my interest in the subject compelled me to major in it. My favorite topic of study is world military history from 1700-1918 or colonial military history (Napoleon, Washington, Clausewitz, etc.) I am a member of Army ROTC along with fellow history major Will Zimmer, and also intend to pursue military career. 

Introducing New History Major: Theresa Rabia

My name is Theresa Rabbia and I am a freshman history major at St. Bonaventure University. I am from New Hartford, New York and I have 5 siblings. I am most interested in European History based in the 18^th to 19^th centuries. My goal for the future is to use my history major in order to go into law. I have always been interested in history and I chose it to be my major because it is important to learn about the past in order to have a better understanding of the future. I believe that being a history major will make me more opened to the world around me.

Introducing New History Major: Brendan Fischer

My name is Brendan Fischer. I am from a small town near New York City called Cornwall. In high school I played baseball and that was pretty much my life. I also coached a little league team in my town in my spare time during the season. I loved baseball my family and hanging out with my friends. The reason I chose to be a history major is because of my love for learning about the history if the world. I always had special interest in ancient world history and what took place in those times as well as ancient Greek and Roman mythology. I honestly don’t know what I want to do with a history degree but I knew that I wanted to further my knowledge of the history of the world.

Introducing New History Major: Joe Gardner

My name is Joseph Gardner and I’m from a small town in upstate NY called Mexico. What made me want to be a history major was my love for history growing up. Living in central NY I was only a 15 min drive from a revolutionary war fort, Fort Ontario. Seeing history only miles from my house was so neat and mesmerizing to me. Perhaps this is the reason that my Favorite subject is the American Revolution I was also fortunate enough to visit the Louvre Museum in Paris, seeing all the things that I read about in textbooks and watched on History channel doubled my love for history. My future plan is to obtain a minor in secondary education and go on to teach US history or Global history to High Schoolers After that I plan to continue my education to eventually become a professor and teach in universities.

Introducing New History Major: Will Zimmer

My name is Will Zimmer and I'm a freshman history major who is also in the ROTC program.  I am from the small town of Lima which is south of Rochester.  I went to Honeoye Falls-Lima High School.  When I was five I learned about the Battle of Gettysburg and since then I have had a interest in history.  My favorite topic in history is American History, but my main interest is military history.  My plan at St. Bonaventure is to complete my four years of ROTC and have a military career. 

THATCamp Reminder

You can still sign up for our THATCamp (http://bonas16.thatcamp.org/) that will be Tuesday, Oct 25.  We begin at 9 a.m. with a presentation by game designer Bryan Mayer on the role of game design in curriculum.  Following his talk, we will be the unconference portion where participants propose sessions allowing colleagues to learn collaboratively from each other. 

So far, participants have expressed interest in the following topics when they signed up.

Using games in the classroom

Having student design games

(These open the door to team work, group work, iterative design, and using play/fun in the classroom.)

Composition and writing in a digital medium

Data and data visualization

Digital Maps and GIS

Collaboration using software such as OneNote and SharePoint

Getting Started

Online genealogy

Social Media in the classroom

This is a relaxed, collaborative environment.  We are providing food and snacks.  We will also have copies of Mayer’s game and book to give away as door prizes.

More on teaching with games

The latest episode of Teaching in Higher Ed has an interesting interview with Keegan Long-Wheeler on using games for teaching but also for professional development.  Maybe we should play Goblin.  It could be fun.

Introducing New History Majors: Jack Cassidy

My Name is Jack Cassidy and I am freshman history major at St. Bonaventure this year. I live in Rochester, NY, and went to Penfield High School. I have always been interested in history and that interest expanded when I entered junior year and I met my history teacher. His passion for history really got me into the subject. I’m really interested in early American history because the events of the late 18th century and early 19th in America can be so relevant today. I also plan on minoring in Law and Society ultimately with the goal of going to law school.

Introducing New History Majors: James Zagarrio

My name is James Zagarrio and I am from Lancaster, New York. I attended Lancaster Central High School. I have always had a love for American history, especially after completing my senior year courses: Participation in Government and Economics. My teacher’s passion for history inspired me to further explore my interest in the subject. My favorite history subject is United States history after 1776. During my time here at St. Bonaventure I plan to also minor in Secondary Education so I will be able to inspire a love for history in high schoolers as my teachers did for me.

The Future of History

In the spirit of our upcoming THATCamp, check out this TEDx talk on the Future of History.

Bonas 16 THATCamp has a Facebook page

We've now got a Facebook group for folks interested in our THATCamp.

People's Forum on the American Presidency

For those in the Buffalo area, Dr. Payne will be participating in The People's Forum on the American Presidency at Daemen College.  It is a panel followed by a public discussion.  He'll be discussing Warren Harding (who else) but the event also includes Peter Onuf on Thomas Jefferson, Charles Lachman on Grover Cleveland, and John Milton Cooper on Woodrow Wilson.  It promises t be a lively way to put the 2016 presidential election into historical context.

history hits you in the face

This is the Dice Tower review of Freedom:  The Underground Railroad board game by Brian Mayer who is our speaker for the THATCamp.  We'll be giving some away as door prizes. This one is "actual eductainment."

THATCamp Bonas 16

We're hosting a THATCamp on Oct 25.  This is an outgrowth of the digital and public history projects we've been working on with Dennis Frank and the folks at the Friedsam Memorial Library.  The web page up that we'll be adding more information as we go along.  You can register for it here.

Because Dennis and I are involved and because we've been exploring gamification and game design in the classroom, we're kicking things off with a talk by Brian Mayer who is an educational game designer.  You can see his work here.

A THATCamp is an unconference.   The rules of an unconference are (1) have fun, (2) be productive, and (3) stay collegial.  The rules explained:

Unconferences are about you, the participants, proposing sessions that you explore with fellow participants with similar interest.  All disciplines are welcome.  Technology is broadly defined.

Teaching Bonas History

There is a nice article in today's Chronicle, Why a College Should Teach Its Own History, that is worth reading.  We don't teach a class on St. Bonaventure's history, but students in students who take public history, digital history and history internship often spend a lot of time working in our archives telling the history of Bonas.  It's a great way to learn something about their school, do original research, and learn some of the skills of public and digital history.

Dr. Robbin's Essay

This post is a little behind.  We've already put this on Facebook, but we should also make sure readers of the department's blog have seen Karen Robin's excellent essay, "Sorry, but the `Pursuit of Happiness,' Doesn't Mean What You Think it Means," on the meaning of happiness on the History News Network.

Liberal Art Majors and Job Skills

The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting piece on a subject we have been giving a lot of thought to - liberal arts majors and careers.  In "Liberal-Arts Majors Have Plenty of Job Prospects, if They Have Some Specific Skills, Too" the point is made that gaining a few specific skills can greatly increase the chances of getting a good first job.

From the article:

The analysis can help defuse the debate over the value of a liberals-arts education versus a career-focused one, says Matthew Sigelman, chief executive at the job-market-analytics company Burning Glass Technologies. The company undertook the analysis as part of its continuing study of the job market.

"Employers really value soft skills that are the bedrock of a liberal-arts education," he says. But many employers are also looking for applicants with additional, specific skills, such as knowledge of Java or other programming languages, or proficiency with graphic-design tools like InDesign or Adobe Suite. "It’s not a matter of shutting down the classics department and turning it into a business degree," he says.

"Everything has a history."

James Grossman's op ed, "History isn't a 'useless' major," is worth a read.  He is the executive director the American Historical Association.  From the essay:

"All liberal arts degrees demand that kind of learning, as well as the oft-invoked virtues of critical thinking and clear communication skills. History students, in particular, sift through substantial amounts of information, organize it, and make sense of it. In the process they learn how to infer what drives and motivates human behavior from elections to social movements to board rooms.

Employers interested in recruiting future managers should understand (and many do) that historical thinking prepares one for leadership because history is about change — envisioning it, planning for it, making it last. In an election season we are reminded regularly that success often goes to whoever can articulate the most compelling narrative. History majors learn to do that."

Jason Damon named Ideal Bonaventure Man

Jason Damon was named the Ideal Bonaventure Man during commencement ceremonies over the weekend.  Congratulations to Jason.  Jason is well deserving of this honor.  His presence in the classroom will be missed but we're sure he has a bright future.

From the press release:
"Damon is described by history professor Dr. Joel Horowitz as “an extremely pleasant and hardworking individual who cares deeply about the world, his university and his faith. He is also a very thoughtful individual who combines that with great intelligence and curiosity.”

Damon, who completed his degree requirements in December 2015, has been living with the Franciscan friars at Mt. Irenaeus as a Mountain Companion and plans to enter the Postulancy of Holy Name Province in Silver Spring, Md.

Dedicated to the ideas of the Catholic Church and the Franciscan friars, Damon has been active in numerous Church-related activities on campus, many times taking on leadership roles. Damon spent two years as the men’s overnight coordinator for the Mountain and was active in Mountain Community Leaders as well as the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus, the SBU chapter of Students for Life, and as a Eucharistic minister."

Dr. Horowitz Bona Venture Interview

Joel Horowitz, Ph.D., said it was his college language requirement that gave him the idea to study Latin American history.
Horowitz, professor of history, plans to retire after 27 years of teaching at St. Bonaventure. He credited his trip to Mexico during his undergraduate career at the University of Pennsylvania to his love of Latin American history, specifically Argentinian history.
“It’s intriguing because there are real parallels with the United States as a country of immigrants, and I actually see the United States moving into a political situation that resembles Argentina, which is not a good thing,” Horowitz said.
He said while he will miss his students most during retirement, academia will still be in his future.
“I’m planning to write. I’m going to Argentina in September for a while, and I got invited to give a paper and do some research,” Horowitz said. “Eventually [my family and I] are going to move to the Boston area, and my goal is to write. I’ve got at least another book in me.”
Horowitz said he most enjoys teaching seminar courses in Latin American history because, “you actually get to deal with the students in a real way.”

Dr. Horowitz's Retirement Celebration

Arts and Sciences Expo

History Majors were again well represented at the Arts and Sciences Student Research and Creative Endeavors Exposition, a great event featuring some great work by our students.  You can check out pictures (better than my humble pics) on SBU's Flicker account where you will see history majors showing off their work in the digital and public history classes.

The games from the public history class were available for inspections - and play!  Below is a poster explaining the connection between the games and the Civil War research.

Our digital map of the cemetery, part II, as Carter Bunce (pictured below) and other students showed off our continuing development of that project.  

St. Bonaventure and Robert H. Jackson Center Embark on Public History Partnership

JAMESTOWN N.Y., May 5, 2016 — Grounded by similar principles, St. Bonaventure University and the Robert H. Jackson Center have signed an agreement to take advantage of each institution’s resources.

The collaboration will aim to enhance scholarly research, educational opportunities, advocacy, and expansion of Jackson’s legacy.

The Robert H. Jackson Center is a non-profit dedicated to promoting liberty under law through the examination of the life and work of Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson.

The center engages students of all ages, scholars, educators, national officials, and international dignitaries in analyzing contemporary issues of equality, fairness, and justice through the lens of Justice Jackson’s body of work.

The Jackson Center’s mission is to advance public awareness and appreciation of the principles of justice and the rule of law as embodied in the achievements and legacy of Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), U.S. Supreme Court Justice and chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. Jackson grew up in Frewsburg, just outside of Jamestown, N.Y., where the Jackson Center is located.

The Jackson Center “envisions a global society where the universal principles of equality, fairness and justice prevail.” St. Bonaventure adheres to three core values: discovery, community, and “a strong belief in the goodness of life and the God-given worth of every individual.”

“Our partnership with St. Bonaventure significantly augments our ability to initiate dynamic program and exhibit offerings, informed scholarship and research, educated discourse, and innovative collaborations engaging an ever-broadening audience,” said Susan Moran Murphy, executive director of the Jackson Center.

“We are thrilled at this opportunity to share resources and work together with St. Bonaventure to develop further academic and experiential opportunities for undergraduates and students aspiring to university study,” she said.
Jackson Center and university officials began talks in fall 2015 to learn more about each other and their respective missions. Ultimately, officials realized they could utilize each institution’s resources and form an educational partnership.

“Partnering with the Jackson Center is a great opportunity for our students,” said Phillip Payne, Ph.D., professor of history at St. Bonaventure.  “Not only do students get to study a pivotal historical figure, but they have the opportunity to do hands-on research and public history programming. We’re also looking to take advantage of technology to build an innovative partnership that will prepare our students for the world of the 21st century.”

Among the highlights of the agreement:

· St. Bonaventure students and faculty will have access to the Jackson Center archives, subject to donor restrictions and approval by the Jackson Center archivist, and the Jackson Center facilities to enhance education and scholarship associated with Jackson.

·  History courses will be developed to include use and analysis of the archives of Jackson.

·  The Jackson Center will take advantage of St. Bonaventure’s existing educational expertise in building public and digital history using the Jackson archives.

· St. Bonaventure students will utilize the Jackson archives to develop research projects and scholarly papers focused on Jackson and his legacy.

· St. Bonaventure and the Jackson Center will develop technological platforms to help link the two institutions. These initiatives will be directed by the Department of History, the archivist, library director, and the Office of Information Technology at SBU.

· Collaborative software will be utilized to digitally link the two institutions.

· Student work will be posted and shared with the Jackson Center.

· An internship will be planned to assist the Jackson Center in increasing its digital archive capacity.

· The university’s Friedsam Memorial Library will increase its archival capacity to accommodate the Jackson archival material, the ownership of which will be retained by the Robert H. Jackson Center, and academic research which results.

·         A collaboration of the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication with the Jackson Center will be explored.

History Club hosts Trivia Night

On April 7th, the St. Bonaventure History Club hosted Trivia Night at Cafe La Verna. Over thirty participants from the campus community came to test their knowledge on several different history topics, including St. Bonaventure history. A special thanks to Professor Dr. Horowitz for being the MC of the event!

Dr. Horowitz asking the tough questions. 

A full house at Cafe La Verna.

Trivia champions Eddie, Jason & Tom. 

Minecraft Generation

 Last semester we played around (get it?) with Minecraft in Intro to Public History.  The New York Times Magazine piece The Minecraft Generation is an interesting look at how people interact with the game and what they learn from it.  I also like that the author places Minecraft in a historical context of children playing to learn.

Fall '16 Course Offerings

Next fall semester we're offering some interesting courses of note.  Dr. Schaeper is offering a special topics course in European History, Dictatorships and Democracy.  That is certainly a topic of some relevancy.   Dr. Robbins is offering History 401:  Colonial American History, always a fascinating topic especially during an election year as politicians evoke America's origin story.  Professor Dalton's Modern China class will be interesting, especially given the role China plays on the world stage.

Digital History returns to Cemetery digital map project

We're back at the SBU Cemetery project.  It's a work in progress that has been somewhat hampered by the weather.  We finally got something resembling a nice day and headed up to the cemetery to plot locations.  Next week we're talking about big data, maps, and, time allowing, georeferencing.

Summer 2016 Courses

This summer we're expanding our online courses.

Summer Session 1 we're offering
Payne, History 207:  Sports in American Society
Payne, History 475:  World War II
Dalton, History 360:  World History to 1450
Dalton, History 361:  World History since 1450

The two world history classes fulfill the Clare College World Views requirement.  History 207 is a survey of the social and cultural history of sports from the colonial times to the recent past.  History 475 covers the Second World War from a variety of perspectives.

Summer Session 2 we're offering
Robbing, History 201:  United States History to 1865
History 201 is the first half of the U.S. history survey and fulfills the Clare College Western World requirement.

Trivia Night with Dr. Horowitz sponsored by the History Club

The History Club on campus will be holding a trivia night Wednesday April 6th, in La Verna at 7pm. The trivia will include five rounds of general history, geography, sports, pop culture, and St. Bonaventure history and teams of three will be competing for prizes. The prizes are gift cards to Randy's, Domino's and Applebees. The trivia night will be hosted by the honorable Dr. Horowitz. Don't miss out on the fun and pass the news of this great event to your friends.

#Bonas Payne talks about new book, importance of thinking about history

Feb 24, 2016 |

By Julia Mericle, ’17

A new book by St. Bonaventure University history professor Phillip Payne, Ph.D., frames the story of the 1929 stock market crash within the booming New Era economy of the 1920s and the bust of the Great Depression. 

“Crash! How the Economic Boom and Bust of the 1920s Worked” was released by Johns Hopkins University Press in December.

The book by Payne, chair of the Department of History, discusses the topic of speculation in economics, specifically explaining the 1929 stock market crash.

Payne said the idea for the book originated when he was talking to an editor at an American History Association meeting about the launch of a new series called “How Things Worked.” The meeting was shortly after the stock market crash in 2008, and Payne said his students were shocked so he talked about it in his classes.

The book is intended for an undergraduate audience and aims to make complicated stories understandable, according to Payne.

“A lot of effort went into making this book accessible, a book you can pick up and read without a deep knowledge of economics or politics,” Payne said.

Kevin Sidoran, a senior biochemistry major, is in Payne’s “United States History since 1865” class this semester.

“Dr. Payne is a storyteller,” Sidoran said. “He is able to segue almost any discussion or side comment, however irrelevant, to what we are covering in lecture, and he always pulls in little tidbits of background info to make the larger ideas more tangible and coherent.” 

Payne said he noticed many students are not interested in the topic of speculation in stock market crashes, but that it has real impact on their lives.

In the 19th century, bankers were just about the only ones following the stock market, according to Payne, but now the stock market is increasingly part of the economy.

Payne said he tells young people they need to think about history, especially in the turbulence of the modern economy, where people move from job to job. 

A major takeaway from the book, according to Payne, is that to get to that level of speculation, to get to where the economy gets blown up, people have to forget it happened before and convince themselves the current time is different.

“In 1929, they convinced themselves the stock market was a money making machine and it was never going to crash,” Payne said. “In 2008 they convinced themselves of this again.”

Payne said we are still dealing with many of the issues discussed in his book in the current presidential election, such as fallout from the 2008 crash and transitions taking place in the economy with technology and globalization.

In addition to Payne’s interest in economic history, his areas of research include Warren G. Harding and exploring how popular culture is shaped by politics and vice versa. He is the author of “Dead Last: The Public Memory of Warren G. Harding’s Scandalous Legacy,” released by Ohio University Press in 2009.

Learn more about Payne and the history department via the blog bonashistorydept.blogspot.com.

______________

About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things.  St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #5 best college value in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.     

Congress to Campus

SBU Alum and former history major James Walsh will be visiting campus.  From the press release:

James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.) and Richard H. Stallings (D-Idaho), former members of the U.S. House of Representatives, will visit St. Bonaventure University March 6-8 as part of the Congress to Campus program. 

The #CongresstoCampus duo will visit classes, be available for media interviews, and present a public forum on the 2016 presidential campaign, with a focus on global issues such as immigration, terrorism and trade. 

There are two major events to which students are invited:

1.       The Public Forum on the 2016 presidential campaign, with a focus on global issues such as immigration, terrorism and trade.

Monday, March 7, 4-5:30 p.m., Rigas Theater.  Tickets may be ordered by contacting the Quick Center Box Office 716-375-2494

2.       The Tuesday Lunchtime Forum on the Northern Ireland Accords as a model for negotiating peace in the Middle East

March 8, 11;30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., University Club ($3 for those without an SBU meal plan)

Gamification and the Civil War's 154th Regiment

More on humanities majors and careers

Mathew Sigelman in "Getting Past the Lazy Debate" makes some really good points, ones that students in Digital and Public history have heard.  It's worth reading.  He makes smart points about what employers are looking for and the relationship between liberal arts education and vocational skills.

From his essay:

"Or consider this: across the labor market, many of the jobs that are both fastest growing and in highest demand are those that bring together different skill sets, like marketing and data analysis, or graphic design and programming. Such positions, which have grown by 53 percent over the last four years alone, are often hard to fill because technically oriented training programs tend to be tightly focused. By contrast, these “hybrid jobs” require people who can bridge domains and synthesize ideas.

Liberal arts graduates may not have direct training in those domains, but the liberal arts live within the core framework of interdisciplinary synthesis and critical evaluation. That’s a world apart from more technically oriented programs that dispatch their graduates into the workforce with a fixed portfolio of skills that, while marketable, may be of fleeting currency. In fact, even within a given occupation, the core work activities can evolve quickly, rendering a “practical” program obsolete. In the fast-growing field of data analysis, the entire skill set has shifted over just a three-year span away from pure statistical computation to place much more emphasis on visualization and business analysis."

Sorcery Scares, Witch Hunts and Exorcism in Asian History

Chris Dalton is teaching Sorcery Scares, Witch Hunts and Exorcism in Asian History as our First Year Seminar in the Fall. The goal of the first year seminar is to offer a small class that introduces students to the discipline of history.  How do historians ask questions?  How do historians approach a problem?  What is historical thinking?  Professor Dalton's topic promises to not only be intellectually challenging but a great deal of fun.

Game Design Summer Camp

Gaming 

Let’s learn how to design and build a game!

Like games? Like playing games? In this camp, we’ll explore the principles of game design focusing on board games.

Games are all around us. The rise of computers and the internet has led to an explosion in gaming – obviously video and mobile games but also board games. It turns out gamers and the internet go together. Not only do we play games, but we use games to advertise, to get in shape, to learn, and the list goes on. The use of games for other purposes is called gamification.

Together we will answer these questions. What makes a game? What makes a game good? Fun? Interesting? Marketable?

• Instructor: Dr. Phillip Payne (Professor of History)
• Eligibility: Ages 10 and above (pre-college students). Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all spaces are filled.
• Location: TBA, on the SBU campus.

Value of an Education in the Humanities

Adam Frank in "What is the Value of an Education in the Humanities," makes interesting points about this new world we live in.  Not only has the economics of higher education changed, but we've reached a point where separating the humanities from technology isn't wise.  He writes:
"The point: The old barriers between the humanities and technology are falling. Historians now use big data techniques to ask their human-centered questions. Engineers use the same methods — but with an emphasis on human interfaces — to answer their own technology-oriented questions."  As you read the article he lists technologies, including GIS, that every student should know how to use.  

Video Gamers and History

The current issue of Perspectives on History, the news magazine of the AHA, has a story on video gaming and history.  In Backward Compatible:  Gamers as Public History Audience Robert Whitaker discusses the prevalence of historical themes in video games and bridging the gap between gamers and historians with let's play videos in a project he calls History Respawned.   Pretty cool.

Plassmann Writing Center

Making Better Writers!

Plassmann Hall, Room 6A

Monday 11:00am-4:00pm

Tuesday 11:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-5:00pm

Wednesday 4:00pm-7:00pm

Thursday 2:00pm-4:00pm

PWC @ Friedsam Memorial Library

Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30pm 

Wednesday 7:00pm-10:00pm

Thursday 8:00pm-9:00pm

Staffed by friendly graduate students in English, the Writing Center aims to help you develop skills and strategies for every stage of

the writing process that will enable you to write effectively

in a variety of situations and courses.

To make an appointment for a thirty-minute face-to-face session with one of our tutors, sign up on the bulletin board next to

our door in the basement of Plassmann Hall. For appointments at Friedsam Memorial Library, sign up at the reference desk!