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.