The Department of History recognized the many accomplishments of its graduate students at last week’s Fall Welcome!

Best TA: Jack Lawrence

Jack consistently performed at a high level in Dr. Brooks’ Fall 2023 course HIST-3062 Ohio History. As Dr. Brooks faced health issues, Jack went to unexpected lengths to assist. 

Jack demonstrated solid teaching skills, delivering a 75-minute lecture/discussion and managing to present all of the day’s content almost down to the last minute. He provided numerous suggestions to improve the course, and his feedback on individual class sessions was extremely helpful. Jack always maintained an upbeat demeanor and had a great rapport with students. Finally, Dr. Brooks was impressed when Jack diagnosed a problem with Dr. Brooks’ clothes dryer, drawing on information he gleaned from his family’s appliance repair business, but Dr. B does not expect all TAs to diagnose appliance problems! 

Best Graduate Student Departmental Citizen: Emily Shaver-Kay  

Emily led the History honorary Phi Alpha Theta (PAT) as its president and organized field trips and other events for the participants. She volunteered to help Drs. Mancuso and Challú with recruitment activities for MA, such as the webinar, she was a judge for the annual Ohio History Day contest, attended most departmental events, and assisted with the 2023-2024 faculty Hiring Committee by attending guest lecture. We appreciate Emily’s contributions to the Department!

Best Research Paper: Shelby Vasko

Shelby was nominated by Dr. Mancuso for her paper “Legacies of Vampires and Voodoo Queens: The Casket Girls, Marie Laveau and the Impact of Ghost Tours and Public Spectacle” (5820: French in North America) 

Vasko pieced together stories of these women of early New Orleans who lived on the margins. Bulk of her paper analyzed how the memory of these women has been warped, as they are now associated with satanic ritual, vampirism, and hauntings. Despite attempts to counter such myths, “dark” tourism remains lucrative, and thus perpetuating the stigma of women on the margins, historically and today.

Best Public History Capstone: Samantha Davis

Nominated by Dr. Dong for her public history course, Samantha created “Who is Naya? A Reflection on Art, History and Diversity.” In addition to her training as a public historian, Samantha is a talented artist, with her drawings playing a prominent role in the public history projects she creates.  

Best Thesis: Peter Strzempka 

“Contradictions Between Words and Deeds: The Church and Slavery in Italy, 600-800 C.E.” Advisor: Dr. Stark.

In his thesis, Peter analyzes the role of the Church in the institution of slavery between 600 and 800 C.E. in a comparative analysis of hagiography, councils, letters, and legal codes to assess this discrepancy of what the Church said and what the Church did, namely the idealized free Christians from slavery while simultaneously continuing the practice. To complete the project Peter had to learn new methodologies particular to the study of Medieval history, and his thesis was selected for the award for its deep familiarity with his sources, and for its contributions to the current scholarship on this topic.