In Fall 2024, the Department of History welcomed a dynamic new cohort of history majors. Some were first-semester students just beginning their academic journey at BGSU; others had recently made the exciting decision to switch their majors to history. 

What united them all was their shared participation in our updated curriculum, introduced in Fall 2020. This curriculum is designed to build essential historical thinking skills while also preparing students for diverse careers in history and related fields. 

This semester, I had the pleasure of teaching HIST 1001 – The Historian’s Craft. One of our core class projects centered around the timely and provocative question: 
“Who Owns History?” 

Each student submitted a blog-style post, with the understanding that their work would be publicly shared through our department’s blog and social media channels. The results were impressive—thoughtful, well-researched, and deeply engaged. 

These posts reflect an extraordinary range of topics: from the looting of Jewish-owned art by the Nazis to the return of Native American cultural items, from the Benin Bronzes to contested holdings in the British Museum, and beyond. 

I’d also like to acknowledge our Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Morgan Goodchild, whose guidance and thoughtful feedback were instrumental to the success of this project. Offering TA positions to our advanced undergraduate students is just one way we create professional development opportunities within the department. 

Although it was difficult to narrow down the list, I’ve chosen to highlight a selection of first-year student essays that showcase both historical insight and moral imagination. 

Drawing on current debates and global headlines about the ethics of collecting, displaying, and returning historical artifacts, students explored complex issues such as cultural ownership, international law, and the repatriation of stolen or displaced items. After reading a variety of perspectives, they were encouraged to develop their own arguments and choose a specific topic that resonated with them. 

What’s Next? 

Over the coming weeks, our department blog will feature one student essay at a time in our new Student Spotlight series. We invite you to read, share, and reflect on the meaningful questions these students are asking about history, identity, justice, and cultural memory. 

Stay tuned for our first Student Spotlight post next week! 

Thank you for supporting our students and celebrating the next generation of historians. 

— Dr. Casey Stark