Author: Cody Johnston, senior in the History major

Editor: Brittany Von Kamp, second year student in the M.A. in History

This is a public presentation written as part of HIST4001, Professional Practices in History and HIST4804, Seminar in Diplomatic and Military History.

The Korean War was the first time that the Cold War turned hot. This was due to the increasing tensions between the Capitalist and Communist superpowers of the world after WWII. In fact, this war is one of many firsts. The Korean War is the first proxy war that the United States engaged in. It was the first time that the United Nations (UN) had held a role in a military capacity. These were unprecedented times. Marred by the numerous and complex geopolitics of Asia during the 1950’s, coupled with fears of the conflict escalating to a nuclear holocaust, the Korean War is one that was controversial from the outset. Despite the fear of communism spreading across the United States, the American public did not have much support for the Korean War and it’s goal of containing communism.

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Author: Journey Martin, senior in the History major

Editor: Brittany Von Kamp, second year student in the M.A. in History

This is a public presentation written as part of HIST4001, Professional Practices in History and HIST4805, Seminar in Political and Economic History. 

“Globalization” is a popular topic in political discussions today. Countries today face the growing pains of an increasingly interconnected world. More than ever politicians and theorists debate what a globalized world and global economy should look like in the 21^st century. When facing the challenges and crises of increasing globalization, it may be beneficial to observe the history of organized and long-distance trade. The Silk Road (and its maritime partner) is well known to those who have studied world history, as is the European expansion and colonization of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Were these prior examples of “world-economies?” Has globalization taken place prior to these centuries? Historians have competing theories on how the modern world-economic system was developed.

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Author: Kaitlin Osborne, senior in the History major

Editor: Brittany Von Kamp, second year student in the M.A. in History

This is a public presentation written as part of HIST4001, Professional Practices in History and HIST4413, Roman Social & Cultural History.

“Was religion important to the average Roman woman?” Better yet – “Were women important to the practice of religion?” These questions might appear to invoke a simple answer, but that is unfortunately not the case. You might find yourself asking “Why?” Well, that is because there is only a limited amount of available information about the life of women in Rome, especially in regard to specific themes such as religion. This problem is only worsened by the fact that much of ancient and modern scholarship was written by and about men, which obviously presents its own set of biased issues. What we do know is therefore drawn upon a mix of epigraphic (inscriptions such as those found on public memorials and tombs) and literary sources from the ancient world that only begin to shed light on women’s religious participation in both the private and public realms of ancient Roman society. With that in mind, the cultural and historical significance of women’s lives and experiences in ancient Rome, especially in regard to religion, really cannot be overstated. This article thus presents a brief discussion on the positive impact of religion on women’s lives as well as the importance of women’s religious participation and involvement.

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By Max Daugherty, History senior.

This is a public presentation produced in HIST4001, Professional Practices in History.

“What will the end of the world look like?” It’s an uneasy question, but most of us have thought it. Today, we may draw on modern popular culture to think about it and imagine zombies overrunning the world. We may draw on scientific predictions or science fiction and imagine natural disasters one after the other. Or we may gain inspiration in prophecies about Judgement Day. All these answers have one thing in common: they are stories that encode the experience, wisdom and feeling of a culture and pass it on from one generation to another, and sometimes one place to another, one culture to another. This article is about one of these stories that survived the test of time. This story begins in ancient Scandinavia or what is now known as Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

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