Ezekiel Ayers , President of the Grand
Valley State Mock Trial Association was nominated for a Significant Impact Award for his dedication to the organization. The
Association provides students the opportunity to further better their skills in the fields of law, public speaking, and acting and does volunteer work within law schools in Grand Rapids. He has also been nominated for the “I am Grand Valley”
Award.
Ross Argir is attending Cornell University
Law School.
Ethan Cutler started the Library of Science graduate program at Wayne State University in the Fall of 2014.
Matthew Dashner started the University of
Michigan’s Master of Science in
Information Program in the Fall of 2014.
Sean Duffie (class of 2011; dual major in
Social Studies and Spanish) teaches World
History, US History, and Civics/Economics in the Spanish-Immersion program at Forest
Hills Northern High School. He is working on his M.Ed. in Spanish Curriculum and
Design through the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Jason Duram teaches Social Studies at
Grand Haven High School. He has just been named the high school’s new Head Varsity
Football Coach. He completed his Masters
Degree in Secondary Education at GVSU.
Josh Duram teaches Biology, Chemistry and History at New Buffalo High
School. He is the Head Varsity Wrestling
Coach and assistant varsity football coach.
He is working on his Masters Degree in
Educational Technology at GVSU.
Ralf Hugger started graduate school in
History at Central Michigan University in the Fall of 2014.
Katrina Maynes is in graduate school studying History at Cambridge University.
Alice Munday is studying abroad at the
University of Cape Town. She was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh's Masters of Library and Information Science program for next year. She works as a Peer Research
Consultant at Grand Valley's libraries, and worked on a Modified Student Summer
Scholars project with Professor Scott Stabler in 2013.
Xinyi Ou and Scott St. Louis were chosen as Cook Leadership Fellows at the
Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies.
This program gathers 40 up-and-coming leaders from the Greater Grand Rapids area, and pairs them with a mentor from the community. Fellows engage in critical questions of ethical leadership through seminars, luncheons, and discussions with local and world leaders.
Scott St. Louis completed an S3 project on digital archiving and history with Prof.
David Eick in modern Language titled
"Searching for Balanced Insight in the
Digital Humanities: Macroscopic and
Microscopic Reading of Citation Strategies in Diderot’s Encyclopédie , 1751-1772."
Sean Wright began the M.A. program in
Social Science at the University of Chicago in the Fall 2014 semester.

Career Workshop: Monday, November
24th at 7pm in MAK D1117 for an interactive workshop on careers for students of history. Dr. Matthew Daley will be presenting on careers in the field of public history and beyond. To RSVP contact Ray
Jeroso at jerosor@mail.gvsu.edu
.
Project Gi-gikinomaage-min in affiliation with the Kutsche Office of Local History is sponsoring a campus event to discuss the experiences of local native students, and the goals our project has in gathering together an archive of the experiences of the local urban native community. Info: Wednesday,
December 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on
GVSU’s Allendale campus in the Mary
Idema Pew Library’s Multi-Purpose Room.
It is a part of the Native American Heritage
Month celebration and has been Lib 100 and
201 pre-approved co-curricular.
Study Abroad in Turkey this Summer with Dr. Jim Goode
May 1-June 4, 2015. Visit Istanbul, the ancient site of Troy, Ephesus, the center of
Early Christianity, the Aegean Sea, and
Gallipoli. Earn 6 credits: HST 394: Survey of Turkish History and MES 383:
Contemporary Issues in Turkish Society and
Culture. Note that students take a 1-credit course MES 385 in the Winter 2015 term.
For information, contact Dr. Goode at goodej@gvsu.edu
. Financial aid is available.
CELEBRATING SCHOLARSHIP
A Word from Dean Fred Antczak:
Author Reception, November 17, 2014
Thank you for inviting me here to share this celebratory occasion with you. I’m told that
Kathleen characterized this event as being in honor of the books and that the authors were invited guests.
That’s not such a strange notion. We live in a time when the Supreme Court handed down the mind-bending idea that corporations are people and money is speech, so how much more likely is it that books are honorees at a reception such as this?
In fact, my mentor Wayne Booth in his book
The Company We Keep: An Ethics of
Fiction explored the idea of our friendship with books. He was mainly making the case for fiction and the ethical workout it gives us—but I’m more than willing to extend this notion to history, which after all is providing us with narratives full of characters who have that most critical of ethical claims on our attention—they are real and often in real danger of being misunderstood, of having their contributions misattributed or even of being forgotten.
Sometimes, as in the case of our honoree A
History of the Syrian Community of Grand
Rapids, 1890-1945—From the Beqaa to the
Grand (by James Goode), the stories brought forward are those of people in our own community who we now can know better or even for the first time. I did not know, for instance, that between 80 and 125
Syrians were aboard the Titanic and that 60 percent of them perished. Though James
Cameron did not impress upon me in the movie version that this community was dealt this heavy loss, James Goode did tell me, and I’m in a better position to appreciate the diversity of the American immigrant community making its way from the old world to the new during this period and to our own Grand Rapids—a place I have known all my life and have known differently for making the acquaintance of this book.
We also know better a northeastern region of China that thrusts up into what was once the USSR from the account provided to us by Patrick Shan in
Taming China’s
Wilderness—Immigration, Settlement and the Shaping of the Heilongjiand Frontier,
1900-1931. This is a different sort of friend.
Whereas James’ book told me more about a place I think of as familiar and deepened my appreciation for the people I share it with,
Patrick’s book introduces us to the
“historical trajectory of modern China” if I may borrow from one of his reviewers. This book asks us to vie with the insecurity of the new, the push and pull of competing

interests that range from the economic to the social to the influence of neighboring nations.
We examine yet another slice of a similar historical period in Gordon Andrews’
Undoing Plessy—Charles Hamilton
Houston, Race, Labor, and the Law, 1895-
1950. This new friend provides the backstory to the more familiar Brown v.
Board decision of 1954 and shows us the legal legacy that came before Brown— which many might naively assume sprang like Athena, fully formed, from the head of
Zeus. Undoing Plessy is a wise sort of friend—the kind that knows the actual complexity of historical advances toward greater equality and helps to remind us not to narrow our approach to the work that continues to this day. No one case or policy decides the matter. Our efforts must necessarily be on many fronts.
And Chad Lingwood offers us a new friend,
Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval
Iran—New Perspectives on Jāmī Salāmān va Absāl. Many of us have taught or are familiar with Machiavelli’s Prince or
Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier or other western works that advise the ruler (or those who’d like to be) on their conduct. We may even have familiarity with Sun Tzu or Von
Clausewitz on the conduct of politics by other means. But most of us need to broaden our circle to encompass a Persian perspective on the affairs of state and of the spirit. And we are quite lucky to have the help of this book in making that acquaintance. A work such as this makes the intersections of the political and spiritual in a time and place otherwise inaccessible to most English readers suddenly possible –and it comes at a point in our history where we carry a duty to understand the history and culture of places we have proven more likely to approach not with poetry but with the point of a sword.
So we celebrate these new friends and those who introduced us to them. A book is never the product of easy labor. We raise our glasses to you and promise not to ask
“what’s next?” for a day or two at least.
Gordon Andrews published his monograph, Undoing Plessy—Charles
Hamilton Houston, Race, Labor, and the
Law, 1895-1950 Cambridge Scholars
Publishing (February 1, 2014).
Micah Childress, “Life Beyond the Big
Top: African American and Female
Circusfolk, 1860-1920,” Journal of the
Gilded Age and Progressive Era
(Forthcoming, Fall 2015).
Grace Coolidge edited The Formation of the Child in Early Modern Spain (Ashgate
2014).
Jason Crouthamel published a monograph,
An Intimate History of the Front:
Masculinity, Sexuality and German
Soldiers in the First World War (New
York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).
On the centenary of the First World War, scholars are still exploring how that cataclysmic event shaped the lives of ordinary people. An Intimate History of the
Front: Masculinity, Sexuality and German
Soldiers in the First World War analyzes how men at war experienced, articulated and enacted masculinity. The book draws on a variety of archival sources, including
German soldiers’ letters, diaries, front

newspapers and military court records. It explores the ways in which soldiers both transgressed and reinforced prevailing gender roles, developing complex notions of masculinity that often diverged from national ideals of self-sacrifice and emotional self-control. While in the otherworldly universe of the trenches, many men experimented with emotions and behaviors otherwise considered ‘deviant’, redefining masculinity to make love and desire acceptable for surviving modern war.
Crouthamel was invited by the Jewish
Museum in Munich to contribute an essay for their exhibition and booklet on German-
Jewish soldiers in the First World War. The essay is titled, “The War Diary of Paul
Lebrecht,” and the booklet for the exhibit is called War! Jews between two Fronts , edited by Ulrike Heikaus and Julia Köhne
(Berlin: Hentrich und Hentrich Publishers,
2014).
Nearly 100,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the trenches (over 12,000 were killed). “The
War Diary of Paul Lebrecht”, is a study of one German-Jewish soldier’s experiences. Lebrecht fought on both the
Eastern and Western fronts between 1916-
1918, and he wrote every day in his diary about life in the trenches. He survived the war and was reunited with his wife, but he was murdered by Nazi Stormtroopers during
Kristallnacht in 1938. The Jewish Museum dedicates their exhibit to the memory of those men whose sacrifices were later ignored by the Nazi regime, and the exhibit highlights the experiences of Jewish citizens who found comradeship with their fellow soldiers, yet also faced anti-Semitism in a society that saw them as ‘enemies of the nation’.
He also published “‘Wir brauchen ganze
Männer’: Cross-Dressing, Kameradschaft und Homosexualität im deutschen Heer während des Ersten Weltkriegs” an essay for the exhibition and book catalog , Mein
Kamerad
– Die Diva: Theater an der Front und in
Gefangenenlagern des Ersten Weltkriegs , edited by Britta Lange, Julia B. Köhne, and
Anke Vetter (München: et + k Verlag, 2014)
Crouthamel presented a paper, “‘We need real Men’: Cross-Dressing, Comradeship and Homosexuality in the Germany Army
During the First World War,” at the
Symposium, “Mein Kamerad-Die Diva” at the University of Berlin/Humboldt
University, Nov. 8, 2014.
--------------------------------------------------
Jim Goode published his monograph, A
History of the Syrian Community of Grand
Rapids, 1890-1945—From the Beqaa to the
Grand Gorgias Pr Llc (April 11, 2013)
Chad Lingwood published his monograph,
Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval
Iran: New Perspectives on Jami’s Salaman va Absal (Brill Academic Publisher, 2014)
In Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval
Iran: New Perspectives on Jami’s Salaman va Absal , Chad G. Lingwood offers fresh insights into the political significance of poetry and Islamic mysticism (or Sufism) at the court of Sultan Ya‘qub (d. 1490), leader of a powerful Turkish confederation, the Aq
Qoyunlu (“White Sheep”), whose dominion included Iran and Iraq. The basis of the study is Salaman va Absal , a Persian allegorical romance ‘Abd al-Rahman Jami
(d. 1492), the great belletrist and
Naqshbandi Sufi, dedicated to Ya‘qub.
Lingwood demonstrates that Salaman va
Absal , a long poem that modern scholarship has dismissed as “crude” and “grotesque,” is in fact a sophisticated work of political advice for Muslim rulers, like Ya‘qub. In the process, he challenges received wisdom concerning Jami, the Aq Qoyunlu, and latemedieval Islamic political theory. The book is of particular interest to scholars and

students involved in the study of pre-modern
Iranian and Islamic history, classical Persian literature, and Sufism.
Patrick Fuliang Shan published his monograph entitled
Taming China’s
Wilderness: Immigration, Settlement and the
Shaping of the Heilongjiang Frontier
Society, 1900-1931 (Ashgate, 2014).
Jeremy C. Young's book, The Age of
Charisma: Leaders, Followers, and
Emotions in American Society, 1870-1940 , is now under contract with Cambridge
University Press.
History faculty members, Carolyn Shapiro-
Shapin and Scott Stabler , were named recipients of the Outstanding Faculty
Award by participants in the Oliver
Wilson Freshman Academy Program .
Students were asked to nominate faculty members who they felt go above and beyond the traditional classroom role by mentoring and advising students. The award was presented April 15, 2014 during a banquet at the Alumni House.
Susan Laninga advised two students who studied abroad in Ghana during the
Spring/Summer of 2014. These students worked with children who are being reclaimed from Ghanaian fishing industry slavery and will use their experiences with lesson development in SST 309 to create presentations for middle school classrooms and for teachers at MCHE and MCSS.
Gordon Andrews is the Executive Director of the Michigan Council for History
Education.
Steeve Buckridge is director of Area
Studies
Gretchen Galbraith is the CLAS Associate
Dean for Faculty Resources and Scheduling
Louis Moore is director of African-African
American Studies
Patrick Shan is director of East Asian
Studies and Chinese Studies
David Stark has been named director of
Latin American Studies.
Students can now earn a certificate in
Medical and Health Humanities from
Grand Valley State University. This certificate is housed in the History
Department. Please contact Dr. Carolyn
Shapiro-Shapin at shapiroc@gvsu.edu
for further information.
History of Science will now be housed in the History Department. Students will be able to count courses in History of Science toward the History major or minor. A separate minor in History of Science is also available. Please contact Dr. Carolyn
Shapiro-Shapin at shapiroc@gvsu.edu
for further information.

The VHP has resumed work on its documentary on the All American Girls
Professional Baseball League . The documentary is based on nearly 50 oral history interviews with former players. The rough cut is nearly finished, and the VHP expects a release date some time in the spring of 2015.
The VHP made its fourth annual trip to the reunion of the Ripcord Association , a group of Vietnam veterans who took part in the last major American ground action in the
Vietnam War. A team of three interviewers recorded a total of 37 hours of interviews while there.
The VHP continued its partnership with the
507 th Combat Engineer Battalion of the
Michigan National Guard , recording interviews at their September drill weekend.
James Smither gave two presentations in
October for the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at Aquinas College . There were the first two installments of an ongoing series entitled “Eyewitness World War II”, which uses clips from interviews posted on the project website in presentations relating to different aspects of the war. The first dealt with Pearl Harbor and American entry into the war, and the second focused on D-
Day. The VHP is in the process of scheduling two more presentations for the spring. Smither also moderated a panel of
Vietnam veterans in a presentation organized by the Lowell Historical Museum and held at Lowell High School on Nov. 12.
Students interested in working on the
Veterans History Project should contact Dr.
James Smither at smitherj@gvsu.edu
.
New Scholarship Opportunity: Frances
Ann Kelleher Endowed Memorial
Scholarship; Due Date: March 2 through myScholarships (online)
This scholarship will help defray costs for
History or Social Studies Majors who are studying abroad for an extended period of time . Watch for further information on the History Department website.
This scholarship was announced at
Celebration of Fran’s Life held on October
24 at the Alumni House.
2015 Quirinius Breen Prize Competition
($200 Award), Submission Deadline:
March 2, 2015 though myScholarships
(online)
This History Department of Grand Valley
State University offers the annual Quirinius
Breen Prize for student research essays on historical topics. Essays may be developed from a class assignment or written especially for a particular year’s competition. The prize is named in honor of Professor Quirinius
Breen, a distinguished historian of
Renaissance humanism who was a member of the History Department from 1965 to
1968. This year’s winner will earn a $200 cash award and the designation “Breen
Scholar of 2015.” Eligibility to compete is limited to students regularly enrolled in any
History course since January 1, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Dr.
Gabriele Gottlieb at gottlieg@gvsu.edu call the HST Dept. at 616-331-3298.

To be accepted for the Breen Prize competition, an essay must:
1. be based on research in primary and/or secondary sources
2. clearly concern itself with historical questions
3. demonstrate the author's skills in using historical method
4. contain no more than 30 pages or less than 10 pages, excluding footnotes and bibliography.
Glenn A. and Betty J. Niemeyer History
Scholarship. Due Date: March 2 through myScholarships (online)
The Grand Valley State University History
Department offers the Glenn A. and Betty J.
Niemeyer History Scholarship. This scholarship contributes substantially to tuition costs for one year and is renewable for a second year. The History Department awards as many as two scholarships a year depending on available funds. For the application, you will have to write a brief essay about your favorite history book .
The Glenn A. and Betty J. Niemeyer History
Scholarship is available to outstanding full-time History majors . The scholarship is named in honor of Dr. Glenn A. Niemeyer and his wife Betty. From 1963 to 2002, Dr.
Niemeyer served Grand Valley State
University as a professor of history, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Vice
President of the colleges, Vice President of
Academic Affairs and as Provost.
Essay Criteria:
• Write a brief essay (less than 2000 words) about your favorite history book. Explain your answer in detail. Niemeyer Scholars must meet the following criteria:
• Candidates must be entering their Junior or Senior year at Grand Valley State
University . This scholarship will be awarded for a maximum of four semesters.
• Recipients must be enrolled with full-time status as a History major and as a degreeseeking student .
• Candidates shall have a cumulative overall and HST grade point averages of 3.25 or better.
The local chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, promotes the study of history by honoring students who have maintained high academic standards throughout their college careers.
Students who have completed at least four history classes (12 hours) at GVSU and have maintained a GPA of at least 3.25 overall as well as 3.25 in History classes are eligible.
If you are interested in joining Phi Alpha
Theta and you meet the qualifications, please come to the History Office (D-1-160
MAK) with an unofficial or official transcript, your G number, a local mailing address, your local number, and an e-mail address on or before Friday, February 13,
2015 .
Our annual induction ceremony will be held on March 25, 2015 at 7 p.m.
The cost is
$65.00 to join. Members of Phi Alpha Theta are eligible to wear an honor cord at graduation. Honor cords cost $20.00 and can be purchased in the History Office.
If you become a member of Phi Alpha
Theta, please consider getting involved in helping to plan and organize activities. The national chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has scholarships and grants available for students. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Michael Huner at hunerm@gvsu.edu.
Dearborn Trip:
Twenty students from History 211 Survey of
Islamic Civilization spent Friday, November
7, on a field trip in Dearborn, Michigan.
The day’s activities included a visit to the
Dearborn Mosque for Q&A with members

of the outreach committee followed by attendance at the weekly community prayer service. Later, students traveled to the
Arab-American National Museum, also in
Dearborn, for a Middle East lunch followed by a tour of the museum and another Q&A with members of the local Arab-American community. The field trip takes place fall and winter semesters with the support of a number of campus departments and offices.
Samantha Warber is the faculty advisor for the GVSU chapter of NeW .
NeW (Network of Enlightened Women) is a book club held on college campuses where politically conservative women can read about ideas and people often forgotten on college campuses. In addition to the book club, NeW hosts speakers, holds debates, participates in philanthropic events, and hosts social events. If you are interested in finding out more about NeW, check out the national website at enlightenedwomen.org or contact GVSU’s chapter president
Carolyn Andre at cnandre76@gmail.com
to join in.
Welcome to baby Ezra James Childress , born on November 6, 2014.
Gabriele Gottlieb received Individual
Accomplishment Award at the A.I.M. High
Endurance Awards Ceremony on Thursday,
November 6, 2014.
A.I.M. is an acronym for Alternatives in
Motion, a non-profit organization that provides wheelchairs and repair services for families and individuals that need financial help.