History & Geography – News

Hart earns Governor’s Award

kheier — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:00:15 +0000

April 3, 2025–Dr. Evan Elizabeth Hart, associate professor of history, is ��ý’s recipient of the ��ý Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Governor’s Award is sponsored by the ��ý Council on Public Higher Education and will be presented this week in Jefferson City.

Dr. Hart has been at ��ý Western since 2017, teaching general studies history as well as more specialized upper-division courses.

“MO West is fortunate to have such a compassionate and creative leader as Dr. Hart,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, ��ý Western’s president. “Furthering our state-appointed applied learning mission, she provides unique learning opportunities outside of the classroom, including museum and cemetery tours, and alternative assignments that tap into students’ strengths in producing scholarly research projects. And she is beloved by her students.”

Dr. Hart views the teaching of history as “helping students understand how we arrived here, wherever ‘here’ is. What happened in the past continues to impact who we are.” She believes history goes beyond memorizing names and dates. “We try to answer the hows and whys, and to humanize the past,” she said. “I’m a social historian, so I’m really interested in history from the ‘bottom up’ – how did everyday people experience the world around them?”

To help her students develop critical thinking skills, she makes sure they engage with historical sources deeper than surface level. “These sources are making arguments,” she said. “What are they trying to convince you of, and how? What can we read between the lines, and how can we connect all of the pieces together? And they can ask the same questions of current sources, approaching news stories and speeches the way they do historical documents.”

Dr. Hart received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana, and both her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati. She previously taught as a visiting professor at the University of Florida, and as adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University.

��ý is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ��ý Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Panel discussion on humanitarian crisis in Ukraine April 19

kheier — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:16:25 +0000

April 18, 2022–��ý will host a discussion panel on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The event will include short presentations on the history, policies and personal experiences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the global response. After the presentations there will be a question and answer session. This is an opportunity to learn more about this global humanitarian crisis.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.

News-Press NOW: Shortages and a history of sacrifice

kheier — Sun, 03 May 2020 15:03:51 +0000

It’s tough to write a column in advance when you’re dealing with a subject described as a “moving target.” I’m talking, of course, about COVID-19 and its attendant problems.

So many things we don’t know, or situations change suddenly: Is there a vaccine for this virus? Should we wear masks? When will we feel comfortable shaking hands with strangers again or being out in a crowd?

Here’s one: Will we face food shortages and be asked — or forced — to cut back? This seems possible in light of meat-packing plants such as Smithfield, Tyson, Cargill and JBS USA closing or slowing down production in recent weeks.

If so, it wouldn’t be the first time. There was sugar and gasoline rationing during World War II and the Truman Administration’s “Meatless Tuesday” campaign in October 1947. The latter initiative was brought about not by a shortage, but to send food to European nations hit hard by the war.

…

Dr. Evan Hart, an assistant professor of history at ��ý, said our willingness to sacrifice extends all the way back to the American Revolution. “Then,” she said, “the colonists boycotted English goods that they loved, like tea.” The boycotts were conducted in the name of patriotism.

Meatless Tuesday actually has its origins in the days preceding World War I, she added.

Geography guest speaker focuses on disaster recovery, sense of place in history

kheier — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 15:54:08 +0000

University of North Texas portrait of Ronald Schumann, Photographed on 23, March 2017 in Denton, Texas. (Adriana Salazar/UNT Photo)

Jan. 28, 2020—Dr. Ronald Schumann of North Texas State University will present two lectures in ��ý’s Interdisciplinary Nature of Geography Speaker Series Feb. 3 and 4. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Dr. Schumann, an assistant professor in North Texas State’s Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science, will give a talk titled “Negotiating Recovery: Memory and Meaning in Post-Disaster Landscapes” at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3 in Agenstein Hall, room 224. Dr. Schumann’s research looks at the ways in which people use place as a way to memorialize and make meaning after natural disasters. He has done work in post-Katrina New Orleans as well as the Houston area after Hurricane Harvey.

At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, Dr. Ronald Schumann will give a talk titled “Reanimating the Past Through Place” as part of the 2020 Interdisciplinary Nature of Geography Speaker Series. Dr. Schumann has served as a historical interpreter and docent at several plantation museums throughout the south over many years. During that time he became interested in how the incorporation of place into the narrative can help reveal a more inclusive story that celebrates minority voices. This talk will give the audience tips for constructing their own historical narratives that include the sense of place.

The Interdisciplinary Nature of Geography Speaker Series is sponsored by the MWSU Foundation, Mary Boder Trust, Provost’s Council, the Department of History & Geography and the Department of Biology.

Any questions can be directed to Dr. Dawn Drake, ddrake4@missouriwestern.edu or 816-271-4161

��ý is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. ��ý Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Guest speaker discusses ethnic cleansing in World War II Oct. 11

kheier — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 15:03:10 +0000

Dr. Leslie Waters

Oct. 3, 2019—Dr. Leslie Waters, assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at El Paso, will present a talk titled “Borderlands and Ethnic Cleansing in World War II Eastern Europe” at noon Friday, Oct. 11 in Popplewell Hall, room 104 on the campus of ��ý. Dr. Waters’ talk, part of the Mary Boder History Speaker Series, is free and open to the public.

Dr. Waters is a scholar of Central and Eastern European history, borderlands. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a Mellon post-doctoral fellow in European Studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is a two-time Fulbright fellow, which gave her the opportunity to research in Hungary (2009) and Slovak Republic (2016). Dr. Waters is a member of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and an executive board member of the Hungarian Studies Association and the Slovak Studies Association. She has published articles in Contemporary European History and Hungarian Historical Review. In 2014, the Hungarian Studies Association recognized her with the Mark Pittaway Prize for Best Scholarly Article in Hungarian Studies.

The Mary Boder History Speaker Series is sponsored by the Mary Boder Trust and hosted by ��ý Western’s Department of History and Geography.

Philosophy professor interviewed on “I Think, Therefore I Fan”

kheier — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 21:11:25 +0000

Dr. James Okapal, chair of the Department of Philosophy & Religion and the Department of History & Geography, was recently interviewed on the philosophy and pop culture podcast “I Think Therefore I Fan.”

On the Sept. 18 episode, ,” Dr. Okapal talks with hosts Dr. Rachel Robison-Greene and Dr. Richard Greene about Aristotle, friendship, science fiction, and fantasy. He elaborates on some of the ideas he developed in his essay “’In Search of …’ Friendship: What We Can Learn from Androids and Vulcans” (in The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy: The Search for Socrates edited by Kevin S. Decker and Jason T. Eberl).

It was Dr. Okapal’s second appearance on the podcast. On the May 21 episode, he was one of four “prominent scholars of philosophy and pop culture” interviewed at the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association.

Dr. Okapal’s research has focused on the intersection of ethics and literature, especially science fiction and fantasy. He has been at ��ý Western since 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the Ohio State University, a master’s degree at Bowling Green State University and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee.

NewsPress NOW: 50 years on, a Woodstock experience recalled

kheier — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 15:33:34 +0000

By Ken Newton, News-Press NOW|Aug 15, 2019

For a 17-year-old devoted to music, a week or two from heading to college, the allure proved too great to ignore. Less than 100 miles from his doorstep, the royalty of rock would convene.

Ditching his summer job early, the teenager answered this call, a decision about which he remains grateful.

“I had no idea that this was going to turn into some kind of cultural watershed moment,” Dr. Daniel Trifan [professor emeritus of history] says now. “All we knew is this was going to be the rock concert to top everything.”

That was Woodstock, billed as “three days of peace and music.” It began 50 years ago today.

Read the rest of the story at .

��ý Western commemorates Women’s History Month

kheier — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 18:16:12 +0000

March 1, 2019—��ý will honor March as Women’s History Month with a series of events that are free and open to the public. The theme of Women’s History Month 2019 is “What Is and Is Not Feminist?” Unless otherwise noted, all events will be at 6 p.m. in the Hoff Conference Room, Blum Student Union rooms 218-219.

Monday, March 4, “Feminist or Not?”

Dr. Melinda Kovács, associate professor of political science, gives the introductory lecture to set up the theme of the month-long event series.

Tuesday, March 5, “Is Science Feminist?”

Tri Beta Honor Society and the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society, under the direction of Dr. Csengele Barta, associate professor of biology, host a discussion of women’s participation in science and its relevance to feminism.

Wednesday, March 6, “Women’s History Trivia”

The Center for Multicultural Education, under the direction of Latoya Muhammad, hosts a fun event that will test participants’ knowledge of women’s history. Sign up in Blum 207.

Thursday, March 21, Poetry Open Mic: “What is Feminism Anyway?”

Dr. Marianne Kunkel, assistant professor of English, takes Women’s History Month off-campus and hosts the event at Mokaska Coffee Company, 617 Felix Street in Downtown St. Joseph, in collaboration with Third Thursdays.

Monday, March 25, Women of the Future Guest Speaker: Heather Evans

Women of the Future (WTF) and Student Government Association (SGA) bring Dr. Heather Evans to campus to discuss her new research about politics and exotic dancers.

Tuesday, March 26, Feminista Jones, 7 p.m., Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101

CME brings Feminista Jones, a Philadelphia-based social worker, feminist writer, public speaker and community activist to present insights into intersectional feminism.

Wednesday, March 27, “Socialist Feminism: A Historical Perspective”

Dr. Emily Gioielli, assistant professor of history, lectures on a key historical element of feminism.

Political geographer to speak about Confederate monuments

kheier — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 15:35:59 +0000

Dr. Jonathan Leib

A political geographer from Virginia will present a talk titled “Boasts of the Confederacy? Race, Memory and the Politics of Monument Landscapes in Southeast Virginia” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 in Agenstein Hall, room 224 on the campus of ��ý. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Jonathan Leib is professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. His research interest have largely focused on political and cultural change in the American South, with an emphasis on the politics of Civil Rights symbols as well as issues of voting rights and elections in the region.

Dr. Leib’s talk is part of ��ý Western’s Interdisciplinary Nature of Geography Speaker Series, presented by the Department of History and Geography.

Former Congress members visit MWSU on Constitution Day

kheier — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 20:14:32 +0000

��ý will host two former members of the U.S. House of Representatives to celebrate Constitution Day 2018 on Monday, Sept. 17.

Dan Maffei, a Democrat from New York, and Steven Kuykendall, a Republican from California, will meet with students and give two public presentations as part of the Congress to Campus program of the Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership.

The first presentation, “Congress and the Constitution,” is at 10 a.m. Sept. 17 in the Enright Community Room, Spratt Hall rooms 214-216. The second presentation, “Why Congress?” is at 7 p.m. in the Hoff Conference Room, Blum Student Union rooms 218-219. Both talks are free and open to the public.

Constitution Day programming is designed to bring citizens together to recognize and celebrate our Constitutional order in addition to providing opportunities for students and community members to speak with former members of Congress, ask questions, and gain a greater understanding.

��ý Western’s celebration of Constitution Day 2018 is sponsored by the Department of Economics, Political Science and Sociology, the Department of History and Geography, the Division of Academic Affairs, the Student Government Association, Pi Sigma Alpha and the Politics Club.