Graduate Students

Alyssa Warrick (adw268@msstate.edu )

I am a first year M.A. student here at Misssissippi State University. I graduated from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, with a B.A. in History in 2005. I was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta in 2004, and served as an assistant editor of our annual publication, The Apprentice Historian. Also while at Truman, I spent my summers working for the National Park Service at Governors Island National Monument in New York City, and Lincoln Boyhood National Monument in southern Indiana. I continued working as a Park Ranger after school, heading south to Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Arkansas. I am very passionate about African- American history, particularly civil rights. Inextricably linked to civil rights is Southern history and legal history (I love learning, so it s a little hard for me to narrow it down). Having worked for the National Park Service at three different historic places, I am also interested in public history and bridging the gap between academia and the world at large. Even though I am most passionate about the fight of the powerless, my secret ambition is to be a better presidential historian than Michael Beschloss.

Joshua Camper (jc943@msstate.edu )

Joshua Adam Camper

______________________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. candidate in United States History, August 2008 – Present, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi.

Master of Arts in History, May 2008, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky.  GPA 3.9

            Thesis:  “Forrest’s Commanders:  Nathan Bedford Forrest, His Commanders, and the                                       First West Tennessee Campaign, December 1862-January 1863”

            Thesis Advisor:  B. Anthony Gannon, Ph.D.

Bachelor of Science.  magna cum laude in Secondary History Education, May 2005, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, Tennessee. GPA 3.61

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HONORS & AWARDS:

James W. Garner Scholarship.  Mississippi State University History Department, Fall 2008.

Kentucky Regional Conference of Phi Alpha Theta Graduate Paper Award.  Paper Title: “Adolph von Steinwehr and the Federal Occupation of Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg, 1 July 1863.”  March 15, 2008 at Louisville, Kentucky.

The George C. Herring Graduate Student Writing Award for the best paper by a graduate student in Kentucky.  Paper Title: “Seaman: The Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Faithful Member.” October 5, 2007 at the University of Kentucky, Lexington,             Kentucky.

Kentucky Regional Conference of Phi Alpha Theta Graduate Paper Award.  Paper Title: “Seaman: The Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Faithful Member.”  March 25, 2007 at Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Tennessee Historical Commission Award.  University of Tennessee at Martin, April 2005.

University of Tennessee at Martin History Upper Division Scholarship Award, April 2004.

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW:

“Forrest’s Commanders: Nathan Bedford Forrest, His Commanders and the First West Tennessee Campaign, December 1862-January 1863. Under review by the West Tennessee Historical Society.

Abercrombie, John Joseph.  Article contributed to ABC-CLIO for its encyclopedia on American Military History.

The Good Friday Massacre.  Article contributed to ABC-CLIO for its encyclopedia on American Military History.   

Paducah, Ky, Battle of (25 March 1864).  Article contributed to ABC-CLIO for its encyclopedia on American Military History.______________________________________________________________________________

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

“General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Commanders and the Battle of Lexington, Tennessee, 18 December 1862.”  Scheduled for the forthcoming October 2008 Ohio Valley History Conference.  Austin Peay Univerisity, Tennessee.

“General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Commanders and the Destruction of the Mobile and Ohio

Railroad During the December 1862 West Tennessee Campaign.” April Tennessee Regional 2008 Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference. University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, TN.

“Adolph von Steinwehr and the Federal Occupation of Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg, 1 July 1863.” March Kentucky Regional 2008 Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

“The Extrication of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Command from West Tennessee—The Battle of Parker’s Crossroads, the Skirmish near the Tennessee River, and Recrossing the River.” January Phi Alpha Theta 2008 Biennial Convention,  Albuquerque, NM.

“Birth of an American Empire: 1898.”  October  2007 Ohio Valley History Conference.  Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY.

“Seaman: Lewis and Clark’s Faithful Member.”  March Kentucky Regional 2007 Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference. University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY

“The 1895 Cuban Uprising and the United States of America.”  March Tennessee Regional 2006 Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference.  David Lipscomb University, Nashville, KY

“We Served Too:  How Women Vietnam Veterans Have Coped After the War.” April Kentucky Regional 2005 Phi Alpha Theta Student History Conference, Murray State University, Murray, KY.

“Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Defeat at Gettysburg.”   December 2004 Student led Phi Alpha Theta Presentation, University of Tennessee at Martin.  Martin, TN

____________________________________________________________________________

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Mississippi State University.  History Department Teaching Assistant.

Fall 2008            1073: Modern U.S. History Discussions

Murray State University.  History Department Graduate Assistant.           

Lectured in the following courses from August 2006 – May 2008:

World Civilizations 101:  Prehistory to 1500

World Civilizations 102:  1500 to the Present

United States History 221:  Discovery to 1865

United States History 222:  1865 to the Present

Civil War and Reconstruction

University of Tennessee at Martin.  Department of History & Philosophy Grading Assistant for American History survey 202 from April – May 2006.

                        ______________________________________________________________________________

LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES:

Member of the UT Martin History Club planning committee for a             forum entitled “Do They Hate Us For Our Freedom?”  Chairman: Dr. David Barber, March 2008.

Beginnings of American Empire. History Club Presentation, University of Tennessee at Martin, February 2006

Member of the UT Martin History Club planning committee for a forum entitled “Iraq: Another Vietnam?”  Chairman:  Dr. David Barber, November 2005

Stepping Stones to Defeat:  Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Second Invasion of the North. UT Martin History Club             Presentation, November 2004

Member of Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta.  University of Tennessee at Martin, August 2004 – May 2005.

Phi Alpha Theta Tutoring Program, April – November 2004

Nathan Bedford Forrest and His First West Tennessee Raid, 1862.             UT Martin History Club Presentation, March 2004.

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PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

Member of Xi Lambda Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, Murray State University, August 2006 – May 2008.

Tennessee Council for Social Studies, 2004 – Present.

West Tennessee Council for Social Studies, 2004 - Present

Member of Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, University of             Tennessee at Martin, April 2003 – May 2006.

______________________________________________________________________________

MANUSCRIPTS TO BE SENT FOR REVIEW:

Adolph von Steinwehr and the Federal Occupation of Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg, 1 July 1863.” 

______________________________________________________________________________

FUTURE RESEARCH ARTICLES:

“Historiography of General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s West Tennessee Campaigns.”  Manuscript to be submitted to the West Tennessee Historical Society.

“A Comparative Study of the Weakley County, Tennessee Festivals”

“Capturing the Hearts and Minds: The Evolution of America’s Manifest Destiny”                                             

“America’s Loss of Its Mercantile System”

______________________________________________________________________________

TEACHING INTERESTS:

 United States History from Discovery to Reconstruction

 United States History from Reconstruction to the Present

 Pre-Columbian Societies

Colonial American History

The Articles of Confederation and Rise of the Constitution

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Jacksonian History

Civil War and Reconstruction

Military History

______________________________________________________________________________

Whitney Adrienne Snow (was140@msstate.edu )

M.A., History, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 2008.

Thesis: “The Cotton Mills of Huntsville.”  Thesis Advisor: Dr. Andrew Dunar.

B.A., Magna cum laude, History, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 2006.

Honors:

MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant, HI 1063, 2008.

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, 2008.

Sigma Tau Delta, 2007.

The National Scholars Honor Society, 2007.

Phi Kappa Phi, 2006.

Phi Alpha Theta, 2006.

Frances Cabaniss Roberts History Scholarship, UAH, 2005-07.

Service:

Secretary, Tau-Omega Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, UAH, 2007-08.

President, Tau-Omega Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, UAH, 2006-07.

Academic Interest:

Nineteenth Century United States; Post-Civil War South; and Women’s Studies.

My area being the New South, I place emphasis on Southern industrialization or more specifically, the economic, cultural, and social impact of textile mills.  I explore the question of mills symbolizing progress or intransigence, a query which ties in with the debate on whether or not the New South is in fact new.

Thomas Chapman (tachapma@bellsouth.net )

Thomas began his career in education as a Peace Corps representative in the beautiful Kyrgyz Republic, also known as Kyrgyzstan, in the year 2000. There he met his blushing future bride with whom he came to Mississippi in 2004 in order to participate in an alternative teacher certification program through the University of Mississippi. After teaching high school for two years in both the Mississippi Delta and in Jackson, Thomas came to Mississippi State University in the fall of 2006 to study history full time. Having taken a year off from his studies to help welcome his beautiful daughter into the world, Thomas has returned to the professional discipline of history with a renewed sense of purpose. Professionally, Thomas is interested in studying how education, public and private, shaped early American history as well as in studying economic interpretations of the period.

Katie Bruton (ktb21@msstate.edu )

My name is Katie Bruton. I am from Huntsville, Alabama. I have two siblings, Maggie, who is 9, and Thomas who is almost 6. I am very close to both.
Education:
BA International Studies, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, May 2003
BA Political Science, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, May 2003

MA Public Affairs, University of Alabama at Huntsville, Huntsville, AL May 2005
MA History, University of Alabama at Huntsville, Huntsville, AL May 2007
Interests for Study:
My primary interest lies with Hitler and Nazi Germany and my secondary interest is in nationalist movements in 19th century Eastern Europe.
Outside Interests:
I like sports, both playing and watching. I am involved with the quiz bowl club that is here at Mississippi State (it is sort of like Jeopardy! but with teams).

Bradley Brewer (bjb176@msstate.edu)

I am a second year Ph.D. student and teaching assistant. The classes I have taught so far are Early Western World and Modern Western World.

As for my Ph.D. work goes, I am specializing in Modern European History with emphasis on Germany and France, plus European diplomatic history, U.S. diplomatic history and African civilization.

Research interests include international relations especially European and U.S. foreign policies, also nationalism and ethnic conflict.

Holly M. Haimes (hmh64@msstate.edu )

I graduated in May 2008 with a B.S. in Secondary Education from Mississippi State University. My goal is to teach high or middle school history. To aid in this pursuit, I am seeking an M.A. in history focusing on United States and European history. In my spare time I enjoy being in the country with my menagerie.

Benjamin Clanton (blc@msstate.edu )

Bio - Born: July 27, 1982

- Hometown: Cadaretta, MS

- Married to Leigh-Ann Sallis since December 27, 2003

Education

- Eupora High School, 2000

- B.A. in History and English, Mississippi State University, 2005

- Working towards M.A., Mississippi State University


Teaching

- Graduate Assistant since Fall 2005

- Taught discussion groups in Early and Modern U.S. History


Experience

- Presented at Phi Alpha Theta Conference, Jackson State University, 2007

- Presented at IS/IS Conference, Mississippi State University, 2007

- Submitted article to Civil War History, 2006


Research

- Major Field: Early United States

- Minor Field: American South

- Research interests include Native Americans from the Early Republic to Jackson and Slavery in the American South


Hobbies

- reading fiction of all kinds

- watching movies of all kinds with my wife

- watching almost any kind of sport, especially baseball, soccer, football, and tennis

Mike Goleman (mjg100@msstate.edu )

Education Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS M.A. in History, Summer 2006
Thesis: To Become Men: Resistance, Revolt, and Masculinity in Antebellum Rural Slave Communities  Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jason K. Phillips

Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT
B.A. in History, Fall 2003
Thesis: An Evil of Colossal Magnitude: The Struggle to Free the Slaves during the American Revolution  Thesis Advisor: Dr. Susan Cottler

Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, UT
A.S. in General Studies, Spring 2001
Areas of Concentration: History, Psychology, Music

Awards
First Prize in the Gender Studies Graduate Student Paper Contest, Mississippi State University Women s Study Program, 2005.
Teaching Assistantship, Mississippi State University, 2007-2008
Teaching Assistantship, Mississippi State University, 2006-2007
Teaching Assistantship, Mississippi State University, 2005-2006

Teaching Experience
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS,
Courses taught: U.S. History before 1877, U.S. History since 1877, Early Western World, World History before 1500

Publications and Papers
Chair and Commentator: Global War on Terrorism Oral History Project, Round Table.  International Security, Internal Safety Conference, Mississippi State University, 24 March 2007.

Paper presented: Finding Light in Darkness: Gender in Antebellum Slave Communities.  Gender Lecture Series, Mississippi State University, 5 April 2006.

Languages
Passed Spanish proficiency test, Mississippi State University, 2006.

Memberships and Organizations
Phi Alpha Theta
President for Mississippi State University, 2007-2008
Vice-President for Mississippi State University, 2006-2007
Southern Historical Association
Mormon History Association

Fields of Interest
Fields of interest include nineteenth-century America, colonial and revolutionary America, American slavery, ancient civilizations (Egypt and Mesopotamia), ancient Greece and Rome, gender studies, U.S. women s history, pre-1800 African history, and history of paranormal activity.

Jeffery B. Howell (Jeff, jbh164@msstate.edu )
PhD Candidate
U. S. Hisory

Education and Research

• B.A. in History, University of Mississippi, 1987
• Masters of Divinity, Mid American Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993
• M.A. History, Mississippi State University, 2005; Thesis: “The Undiscovered Country: The Civil Rights Movement in Holmes County, Ms 1954-1968”
• PhD candidate, ABD, Dissertation Research: Mississippi newspaper editor Hazel Brannon Smith, a proponent of segregation who was pushed into an alliance with civil rights activists when her civil liberties were threatened by white extremists; her career demonstrates the complexity of moderate white response to white backlash and civil rights
• Research consultant, forthcoming University of Alabama television documentary on the career of Hazel Brannon Smith
• Prospective completion date: Summer 2010

Papers delivered, Publications, and Awards

• Phi Alpha Theta, University of Southern Mississippi, Spring 2005
• Phi Alpha Theta, Mississippi College, Spring 2006
• Forum on Agricultural and Rural History at Mississippi State (FARHMS), April 2008
• Index, Thomas Adams Upchurch, Legislating Racism: The Billion-Dollar Congress and the Birth of Jim Crow. University Press of Kentucky, 2004
• 2 articles for the forthcoming work, Mississippi Encyclopedia, by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture of the University of Mississippi.
• Spring 2007 John F. Marszalek Graduate Lecture Prize Winner, paper topic, “Heritage or a Slap in the Face: Confederate Symbols in 21^st Century Mississippi”

Work Experience

• August 2007 to Present, Research Assistant, African American Studies Department, Mississippi State University, The Black Entrepreneur Project in the South
• Summer 2008,  Adjunct Instructor, Mississippi State University, Civil War & Reconstruction
• 2004 to 2007 – Graduate Teaching Assistant, History Department, Mississippi State University (taught all four freshman surveys)

Memberships

• Southern Historical Association
• Mississippi Historical Society
• Phi Alpha Theta (Gamma Nu chapter, MSU, President, 2006-2007)
• Phi Kappa Phi

Brian Rumsey (br248@msstate.edu )

BS in History, Iowa State University, 2005
BS in Journalism, Iowa State University, 2006

I am currently a first year MA student. I am particularly interested in the history of science, technology, and medicine, although I find many areas of history fascinating. In addition to my undergraduate coursework at Iowa State University, I also spent a semester as an intern at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC, learning about the Gullah culture, and a semester on National Student Exchange at New Mexico State, where I focused on Latin American history.

I am a native of Iowa, but come to MSU by way of New England. For the past two years before returning to school, I worked as a sports reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer in Brattleboro, Vermont.

My outside interests and hobbies include traveling (the photo is from one of my favorite trips of all time, Havasu Falls in Arizona), computers, botany (especially the genus Passiflora), music, college basketball, cystic fibrosis research, and Peter Sellers movies.

Andi Knecht (amk42@msstate.edu )

Education:

B.A., North Carolina State University, 1995

History, with an emphasis on medieval education and literacy

M.A., Mississippi State University, 2005

Thesis: "The Tallulah Falls School: Female Reform and Rural Education in the New South."

Doctoral fields of study:

Modern U.S., Early U.S., Southern U.S. Agricultural/Rural, Medieval Europe.

Area of research: Philanthropic influence on rural education in the New South.

Teaching Experience: Early U.S. History, 4 years.

Award: William E. Parrish Graduate Teaching Award, Mississippi State University, 2006.

Papers presented:

From Common Sense to Love and Marriage . . . Revolutionary Words in Action  at the 2006 Consortium on the Revolutionary Era Conference.

 We Are From the City, and We Are Here to Teach You : Rural Southern Education Reform in the Early Twentieth Century  at the 2006 SAWH Seventh Conference on Southern Women s History.

Memberships:

Southern Historical Association, Southern Association of Women Historians (SAWH), Phi Alpha Theta, Gamma Beta Phi, MSU History Graduate Student Association.

Stephanie C. Rolph (srr50@msstate.edu )

I got my BA in History from Millsaps College in 1999 and my Master's from Mississippi State in 2004. My Master's Thesis is entitled, " 'In Unity There is Strength': The Clarion-Ledger's Coverage of the Medgar Evers Murder." My disseration research examines the Citizens' Council Radio Programs from 1955-1966 and the way in which southern opposition to the civil rights movement found a place in, and perhaps significantly contributed to, the national conservative movement of the late 1960s. My other fields are intellectual and media studies. My estimated date for completion is May 2009.

I have presented papers at the Graduate Conference in African-American History at the University of Memphis, the Tennessee Conference of Historians, the National Women's Studies Association, the American Historical Association, and I will be presenting at the Organization of American Historians in 2008.

I have published book reviews for the Journal of Mississippi History, Southern Historian and and J-History, and contributed entries for the Encyclopedia of Politics: The Left and the Right (Sage Publications), the Encyclopedia of the 1960s (Greenwood Publishing Group), and the upcoming Mississippi Encyclopedia. I have served as a reviewer for the Florida Historical Quarterly, and am currently serving as a research consultant for Mercy Seat Films on the documentary "They Closed Our Schools," an examination of desegregation of the Prince Edward County Schools in Virginia.

I served as Phi Alpha Theta president in 2003-04 and graduate representative for the Graduate Committee in the department in 2004-present. I have been a Teaching Assistant since 2002, served as a Major Course Instructor at the Mississippi Governor's School for five years and was a research assistant for the Lowndes County African-American Records Survey in 2003. In April 2006, I served as the graduate student lecturer for the Marszalek Lecture Series here at Mississippi State, and was awarded the Regional Award for Doctoral Students from the National Association of the Colonial Dames of America. Currently, I am working with Dr. Stephen Middleton on beginning Mississippi State's African-American Studies program.

Michael Allen Jones (maj150@msstate.edu )

Michael has been a Ph.D. student in History at Mississippi State University since 2005. Over the last ten years he has instructed courses at the high school level in U.S. History and Government/Economics. His research interests include current geo-political issues as well as environmental topics in the deep Southern frontier. He includes among his hobbies; real estate investment, travel abroad, and attending competitive sporting events. Michael will present a paper this fall at the Tennessee Conference of Historians. He lives and works in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Education

MA in International Political Economics
Troy State University, 2004
MS in Education
University of Montevallo, 2001
BS in Education
University of Alabama, 1995

Papers Presented

Union University Conference of Historians Panel: Struggles in Frontier Struggles Paper Presented: Nature s Rites: Passages in the Wilderness on the Deep Southern Frontier Jackson, Tennessee September 15, 2007

Mississippi State University International Security/Internal Security Conference Paper Presented: Europe Reawakens Starkville, Mississippi April 24, 2007

Tennessee State University Conference of Historians Panel: Church & State Issues in History Paper presented: The Legacy of Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer Nashville, Tennessee September 30, 2006

Projects

Inter-Cultural Studies Video Project POL 6631 Intercultural Communications Chaldeans Then & Now: A Look at Modern Iraq Troy State University 2002 Term 1

Internship on Historical Preservation Bear Bryant Museum Tuscaloosa, Alabama Spring 2000

Memberships

American Historical Association Since 2005
Journal of the Early Republic Since 2005
The Journal of Southern History Since 2005

Roy Watson (br248@msstate.edu )

James S. Kinsey(jsk75@msstate.edu )

Education:

·       B.A. Social Welfare, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1982

·       M.Div. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, 1987

·       M.A. Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, 2005

·       Currently working toward Ph.D. in United States History, Dr. James Giesen, Advisor

Teaching Experience

·       Graduate Teaching Assistant, Mississippi State University, Early United States History, 2008

·       Adjunct Instructor, Jackson State University, World Civilizations 2005-2008

·       Social Studies Teacher, Crystal Springs High School, Mississippi Studies, World Geography, World History, AP World History, 1999-2008

·       Dual Enrollment Instructor, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, World History, 2007

·       AP World History Grader, Colorado State University, 2007 & 2008

·       Served on the Mississippi History Now Teacher Forum, 2004-2008

Research Interests

·       Major Field - Modern United States History,

·       Minor Fields - Progressive Era, American South

Presentations/Publications/Awards

·       Presented, and won second prize, Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference in 2004. 

Paper: “Henry Lewis Whitfield: Progressive Reformer of Mississippi”

·       Three articles forthcoming (2009) in the Mississippi Encyclopedia, University of Mississippi Press,

entitled:  “Mississippi and the New Deal,” “Mississippi and the Great Depression,” and

“The Indian Removal Act of 1830”

·       Book Review: Indo-Persian Travels in the Age of Discoveries, 1400–1800. By Muzaffar Alam and

Sanjay Subrahmanyam (New York, Cambridge University Press, 2007) 399 pp. $99.  Reviewed in

World History Bulletin, a publication of The World History Association, Spring, 2008

·       Recipient of the James Garner Scholarship, Mississippi State University, Department of History, 2008

·       Phi Alpha Theta, National Historical Honorary Society, Member

·       Phi Kappa Phi, National Honorary Society, Member

Lauren Blumkin(leb149@msstate.edu )

Erinn Catherine McComb(ecm127@msstate.edu )

William Harrison Taylor (wht12@msstate.edu )

Education

-Ph.D. Candidate, History; Degree expected May 2009, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi.

-Working Dissertation Title: “‘One Body and One Spirit’: Presbyterians, Interdenominationalism, and the American Revolution.”  

-M.A., History, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, 2005. 

-Thesis title: “The Road to Democratic Transformation: Presbyterians, Congregationalists and the Legacy of the American Revolution, 1763-1801.”  Directed by Peter C. Messer.

-B.A., History, Troy State University, Troy, Alabama, 2001.

Academic Areas

-American history to 1877; American history since 1877; Early American Republic (1787-1861); American religious history; Intellectual history; Modern British history (1660-present).

Academic Employment

-Instructor, Department of History, Mississippi State University, 2003 – present. Responsibilities: Advising, Teaching.  Courses taught: HI 1063 (Early US) and HI 1073 (Modern US).  Class enrollment: 25 and 200 students.           

-Research Assistant, Assistant to Lead Historian on Global War on Terror Oral History Project, Department of History, Mississippi State University, Responsibilities: Scheduling Interviews, Conducting Interviews, and Transcribing Interviews.  Semester: Fall 2007.

-Reader, College Board’s Advanced Placement U.S. History Reading, Louisville, Kentucky. 2007 and 2008.  Responsibilities: Reading and grading High School AP US History exams.

Honors

-George Robson Graduate Paper Award, Mississippi State University, 2007.

-Best paper award in the Ph.D. candidate category at the National Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, Jackson State University, 2007.

-J. W. Garner Scholarship, Mississippi State University, 2003-present

-Phi Alpha Theta Scholastic Award for the graduating senior with the highest GPA in the field of history, Troy State University, 2002.

-The Colonial Dames Award for the best paper written in the field of US history, Troy State University, 2002.

-Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities for History at Troy State University, 2002.

-Ray G. Mathis Memorial Award for the most promising junior in the field of history, Troy State University, 2001.

-Norma Taylor Mitchell Award for the student with the highest GPA in the Fall US history survey courses, Troy State University, 2000.

Publications:

-Under Review, “Unintended Consequences: Southern Presbyterians and Interdenominationalism in the late Eighteenth Century” in Journal of Southern Religion.

Paper Presentations

-“Bridging the Divide: Presbyterians, Interdenominationalism, and Nationalism in the Early Republic.” Organization of American Historians Conference.  Seattle, Washington.  March 26-29, 2009.

-“For Christ and Country: Presbyterians and Interdenominationalism in the Early Republic.” American Society for Church History Conference. New York, January 2-5, 2009.

-“The Bloomsbury Recipe.” The Southern Conference on British Studies, Richmond, Virginia, October 31- November 3, 2007.

-“‘Promoting the General Interest of the Redeemer’s Kingdom’: The Interdenominational Transformation of the Congregationalists and Presbyterians, 1783-1801.” Nexus Interdisciplinary Conference: Religion and Nation, Knoxville, Tennessee, April 8, 2006.

-“A Bulwark against the Oncoming Tide: C.S. Lewis and American Fundamentalism.” International Security/Internal Safety Conference, Mississippi State University, March 23-25, 2007.

-“‘One Body and One Spirit’: The Congregationalist and Presbyterian Journey toward Christian Unity in the Early Republic.” Second Annual Graduate Student History Conference at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, February 8-9, 2007.

-“Unintended Consequences: Southern Presbyterians and Interdenominationalism in the late Eighteenth Century.” Mississippi Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, Jackson State University, February 23-24, 2007.

-“There’s Something About Harry; Harry Potter and the Dynamics of Novel Reading.” Mississippi Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, Starkville, Mississippi, March 27, 2004. 

Service in Associations

-Ph.D. Student Representative to Departmental Graduate Committee, Mississippi State University, 2007-2008. 

-Student Representative, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Committee, Troy State University, 2001-2002.

-President, Troy State University Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, 2001-2002.

-Secretary, Troy State University Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, 2000-2001.

Membership in Professional Organizations

-Active Member, Organization of American Historians, 2008

-Active Member, Society for Historians of the Early Republic, 2004 - present

-Active Member, Presbyterian Historical Society, 2004 - present

-Active Member, The Middle Hall- The Graduate History Association of Mississippi State University, 2003 - present

-Active Member, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, 2001 - present.

-Active Member, Phi Alpha Theta, 2000 - present.

Jesse McRight(jmm260@msstate.edu )

Kirk Strawbridge (kstraw80@yahoo.com )

Jesse Brown (jeb223@msstate.edu )

Education:                                   

Mississippi State University

M.A. Student: Majoring in Modern European History with a minor in “Imperialism, Colonialism, and Decolonization,” degree to be completed in December 2008. 

·      Interest focuses on the development of the International System in the nineteenth century and Britain’s role in said development.  Research also focuses on the British Empire’s role in the development of the East Asian political order.

·      Advisors: Drs. William A. Hay, Shu-hui Wu, and Allyson Jaye Delnore.

Mississippi State University

                                                B.A.: History, 2006.

Teaching Experience:            Teaching Assistant, Mississippi State University, 2007-Present:

·      “Early United States History,” HI 1063 (3 Sections Fall 2007, 1 Section Fall 2008)

·      “Modern United States History,” HI 1073 (3 Sections, Spring 2008)

Fellowships/Scholarships:           

·      James W. Garner History Fellowship recipient, Mississippi State University, 2007-Present.

·      Named as an MSU Special Scholar, Mississippi State University, 2003-2005.

·      Academic Scholarship recipient, Mississippi State University, 2004-2005.

·      Mississippi Tuition Assistant Grant recipient, 2003-2006.

·      Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant recipient, 2003-2004.

·      Hancock County Alumni Scholarship recipient, 2003-2004.           

·      Freshman Academic Scholarship recipient, Mississippi State University, 2003-2004.

Articles:

·      “American Firearms.”  American Technology: A Historical Encyclopedia.  Edward Pershey, Ed.  (Santa Barbara, CA: Forthcoming in June 2009).

·      “English Channel.”  Seas and Waterways of the World: An Encyclopedia of History, Uses, and Issues.  John Zumerchik, Ed.  (Santa Barbara, CA: Forthcoming in April 2009).

·      “Sea of Japan.”  Seas and Waterways of the World: An Encyclopedia of History, Uses, and Issues.  John Zumerchik, Ed.  (Santa Barbara, CA: Forthcoming in April 2009).

Book Reviews:

·         “The Crown Agents at the Close of the British Empire.”  Review of David Sunderland’s Managing British Colonial and Post-Colonial Development: The Crown Agents, 1914-1974 (Boydell & Brewer, Ltd., 2007).  H-Albion, Michigan State University, July 17, 2008.

Presentation(s):

·      “A ‘New’ System of Agriculture – The Emergence of Economic Agricultural Writing in Eighteenth Century Britain.” Presented at the 24^th Annual Ohio Valley Historical Conference at Austin Peay State University, TN, November 1, 2008.

·       “The Congress of Berlin’s Impact on the International System.”  Presented at the 2^nd Annual Regional Conference on International Security/Internal Safety at Northwestern Louisiana State University, LA, April 11, 2008.

§  Travel funds provided by the Mississippi State University Department of History and the Mississippi State University Graduate Student Association.

Professional Development:           

·      Attended the Forum of Agricultural and Rural history at Mississippi State, Mississippi State University, MS, April 4 – 5, 2008.

·      Invited to and attended ASEAN’s Asian Energy Security Conference, Jackson, MS, October 1-2, 2007.

§  Travel funds provided by Mississippi State University Dept. of History and the János Radványi Center for International Security and Strategic Studies.

·      Attended the 1^st Annual Regional International Security/International Safety conference, Mississippi State University, March 24-25, 2007.

·      Attended ASEAN’s International Cooperation in the War Against Terror in the Asia-Pacific Region with a Special Emphasis on the Malacca Straits conference, Mississippi State University, MS, March 8-9, 2006.

Research Skills:            Reading and writing proficiency in:

·      French

·      Spanish

Professional Activities/           

Leadership:           

·      Member of Phi Alpha Theta since 2006.

·      First chairman of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Advisory Board, Mississippi State University, 2004.

·      Member of the Association for Computing Machinery since 2003.




I came to Mississippi State University in August of 2003 originally majoring in computer engineering, but after taking several elective courses with the History Department, I soon decided to change my major and have never looked back.  Much has changed in the department since then – a lot of the older faculty members have since retired, and we have gotten a plethora of new faculty members who are doing research in a variety of interesting areas – but these changes are all for the better.  I like to think that I have grown with the department over the years, and it is mostly due to these excellent changes that I decided to continue on for my graduate degrees here after I received my B.A. back in 2006.

As a Master’s student, I have been working with Drs. Shu-hui Wu, William Hay, and Allyson Delnore, majoring in Modern European History with a minor in Modern East Asian History.  More specifically, however, I have been focusing my attention on the development of the International System in the nineteenth century and on the British Empire’s role in this development in Europe (especially in Eastern Europe), the “Near East,” and East Asia.  In April of 2008, I presented my research on Britain’s involvement at the Congress of Berlin in 1878 and how, in my opinion, their forcefulness led to many of the problems of the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries (not to mention the present) in Eastern Europe, at the International Security and Internal Safety Conference at Northwestern Louisiana State University.

If all goes according to plan, I hope to have my degree in-hand by December 2008 and to continue into the Ph.D. program starting in January 2009.  As a doctoral student, I plan to continue my focus on the development on the international system in the nineteenth century in Europe, East Asia, and the United States.

Since the fall of 2007, I have been a Graduate Teaching Assistant for our department, working with the Early United States History (HI 1063) and Modern United States History (HI 1073) freshmen survey courses.



Beyond academics, I am still a “Yankee” at heart.  I am originally from New Jersey, but moved down here with my family in 2000 when my father retired after having worked for AT&T/Lucent Technologies for 35 years.  It was a bit of a “culture shock” at first, but I’ve come to truly appreciate southern life and culture.  Moreover, I met my fiancée, Laura Hall, during my first semester at Mississippi State back in 2003, and we plan to get married in December of 2008..

Gary C. Cheek, Jr. (Cole) (cacheek@bellsouth.net )

Present - Currently working on my Ph.D. dissertation at MSU
2005 - M.A. Mississippi State University. Thesis title: "Cultural Flexibility: Assimilation, Education, and the Evolution of Choctaw Identity in the Age of Transformation, 1800-1830"
2002 - B.A. Millsaps College, cum laudi. Major: History, Minor: Classical Studies
1998 - Valedictorian, Kosciusko High School

Achievements:

William E. Parish Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, 2006-2007
The Glover Moore Award for best master's thesis on a topic in Mississippi history complete in 2005
Garn Scholarship recipient
Academic Sumners Scholarship recipient
Phi Alpha Theta, lifetime member, National History Honorary
Mu Phi Epsilon, Delta Nu Chapter, Naional Music Honorary
Eta Sigma Phi, National Classics Honorary

Selected Conferences and Presentations

Invited guest speaker: "'A People of Clay': Choctaw Adaptation and Survival through History." Presented at Choctaw Spirit Seminar in Choctaw, MS July 7, 2007
Invited guest lecturer: "Choctaw Culture" presented for the anthropology class of Cultural Anthropology, Cobb building, Mississippi State University, April 16, 2007
Invited guest speaker: "James McDonald: Choctaw Lawyer, Choctaw Diplomat." Presented at the Mississippi Historical Society meeting, Jackson, MS, March 3, 2007.
"Identity Crisis: Warriors, 'Mixed-Bloods,' and the Treaty of Washington, 1825." Presented at the Annual Southeast Indian Studies Conference, University of Pembroke, North Carolina, April 20, 2006.
Invited guest speaker: "Stereotypes and Realities: Debunking Myths about the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi." Presented at the Oktibbeha Historical and Genealogical Society, Starkville, MS, January 26, 2006.
"The Best Offense is a Good Defense: Warrior Culture, Native Identity, and the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi." Presented at the Tennessee Conference of Historians, University of Memphis, TN, September 18, 2004.

Publications

Books reviews in the American Indian Quarterly, Southern Historian, and Journal of Mississippi History "David Folsom" and "James McDonald" for publication in the Encyclopedia of Mississippi History, tentative 2008

David Bradley Hall(dbhall@hindscc.edu )

Ph.D. Student Research Interests: European history, Colonia America and medicine

Liberal Arts Education
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS MA in European history, December 2004 Modern Europe, Medicine and Religion Thesis: "Combat Medical Soldiers: U. S. Army First Echelon Medics in the European Theater of Operations During the Second World War" Phi Alpha Theta
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS B.A. in European History, August 2002 Dean's List Scholar
Spring Hill College, Jackson, MS Extension Site Coursework in Church History & Theology, 1999-2000
Jones County Junior College, Ellisville, MS Associate of Arts, 1998

Medical Training/Technical Education
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS Paramedic Certificate, 1997
Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg MS EMT-Basic Certificate, 1992

Experience in Education
Chair and Instructor of Emergency Medical Technology, Hinds Community College (Aug 2001-Current)

Adjunct Instructor of History, Hinds Community College (June 2006-Current)

Public Service/Medical Experience
EMT-Paramedic, Rankin Medical Center Oct. 1997 - Jan. 2002, Brandon, MS EMT-Intermediate, Rankin Medical Center Jul. 1997 - Oct. 1997, Brandon, MS EMT-Basic, Rankin Medical Center Feb. 1996 - Jul. 1997 EMT-Basic, City of Magee Ambulance Nov. 1992 - Jan. 1996

Registrations, Certifications, Competencies
Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic
Mississippi EMT-Paramedic
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Basic Life Support, American Heart Association-Healthcare Provider (CPR)

Professional Networking
American Association for the History of Medicine (2004)
American Society of Church History (2002)
Phi Alpha Theta (2004)
Phi Kappa Phi
Southern Historical Association-European History Section (2005)
Mississippi EMS Educators Association (2004)
National Association of EMTs (2005)
Mississippi Emergency Medical Technicians Association (MEMTA) (2005)
Southern Conference on British Studies (2006)

Presentations and Publications
Presentation to the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference (2006): Researching Culture of Profession and Political Sentiment in the American Revolution: A Study of Physicians and Surgeons

Presentation at the Southern History of Science and Technology Conference (2007) Researching Cultural Communities, Profession and Political Sentiment: A Study of Physicians and Surgeons 

Awards
The Chancellor's List (An Award for Graduate Students) (2004-2005)
Who's Who Among American Teachers (2003)
Who's Who Among American Teachers (2005)

Cari Casteel (clc96@msstate.edu )

Micah Rueber (mar265@msstate.edu )

BA in Music, Carleton College
BS in Mathematics, University of Oregon MA in History, Iowa State University

In preparation for my dissertation I am currently exploring the relationship between scientific and technological innovations and the development of larger, more productive dairy cattle.

Other research interests include the role of toys and children's literature in shaping the understanding and accceptance of science and technology in the early 20th Century, and John Harvey Kellogg's writings about "inner hygiene" and efficiency.

When not actively academicizing I enjoy playing the piano and steel guitar, listening to music, adorning my walls with amateur artwork, and taking rambling night-time strolls. I am currently re-reading those childhood classics I'd forgotten for too long.

Finally, a signifigant portion of my free time goes to beautifying my stoop - my humble effort to make the world a slightly better place.

Sean Halverson(sch168@msstate.edu )

<Cadra P. McDaniel

Profile:            

Extremely detailed knowledge of Russian History and Art; In-depth knowledge of European history between 1881-1918; Cognizant of historic and contemporary international relations; Understanding of American politics and constitutional law

Education:                       

Doctoral Student, Modern European History, Fall 2008

Node of Study: International Security/Internal Safety

Primary emphasis in Russian History

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

Master of Liberal Arts, Political Science, May 2007

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR

Thesis: “Oppositional Politics in Painting: An Analysis of the Depiction of Late Nineteenth-Century Revolutionary Russia”                       

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, May 2005, Summa Cum Laude

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR

Minors: Spanish and International Studies

Henderson State University Honors Scholar

                     

Experience:                       

Teaching Assistant, Department of History, Aug 2008-May 2009

 Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

Graduate Assistant, Department of Social Sciences, Aug 2006-May 2007

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR                             

1      Compiled information regarding female political leaders and their role in political movements utilizing primary and secondary data

2      Analyzed primary data concerning female slaves in Texas

3      Composed literary review of existing methods used to analyze the impact of social documentaries

4      Formulated surveys and tabulated the surveys’ results to assess the impact of specific documentaries

5      Issued a report on the historical and contemporary development of prosopographical research as well as summarized studies employing this technique

6      Proctored exams and presentations for faculty members of the Department of Social Sciences

Graduate Assistant, Department of English, Writing Center, Aug 2005-

May 2006, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR

1      Tutored students, including students from Brazil, Cameroon, Russia,  China, and Bulgaria perfect their usage of Standard English grammar and punctuation

2      Familiarized students with utilizing the online library resources to be able to conduct more in-depth research

3      Became proficient in daily office tasks such as answered visitors’ questions and oversaw the maintenance of needed office supplies

4      Proctored exams for faculty members of the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy                              

Presentations:               

2007 Arkansas College Art History Symposium, “Revolutionary Russia on

Canvas: The Visual Voice of Late Nineteenth-Century Radical Russia”

First student from Henderson State University to present at this conference

2006 South Central Writing Centers Association (SCWCA), Little Rock, AR,

“Working with Nonnative English Speakers” as discussed in Paula Gillespie and Neal Lerner’s The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring (2^nd ed.)                    

Publications:                        

“Revolutionary Russia on Canvas: The Visual Voice of Late-Nineteenth Century  Radical Russia.” Henderson State University, Academic Forum # 25, 2007-2008. 41-63.

Scholastic Honors:               

James W. Garner Scholarship, Mississippi State University, 2008-2009

Alpha Epsilon Lambda-Alpha Delta Chapter, Graduate Honor Society, Henderson State University, 2006-2007

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, Henderson State University-2007

Pi Sigma Alpha-Phi Tau Chapter, The National Political Science Honor Society, Henderson State University-Undergraduate, 2004-2005, Graduate, 2005-2007

Outstanding Graduating Senior Award in Political Science, Henderson State University-2005

Lions Club Curtis Echols Scholarship in International Studies, Henderson State University-2005

Alpha Chi-Arkansas Epsilon Chapter, National College Honor Scholarship Society, Henderson State University-Undergraduate 2004-2005

The Gamma Beta Phi Society, Henderson State University-Undergraduate 2003-2005

The Honors College, Henderson State University-Undergraduate 2002-2005

The University Academic Scholarship, Henderson State University-Undergraduate 2002-2005

Corey Frederick (cmf86@msstate.edu )

Kevin Johnson (kjb41@msstate.edu )

Nathan Horn (nh7@msstate.edu )

Education:
BA: Mississippi State University, 2004
Mississippi State University, Certificate in Women’s Studies, 2004
Papers Presentations and Awards:
Shannon Mallory Award, Best Undergraduate Paper, Phi Alpha Theta, Mississippi State University, 2004-2005
Honorable Mention, Graduate Gender Studies Student Paper Award, Center for Women’s Studies, Mississippi State University, 2006
Round Table Discussant, Global War on Terrorism Oral History Project, First Regional IS/IS Conference, March 23-25, 2007, Mississippi State University
Social Environmentalism, Mid-America Conference on History, Fall 2007, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sacrificed for Progress: The Destruction of Holcut, Mississippi and Its Historical Memory, Forum on Agricultural and Rural History, Spring 2008, Mississippi State University
Converting A-bombs to Plowshares:  the Atomic Energy Commission’s Project Plowshare and the Domestic Use of Nuclear Weapons, Second Regional IS/IS Conference, Spring 2008, Natchitoches, LA
George Robinson Award, Best Graduate Research Paper, Phi Alpha Theta, Mississippi State University, 2007-2008
Organizations:
Phi Alpha Theta (Gamma Nu Chapter) Vice-President 2008-2009
Work Experience:
Graduate Assistantship, Information Technology Service – Systems and Network, Mississippi State University, 2005-present
Interviewer, Mississippi National Guardsmen, regarding service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism Oral History Project, 2006-2207
Historical Researcher, Documentary, The Building of a Dream: The Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, Broadcast Media, 2008
.


I come from Booneville, Mississippi located in the northeast corner of Mississippi.  In my working career I have worn many different hats including owning and operating a frame shop, traveling up and down the East Coast selling artwork at art shows and galleries, and finally as a paint contractor, before returning to Mississippi State University to complete my education.  I am a finishing Masters Thesis student and my primary field is Modern U.S. History.  My studies are within the Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental (ARE) node with my particular interests leaning toward Southern and Environmental History.  I have also earned a minor in historical Geography, as the story of place is just as interesting to me as the story of people and events.  My research centers on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and its environmental, social, political, economic, and physical effects on the people and landscape of Mississippi and Alabama from the 1970s to the present.  During my research, I have studied the history of the Army Corps of Engineers, the emergence of environmental history, as the Tenn-Tom, the name local people call the waterway, was the first major public works project after the passing of the Environmental Protection Act of 1969, and social history by exploring the displacement of the people within the region.  This summer I also worked as a historical researcher on a documentary about the history of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.  My Assistantship is with the Infrastructure division of Information Technology Services, where I handle classroom technology, long distance classes and the live streaming of campus events onto the internet.  I especially enjoy instructing professors on the proper techniques of utilizing long distance learning and utilizing instructional technology.  I think that technology classrooms are the wave of the future and look forward to possible employing it in my future classes.
.