Voces Novae:Chapman University Historical Review Wins First Prize

Voces Novea: Chapman University Historical Review won first prize for the best student history electronic journal in the nation from Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. Principle credit goes to the three Senior Editors, Hailey Giczy, John Cowles and Sarah Ganderup as well as to Mary Litch, Director of the Office of Academic Technology and Digital Media. Professor Lee Estes was the faculty advisor. The first issue was published last June. All nine articles were written by students from the Department of History's two Senior Seminar courses. In addition, there are two separate interviews with Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, which were carried out by Kyle Kordon as part of his Senior Seminar research. In total, articles in this issue have won seven research paper prizes including four from the Leatherby Libraries, two at the Southern California Regional Phi Alpha Theta History Conference at UCLA, and the Nels Andrew Clevens Prize from the national office of Phi Alpha Theta. Click here to access Voces Novae

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 Hailey Giczy, History student wins National Prize for paper

Hailey Giczy has won the Nels Andrew Cleven Prize for her paper "The Bum Blockade: Los Angeles and the Great Depression." The Nels Andrew Cleven Prize, given by Phi Alpha Theta (the History Honor Society), is one of the most prestigious national awards available to an undergraduate in History and usually leads to publication in The Historian. It's a very wonderful paper on a little known aspect of Los Angeles History in the depths of the Depression. In 1936 the Chief of Police decided to erect a "bum blockade" both at home and on California's borders to rid the city of dust bowl migrants and others thought to be undesirable, and to keep these sorts of people from coming in the first place. However, though it only lasted a month and drew the fire of many on the left, it nonetheless seems to have had a considerable popular backing. Hailey in fact argues that the blockade was indicative of a spirit in this state at the time to go to considerable and perhaps even unconstitutional lengths to preserve its "imagined" view of itself as a sort of middle class utopia against what was widely seen as tide of unwashed Okkies flooding in from the east.

 Chapman's Alpha Mu-Gamma Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has won its second in a row Best Chapter Award!

Our Alpha Mu Gamma Chapter has won the 2008-2009 Best Chapter Award from the Phi Alpha Theta, National Honors Society. This prestigious award was given to our PAT chapter for the whole range of its many activities including the founding of its own Alpha Mu Gamma History Conference in March, and the publication of the first issue of Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review. In addition, PAT members won two of the three paper prizes at the Southern California Regional PAT Conference at UCLA, two faculty sponsored Student Research Grants from the Office of the Chancellor and the Faculty Research and Development Council, and all four Leatherby Libraries Undergraduate Research Prizes. The Chapter also won for its many contributions to the University and the wider community including thousands of hours volunteering as a group cleaning up Seal Beach, helping out at the Thanksgiving Food Bank Drive, and providing much of the labor that help make the many Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education events so successful. The Department of History would like particularly to thank Brenda Farrington, the Faculty Advisor for PAT this past year, and the officers of the chapter -President Hailey Giczy, Vice President Ashley Duree, Secretary John Cowles, Treasurer Brittany Columbus, Historians Karli McEnti and Andrew Paul, As House Rep Sarah Ganderup and Alumni Liaison Elizabeth Mack - for their many hours of dedicated services that made this award possible.

History Majors Win the Second Annual Leatherby Libraries Undergraduate Research Prizes

Congratulations are owed to the four history majors who were awarded with the Leatherby Libraries Undergraduate Research Prizes for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.  First Prize was awarded to John Cowles for "'Vivez sans temps morts, jouissez sans entraves':  The Carnivalesque Forms of Language and Action in the Student-Worker Action Committees of the May '68 Revolt." Second Prize went to Brittany Columbus for "Bean na h-Eireann: Feminism and Nationalism in an Irish Journal, 1908-1911." Third Prize was given to Haily Giczy for "The Bum Blockade:  Los Angeles and the Great Depression."

Also receiving Honorable Mention, Kyle Nellesen for "Cavalry of the Clouds:  Public Perceptions and Private Realities of American Fighter Pilots in World War I."

There were many brilliant papers written by Senior Seminar students this year, and the History Department honors their success and thanks the faculty members who made these achievements possible! 

History majors honored with two of three undergraduate awards

Chapman History majors won two out of three undergraduate awards at the Southern California Regional Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society Conference held on April 18 at UCLA. The winners were Brittany Columbus for "Bean na h-Eireann: Feminism and Nationalism in an Irish Journal, 1908-1911" and Paul Fellman for "Battle of the Somme: How the 13th Division Avoided Disaster, 1 July 1916." Twenty-one Chapman students participated and all were astonishingly superior to those of other institutions. Bravo to the winners and all of our other fantastic students!

Professors Bill Cumiford and Carolyn Vieira-Martinez chaired conference sessions; Professor Brenda Farrington was in attendance as Phi Alpha Theta Advisor, and Professor Lee Estes was the mentor for the two winning students. The 2008 Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional Conference was hosted by Chapman.

The History Department Congratulates Dr. Marilyn Harran on Receiving the Anne Frank Award 

Dr. Marilyn Harran will be honored with the 2008 Spirit of Anne Frank Outstanding Educator Award, which will be formally presented to her on June 12 at a ceremony at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. The award is sponsored by the Anne Frank Center USA, and is awarded to those who have demonstrated outstanding personal courage and commitment in working to promote tolerance, inclusion and social justice in their communities. Learn more...

History students awarded first and second place in the 1st Annual Leatherby Libraries Undergraduate Research Prize