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History Master of Arts Seminar Presentations The history department at Western Oregon University began its Master of Arts in history program in Fall 2009. The department offers graduate courses in three fields: North American History, European History, and World (Latin American and Asian) History. Graduate students complete coursework in a primary field and a secondary field.
As
part of the requirements for the M.A. degree students enroll
in at least one seminar class in their primary field and one
in their secondary field. The seminar course focuses on the
production of an article-length paper that draws upon a
In 2009 M.A. students participated in a separate presentation event; since that time M.A. students participate in a conference-style presentation of one of their seminar papers for Western's Academic Showcase each spring term.
2009 Presentations:
2010 Presentations:
Vivian Reed Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: The Lutheraners: German Nationalism in a Polish Particular Abstract: Few nationalisms were more rigid and fastidious than that of Nazi Germany regarding who did or did not belong to the German nation. Few self-identities are stronger than the national/ethnic heritage a person receives during their formative years. The World War II experiences of the Lutheraners show a surprising flexibility in the Nazi Volksdeutsch policy. The Lutheraners’ own national identity demonstrates both fluidity under duress and an underlying, life-long self-image. This collision between inherited and imposed national identities constitutes an absorbing story and offers unique insight into experienced nationalism.
Jeffrey Benson Faculty sponsor: Bau Hsieh Title: The Autonomous Illusion of the Minorities of China Abstract: This essay takes a closer look at the definition of autonomy and the manner in which it is used amongst the minorities of China. Several areas that will be examined are education standards and curriculum, religious customs and practices, regional government policies, international trade and regional assistance for family planning. Two minorities within China that will get exceptional attention are the Hui, representing the Muslim minority, and the Tibetans.
Amy Koeneman Faculty Sponsor: David Doellinger Title: German Democratic Republic Postal Stamps: Vehicle for Nationalism Abstract: The German Democratic Republic, commonly referred to as East Germany, existed from 1949 until 1990. In those 41 years more than 3000 postage stamps were created. This article ponders the question whether stamp motifs, via their assortment and presentation, are an objective mirror of society as a means to study political forces and changes. This presentation will reveal how the GDR, by employing the stamp medium, pursued a two-fold nationalist agenda: pictorial representation reflected aspects onto itself, and secondly, the iconic language appealed to international recognition by projecting depictions of the GDR as a land discovering its unique identity.
Betsy McDonald Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: Bloody Sunday, 1972: Discerning Between Nationalism and Patriotism Abstract: Patriotism and nationalism are complimentary yet contradictory concepts that are often at the heart of an identity of peoples and nations. A study of Bloody Sunday (1972) and its aftermath demonstrates how the fine line between patriotism and nationalism can effortlessly be obscured because the Northern Irish reaction to the incident is patriotism, while the Irish Troubles are an example of nationalism. It is important to distinguish between these two concepts because the compilation of patriotism and nationalism is almost as dangerous as extremists of either concept.
Jody Lyon Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: The Heroic Holmes: Emblematic Englishman Abstract: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle composed his Sherlock Holmes stories during the late Victorian period. His stories, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-02), emulate the period’s transition from religious assiduity to scientific fervor. Society adapted Darwinism into social Darwinism, and a renewed sense of imperialism swept over the nation. The Hound of the Baskervilles represents Great Britain’s cultural shift in its language, separation of English and foreign, and infallible hero – Sherlock Holmes.
Lindsay McNeill Faculty Sponsor: Kimberly Jensen Title: Living Life as a Logger’s Wife: The Story of Olive Barber Abstract: This paper covers a perspective that is uncommon in the historical record: a woman’s view of life in logging camps. It uses the perspective of Olive Barber who lived in logging camps and logging communities from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. Her coverage of that time period is particularly revealing as it shows her experiences as well as her husband, Frank “Curly” Barber’s, experiences. It reveals the many struggles of logging wives, like the rough lifestyle and the fears that they might lose their husbands to the incredibly dangerous job of logging. Hers is a gripping, revealing tale.
Duke Morton Faculty sponsor: Kimberly Jensen Title: Wilderness Women Abstract: The writings of naturalists influenced and portrayed the arrival of American culture in the North American West. By including humans and human activity in her writings about wilderness, Mary Austin foreshadows a sense of ecology only widely accepted by the late twentieth century.
Austin Schulz Faculty sponsor: Kimberly Jensen Title: Women of Oregon’s Eugenic Sterilization Movement: A Case Study of Eugenic Sterilization in Practice Abstract: This paper offers an examination of the primary arguments made by Dr. Bethenia Owens Adair in favor of eugenic sterilization legislation in Oregon and the opposition arguments made by the Anti-Sterilization League led by Lora Little in the early twentieth century. These arguments are compared with selected Oregon eugenic sterilization cases from the Oregon State Board of Eugenics and the Marion County Circuit Court in order to determine their relation to the reality of the laws in practice.
Brandon M. Shaffer Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: A Comedy of Terror: The Use of Ethnic Jokes as a form of Nationalism during the Russian Revolution (1917-1924) Abstract: This paper examines ethnic jokes used by Russian civilians during the Russian Revolution and their establishment of an “us versus them” mentality. The establishment of this underground nationalism harkens back to the period under the Tsar, when many of the same jokes were used. The jokes reflect the frustration and anger at the establishment of the USSR during the Revolution and Civil War.
Sam Summers Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: Football Nationalism: Identity and Sport in Great Britain Abstract: Through the alteration of identifying symbols, the English national football team has become a representation of the English nation in the globalized world. Scholars have struggled with the concept of nationalism and national identity and how they manifest themselves in a society. In 1990, with the advent of globalization, the national identity of England began to change and Englishmen began to struggle to redefine themselves in a globalizing world. The English turned to the sport they codified in the late 19th century, football, in order to define their national identity and rediscover their national pride.
Jonathan Tipton Faculty sponsor: David Doellinger Title: John Paul II Changes the Rules Abstract: John Paul II’s return to Poland as Pope shaped the nature of the discussion of dissent. People no longer emphasized material issues, but instead focused on things such as freedom and religion. This was a direct result of the statements John Paul II made while visiting Poland. His trip both changed dissent and dramatically accelerated the fall of the Communist government in Poland.
Susan Windish Faculty sponsor: Bau Hsieh Title: Strangers in Their Own Country Abstract: The Uyghurs, who live in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, have a culture and background distinct from the Han and are one of China’s 46 nationalities. This minority group has distinguishing physical qualities and a lifestyle that stands apart from most other Chinese people. Having seen the USSR split, and viewing the immergence of neighboring countries, has caused tensions to rise towards China, although it seems virtually impossible that Xinjiang could ever become its own country.
2011 Presentations
Hannah Marshall Faculty sponsor: Max Geier Title: The Axe Murderer as Underprivileged Male Abstract: The axe murders of eight people in Villisca, Iowa in 1912 shocked the nation. The use of this common household item as a weapon horrified the press, which ran dozens of stories depicting the weapon, murder scene, and possible suspect. It was automatically assumed by both the press and detectives that the murderer would be a male from the lowest socio-economic class of society. This description was one based on predisposed beliefs that axes were the tools of the lower class and that women could not commit such physical, heinous crimes.
Samantha Reining Faculty sponsor: Max Geier Title: 1844 Oregon Territory: Murder and Race Relations Abstract: Champoeg Constable Joel Turnham’s threat against the life of Mary Hauxhurst (the Indian wife of Webley Hauxhurst), and Turnham’s subsequent death, exemplify the racial tensions present in 1844 in the Oregon Territory. An examination of the lives of the individuals involved in this case illustrates how society in early Oregon developed a system of prejudice and intolerance that led to socially accepted violence against Indians and their unfair treatment in the justice system. This organized system of discrimination was further constructed through miscegenation laws, reservation policies, and the lack of a formal law against killing Indians.
Jeffrey Sawyer Faculty sponsor: Max Geier Title: Society’s Response and Reaction to the Harry Tracy Murdering Spree Abstract: In the summer of 1902, Harry Tracy escaped from the Oregon State Penitentiary and eluded the law for the next two months. Over this period he headed north to Seattle, robbing, taking hostages, and murdering lawmen and civilians alike, capturing America’s undivided attention. This essay analyzes the public’s fascination regarding the murdering spree and manhunt, which elevated Tracy to the status of celebrity on both the local and national levels. It also seeks to demonstrate, through different theories, why society is attracted to and absorbed by violence, murder, and the outlaw on the run.
Austin Schulz Faculty sponsor: John Rector Title: Consequences of the Peruvian Guano Trade on Labor and the Role of U.S. Merchants, 1840-1860 Abstract: My purpose in this paper is to offer a better understanding of the role of American merchant ships in transporting Chinese coolie laborers and guano during the height of the Peruvian guano trade, 1840-60. These merchants fulfilled a crucial role as both purveyors of labor and transporters of cargo in and out of Peru. This led to the generation of immense wealth from the droppings of sea birds that had nested on the Chincha islands of Peru for hundreds of years.
Toni Rush Faculty sponsor: Max Geier Title: Interpreting Horror: Oregon News and Lynching 1900-10 Abstract: Lynching, an event that occurs outside of the influence of the law, was practiced on African American men, most commonly in the south. But how did the Pacific Northwest interpret lynching events as they occurred across the United States? To find out, I will identify how Oregon newspapers focused on lynching from 1900 to 1910. By evaluating news articles one can understand Oregon popular opinion about lynching. Furthermore, by looking at the geographical regions of Portland, Salem, Coos Bay, and Medford one can assess regional differences of opinions about lynching.
Diane Huddleston Faculty sponsor: Max Geier Title: The Case of Emma Hannah: From Prison to Asylum Abstract: In 1895 Emma Hanna was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, but she spent the majority of that sentence in a mental institution. Around 1900, America’s penitentiaries and mental hospitals were two cogs in the wheel of institutionalization. Life in prison was a civil death, but a life sentence in the asylum, was living death or, metaphorically, like being buried alive. This study will address America’s shift in philosophy regarding punishment by restoration to the alienation of deviants by separation into prisons and /or hospitals. I will also show how this has influenced society’s imagination regarding institutionalization and gothic horror.
Jeffrey Benson Faculty sponsor: John L. Rector Title: Corruption, the Reforms of Francisco de Toledo, and the Backlash of Indio Social Changes in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Spanish Peru Abstract: Francisco de Toledo, the Spanish viceroy of Peru from 1569 to 1581, departed from Spain with the intention of implementing several reforms in an attempt to organize and stabilize the political spectrum of Spanish Peru. However, while the reforms were intended to limit corruption and better regulate political and economic decrees, the reforms had the exact opposite effect. The reforms were an extension of the government, which did not impede corruption, rather expanded the opportunities through discretion and negotiation. As a result social and cultural backlashes occurred within the indios class attempting to escape the reforms and the corruption.
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