Student
Successes | Alumni
Accomplishments | Faculty
Profile | Faculty &
Staff News
Here it comes...
Let it snow!
Aside from some disgruntlement about not being able to have
my morning coffee on the backyard deck, I am an unapologetic fan of the
winter. How could anyone not be? The first wisps of snow
falling
is also a sign that the end of the first term will shortly be
upon us
all. As this edition of the department's e-newsletter reveals, it has
certainly been an active and exciting couple of months. Featured in
this edition are some answers to questions
that I have been asked by students and alumni over the past four
months. In what seems to
be becoming standard features, there is also some information about
recent student successes, alumni accomplishments, and faculty news
highlights. This edition also features the first in a series of short
articles highlighting current research by faculty members.
Firstly, I would like to begin by announcing that the Lakehead
University History Society (LUHS) has now been (re)launched.
It is a
student club run by history majors and minors for all students who
have an interest in history. The LUHS has been organized to act as a
resource for those who want to meet other like-minded students and for
those who want to ask an upper year student questions about
the
history programs and courses offered at Lakehead. This past weekend
they organized and held LU's first "ArchiveCrawl," visiting and having
behind the scenes tours of the City of Thunder Bay Archives,
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, and the Thunder Bay
Historical Museum Society. To find out more
about LUHS and its upcoming activities, check out its
Facebook page.
Alternatively, just as a new cohort of students are finding out what it
means to be historians and becoming more
engaged, many of you have begun to think
about what to do next following the completion of your undergraduate
degree(s).Your degree in history has prepared you well for a host of
careers. I encourage all of you to talk to your professors, come see
me,
or take advantage of the services offered by the Student
Success Centre.
For those thinking about pursuing graduate school, the department will
be holding an information session on 26 November. Did you know that
students who are accepted to the history graduate program are eligible
for a Graduate Assistantship worth over $9000, in addition to
scholarships and
awards? Come to the information session to find out more!
Our graduates have excelled in all of their chosen fields (see the side
bar and below for some examples). In particular, since 1965 the
department has also been a catalyst for the proliferation of research
and writing about the history of the region. As a reflection of this
continuing tradition, five
alumni have been nominated for a number of the Thunder
Bay
Historical Museum Society's 2013 publications awards. These
bi-annual
awards
are intended to help publicize such works, to recognize the excellence
of local writers, and to encourage new authors to write about our
regional history. Chosen by independent panels of judges, the awards
are given out in four categories. This year the works of Michel S.
Beaulieu (HBA 2001; MA 2003), Jean
Morrison (MA
1974), Roy Piovesana (HBA 1965; MA 1969), John Potestio (HBA 1970; MA
1981),
and Steve Ross (HBA 2008; MA 2009) have been nominated.
Even before I was a student at Lakehead in
the late 1990s, a common
question has always been "do history students at LU have the same
on-campus opportunities as those at other universities?" The simple
answer is: yes! However, the
department has redoubled its efforts to ensure students and the
community at large have the opportunity to hear and interact with
leading speakers.
Partnering once again with the
Thunder Bay Branch of the Canadian International Council (CIC),
excellent
presentations by Jamie Swift, Yves Engler, and Peter Globensky have occurred this
term.
In addition, a joint initiative between the department, CIC, Lake
Superior Scottish Regiment, and the HMCS Griffon resulted in a one-day
symposium on Military Operations and Humanitarian Goals
that was attended by well over 100 people. The last presentation of the
term will occur on 10 December. Madelaine
Drohan will be speaking to the CIC's most recent research
report The
9 Habits of Highly Effective Resource Economies: Lessons for Canada.
I encourage you all to take advantage of these free presentations.
Ever
wonder where your scholarship and grant money comes from?
One way has been through the generous donations of current and former
faculty members, alumni, and community supporters of the history
program. Some of the In-Course Scholarships and Awards specifically for
history majors need no application (and those who are receiving them
will find out shortly). Others, though, do require an
application. Available this January are a number of awards ranging in
value from $100 to $1000. Information about each award and how to
apply can be found by clicking
here.
Ever wonder what faculty members actually do? A
university professor
is expected to do three main things as part of their job: teaching,
research, and service. Teaching, while pretty self-explanatory,
involves in-class instruction, preparation, revising courses, and
participating in teaching-related conferences, seminars and workshops
both at Lakehead and across the world. This term, for example, the
annual Teaching and Learning week occurred that featured a presentation
by John
Gardner who talked about the First Year Experience. All
faculty are also required to undertake research and publish in
peer-reviewed works. Historians do
this through journal articles, book chapters, and, what is
the benchmark in history, books. Click here for more about the over 30 books
published by members of the department.
Finally, but definitely not the least, professors are
expected to be actively involved in university committees, and sit on a
multitude of
regional, national, and international boards of directors,
associations, and societies.
Finally, I have enjoyed meeting many of you over the
past couple of
months at events. If you are around the third floor of the Ryan
Building, stop by if
you have any questions or if you just want to say hello. I
hope you have enjoyed this edition of the department's
e-newsletter. If you have suggestions please feel free to contact
myself or the Department of History's Administrative Assistant Gail
Fikis (gail.fikis@lakeheadu.ca).
Michel S. Beaulieu, Ph.D
Chair and Associate Professor
Student Successes:
Lakehead
History Majors Active in International Exchanges - History
majors Bradley Robinson and Robert Dunham were recently featured in the
Derry Journal (19 October 2012) speaking about their experience at the
University of Ulster, Ireland. Click here to read more.
Alumni
Accomplishments:
New Book by John Potestio (HBA/MA) -
Drawing on Giovanni Veltri's Memoirs as the basis for his narrative,
John Potestio's latest book recounts the origin and development of the
R. F. Welch (Veltri) Company, a railway construction firm that was
founded by two immigrants from Calabria, Italy in the 1880's. Click here to read more about this book on
the Institute of Italian Studies-Lakehead University's website.
Alumni
(Historic) Notes - John McPhail (HBA 1996, MA 2000) is a
past recipient of the Governor General's Award (GGA) For Excellence in
Teaching Canadian History. Sponsored by Canada's National History
Society, the GGA annually salutes history teachers in the classrooms of
our nation who have inspired and challenged students to explore
Canada's past. Click here to read more about his 2007 award.
Alumni Spotlight: For more about the
activities of the Alumni Association of Lakehead University, click
here.
Faculty
Research Profile
Dr. Pallavi Das' research examines to what extent and how the
establishment of botanical gardens in colonies such as India
represented an intersection of two distinct but inter-connected motifs:
the scientific agenda and the imperial agenda (of transformation of the
colonial economy, especially, commercialization of the colony’s
agriculture, for Britain’s benefit). Click here to read more about her current
research.
Faculty
& Staff News:
New Publications by Drs. Pallavi
Das and Valerie Hébert - Recently published works by Drs.
Pallavi Das and Valerie Hébert shed like on the the history of forests
in colonial India and the Nuremberg Military Trials. Click here to read more.
New Research Grants Award by
SSHRC - Ronald Harpelle and Michel S. Beaulieu awarded
over $200,000 in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Research Grants. Click here to read more.
New Book Explores Early Film in
Thunder Bay - Michel S. Beaulieu's latest book, Celluloid
Dreams: An Illustrated History of Early Film at the Lakehead, 1900-31,
challenges the traditional interpretation of the early years of film
production in the country and reveals that, for many, film was the
natural medium to promote their communities. Click here to read more.
History Professor's Film Tours
Finland - Ronald Harpelle’s recent film, Under the Red
Star, which is a docu-drama directed by Kelly Saxberg about Finnish
immigration and radicalism in Thunder Bay prior to the Second World
War, has had a successful tour of Finland. Click here to read more.
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Some Important Dates:
Fall Exams - 6 to 17 December
Start of Winter
Term - 7 January
Study Week - 18
to 22 February
Winter Exams
- 12 to 24 April
Student Corner:
"Lakehead University is very unique in the sense that
students are known by name and can have very personable relationships
with their professors. The people in Thunder Bay are very friendly, and
the atmosphere at Lakehead is always enjoyable."
~ Kara Carkner,HBA/BEd
Click here to read Kara's full story.
"I would not be the person I am today without the
support and guidance of Lakehead’s faculty and staff.."
~ Ulysses Patola. HBA/MA
Click here to read Ulysses' full story.
Lecture Series / Events of Interest:
10 November - ArchiveCrawl
25 November -
TBHMS Victorian Tea
26 November -
Graduate School Information Session
10
December - "The 9 Habits of Highly Effective Resource
Economies: Lessons for Canada" (Madelaine Drohan)
6 January - TBHMS
Publication Awards
22
January - TBHMS Lecture: "Solving Historical Mysteries
Through DNA" (Arlene Lahti)
Check http://history.lakeheadu.ca
for more information about department events. Check out http://www.thunderbaymuseum.com
for information about there events.
Useful Departmental Links:
Undergraduate Program Information
Graduate Program Information
Faculty Information
History Essay Guide
The Student Success Centre
The Student Success Centre combines the former services of academic
advising, orientation, academic support and career and co-operative
services into one central location. Click
here to find our more.
Your Chair... and why you should speak with him
One of the main roles of the Chair of the Department is
to help you with questions regarding courses, the program, and the
university. He is also here to address any concerns you may have. Dr.
Beaulieu's office is located in Ryan Building 3013. His email address
is michel.beaulieu@lakeheadu.ca He can also be reached by phone at
(807) 343-8341.
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