Student Achievements
Undergraduate Students
Congratulations to all of our Department Award winners for 2021. They include the inaugural recipient of the new Shirley Motley Portwood and Harry Michael Portwood Scholarship for African American History, Victoria Leffler. Other deserving awardees are: Joesph Gassiraro, Condellone Award for Italian History; Derrick Hefferly, Kimball, McAfee, Riddleberger Award; Zoe Guilford, Dr. Rowena McClinton Excellence in History Education Award; Nathanael Hoffman, Laurine Morrison - Edwardsville Chapter NSDAR Award; and Abbygayle Schaefer, Outstanding Student in Historical Studies Award.
Graduate Students
It was a banner year for our thriving graduate programs. Kudos to the following MA students, who defended their theses and graduated in 2020 and 2021:
Brandon Adams, “Dismantling Hegemony in the Historical Narrative.” (Lewis (POLS), Tamari, Jack-Chair). Brandon will continue his work at SIUE in our cooperative PhD program beginning in fall 2021.
George Diak, "Gorleben soll Leben!" - German Anti-nuclear Power and Waste Protest through Images and Artworks in the Wendland 1977-Present (Tamari, Vongsathorn, Miller-Chair). George also received the Department’s Kleinstuck German History Award for 2021.
Emily Hess, “Let’s go to the Movies!: Midwestern Movie Theaters. 1910-1935” (Jack, Miller, Fowler-Chair)
Ami Null, “Historical Remnants in a Contemporary Museum: The Life and Evolution of the SIUE University Museum” (Manuel, Vigneau-Dimick, Fowler-Chair)
Philip Schneider, ”’The World Will Little Note:’ The Gettysburg Address and its Interpretations in Newspapers, Political Discourse, and Textbooks Since 1863” (Fowler, Alexander, Stacy-Chair)
Olabode Shadare, “The Changing Roles and Status of Yoruba Woman, 1900-1950” (Cheeseboro, Miller, Tamari, Vongsathorn-Chair)
Louis Thuet, “Buck Night: The 1950s, Masculinity and Drive-In Movies” (Hedley (SOC), Fowler, Jack-Chair)
Valentine Emiliani (Museum Studies PBC/MA Integrative Studies) completed a Cultural Heritage and Resource Management project “Birdman Rising” (with HIMS certificate) in spring 2021 (Fowler)
Two of our cooperative PhD students, Nichol Allen and Shannan Mason, were advanced to candidacy to work on their doctoral dissertations. They both received SIUE Graduate School’s Research Grants for Research Doctoral Students (RGRDS) to travel to important archives and conduct research for their dissertations (see also Allen in Faculty and Staff News). Another recipient of the RGRDS is Patrick Ayers, who will use the award to continue his dissertation research.
Shannan Mason received the prestigious François André Michaux Fund Fellowship at the American Philosophical Society’s Library & Museum in Philadelphia to conduct dissertation research in residence. Finally, Shannan was hired to work on SIUE’s Oral History project, and transcribed and edited over 100 interviews conducted by retired faculty member Ellen Nore. They are now a part of the Madison Historical Encyclopedia website.
