Archive for Gregory Kaster

Humanities Majors: Happy, Socially Useful, and Well-Compensated

Myth: Welders make more than philosophers. Reality: Happy, social useful, and well-compensated Humanities majors. The data are clear: Contrary to the distortions and in some cases outright lies circulating in our society about the Humanities and the traditional Liberal Arts, persons who major in those areas are not only well-compensated but also highly satisfied in their jobs. […]

James M. McPherson on “Why the Civil War Still Matters”

An interesting and timely interview with Gustavus’s own distinguished alum and leading historian of the Civil War, Prof. James M. McPherson. The interviewer, who writes and edits for History News Network (HNN) where the interview appears, mentions Gustavus. As McPherson notes, there was no Civil War history course when he attended. There is now, and […]

Prof. Glenn Kranking Publishes Article on Repatriation of Estonian-Swedes

Congratulations(!) to Professor Glenn Kranking whose article, “Leaving the ESSR: Sweden’s Attempts at Repatriating the Estonian-Swedes from Soviet-Controlled Estonia, 1940-1941” has been published in the Journal of Baltic Studies 46, no. 4 (2015): 458-70. Prof. Kranking notes that his article “seems to be one of 3 articles relating to Sweden and the Soviet-occupied Baltic States, […]

The History Major Pays

See this recent and excellent myth-busting article in Forbes by Wilson Peden of the Association of American Colleges & Universities which demolishes, once again, the persistent myth that humanities majors are unemployable or, at best, destined to mediocre earnings. The opposite is true, though one might not know it from all the ill-informed and sometimes […]

Slavery and the Constitution: Historians Debate

(Right Photo: Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston) As we stress to students in our Gustavus History courses, History is a dynamic (not static) discipline or field of study. As historians, we disagree with one another all the time over our interpretations of the past. In this sense, the past is contested terrain in the […]

Welcome Back History Majors and Minors!

Here’s the story of a Department named History. Welcome back History majors, minors, and buffs to another academic year (2015-16) at Gustavus!  We are delighted that Prof. Maddalena Marinari has joined us as a historian of the U.S. specializing in immigration history.  Stop by to meet and greet her and to say hello to the […]

History Alum Named Associate Provost

Sarah Fatherly, ’91, has begun her new position as Associate Provost and Dean of University Programs at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sarah previously worked at Otterbein University in Ohio where she was a professor of history and chair of the Integrative Studies program. Dr. Fatherly earned her PhD in history at the University […]

History Majors and Alums Excel!

Gustavus History Department majors and alums continue to secure hard-to-come-by internships and admission to highly competitive graduate programs.  To cite just three recent telling examples: Alums Aaron Hiltner and Maura Coonan are pusuing graduate work in, respectively, the PhD program in History at Boston University, and the Coordinated MA program in History and Library/Information at the University […]

Distinguished Historian to Speak at Gustavus

The Gustavus History Department is pleased to host distinguished historian Kevin Mumford who will deliver a public lecture titled “Untangling Pathology: Black Gay History before Stonewall” on Monday October 11th at 7:00 pm in SSC 101.  Professor Mumford teaches at the University of Iowa, where he serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of History, and is […]

History Majors Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa

The Department of History is pleased to announce that the following History majors have been honored as new members of Phi Beta Kappa as of Spring semester, 2010: Alyssa Fitzgerald, Phillip Helt, Aaron Hiltner, Amy Jahnke, Claire Sagstuen, and Allie Skjerven.  Congratulations to all of you!