Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Check Out Dr. Andy Dunar's Newest Book!


Congratulations to History Department Chair Dr. Andy Dunar on the publication of his newest book! You can order it at Amazon.

"The 1950s evoke images of prosperity, suburbia, a smiling President Eisenhower, cars with elaborate tail fins, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and the "golden age" of television -- seemingly a simpler time in which the idealized family life of situation comedies had at least some basis in reality. A closer examination, however, recalls more threatening images: the hysteria of McCarthyism, the shadow of the atomic bomb, war in Korea, the Soviet threat manifested in the launch of Sputnik and the bombast of Nikita Khruschchev, and clashes over the integration of of public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, and a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Andrew J. Dunar successfully shows how the issues confronting America in the late twentieth century have roots in the fifties, some apparent at the time, others only in retrospect: civil rights, environmentalism, the counterculture, and "movements" on behalf of women, Chicanos, and Native Americans.

The rise of the "Beats," the continuing development of jazz, the emergence of rock 'n' roll, and the art of Jackson Pollock reveal the decade to be less conformist than commonly portrayed. While the cold war rivalry with the Soviet Union generated the most concern, Dunar skillfully illustrates how the rise of Nasser in Egypt, Castro in Cuba, and Communist regimes in North Korea, Vietnam, and China signaled new regional challenges to American power."

Monday, November 13, 2006

Whad'Ya Know?




















Not much, how about y'all!!?

Andrew Dunar and Stephen Waring were guests on Michael Feldman's radio quiz show Whad'Ya Know? on Saturday 18 November. Feldman began the show with funny remarks about Huntsville, including some of its sacred cows and provincial foibles. His first guests were Dunar and Waring. They talked about the history of "Rocket City, USA" and their book The Power to Explore: A History of the Marshall Space Flight Center . Waring was happy that Dunar did most of the talking. Dunar was happy that Waring learned from his lessons in sarcasm. The show was broadcast live from the Von Braun Civic Center, but you can listen to a RealAudio recording of the entire show. A review of the event by the Huntsville Times called the professors "local notables." Alas, Waring and Dunar's fifteen minutes of fame have elapsed.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Go Global!


Undergraduate students are welcome to attend the Global Studies evening at the Union Grove Gallery on Monday, November 13 at 7:00 PM. Free international music and food!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Dr. Susan Grayzel's Visit to UAH


On October 19 and 20, Dr. Susan Grayzel, a historian of gender and warfare at the University of Mississippi, visited UAH.

On Oct. 19, Dr. Grayzel gave a lecture to students on how the study of gender can help society understand modern warfare. Following the lecture, students participated in a lively debate about female combatants. Later that evening, she delivered a public lecture on the gendered civilian experience of aerial bombing in World War One. Members of the audience then raised broader questions about women's wartime experiences.

On Oct. 20, students in Dr. Molly Johnson's "Women in Modern European History" class discussed one of Dr. Grayzel's books on women in the First World War with her, focusing not only on the themes of the book itself, but also Dr. Grayzel's experiences conducting archival and library research in European archives. This class session was followed by a reception for students in Union Grove Gallery.

The History Department looks forward to inviting future scholars to visit UAH and discuss their research with students and with the University and North Alabama communities!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Knossos Lecture


Dr. Donald Evely, Knossos curator of the British School of Athens, Greece, will give a presentation on "Knossos: New Thoughts and Future Perspectives" on 9 November. The sponsors of the event are the UAH Humanities Center and the North Alabama Society of the Archaeological Institute of America. It will begin at 7:30 PM in Chan Auditorium of the Administrative Science Building on the UAH campus. Juice and cookies after!

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