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| Mission: |
The Department of History and Philosophy is dedicated to providing a total educational experience by offering students opportunities to exercise leadership skills, to enhance their understanding of human behavior, to embrace tolerance, and to clarify their own values. The history and philosophy curricula lie at the heart of a liberal arts education. They provide students with the political, social, cultural, interdisciplinary, and international foundation necessary for responsible citizenship. Lower division course offerings provide students with the basic knowledge and critical thinking skills needed for success in life. Advanced courses provide quality training to students seeking to make their mark in a wide array of professions such as teaching, public advocacy, public history, library science, law, journalism, civil service, as well as community, religious, business, and international leadership. Finally, the department successfully prepares students for graduate school, law school, and seminary. |
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| Announcements:
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- Dr. Nathan Howard presented a paper at the Fifteenth International Conference on Patristic Studies at Oxford University on August 8, 2007. His paper, entitled "Familial Askêsis in the Vitae Macrinae," examined the importance of family image to fourth-century bishops engaged in civic leadership and theological controversies. This conference is held every four years and brings together early Christian scholars from around the world.
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- This summer, Dr. Nathan Howard participated in a research seminar entitled "The Middle East Between Rome and Persia: Early Christianity on the the Path to Islam." Howard received a grant from the National Edowment of the Humanities to support his research at this conference, which was held at Notre Dame University from June 15 to July 21. Howard and 14 other scholars studied the context for the development of Islam in the Near East in regions including Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Egypt. They studied eastern Christian, Manichean, and Judaic texts from the second to sixth centuries, examined archeological evidence, and discussed theories of the religious developments leading to Islam.
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- Special Courses Announced
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- Fall 2007: HIS 470 “History through the eyes of James Bond.” An examination of the Bond phenomenon in postwar England, Europe, and America, this course will include a comparison between the Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, and Raymond Benson novels and the “official” and “unofficial” Bond movies; a comparison between the international politics of Bond and real world developments; an assessment of the relationship between life and art during the Cold War; and an evaluation of the worldwide impact and future of one of the most successful “virtual” cultures ever created. The course meets on Thursday afternoons 2:30 to 5:15 pm. For more information contact Dr. Carls at accarls@utm.edu
- Spring 2008: HIS 468 “The Many Faces of the Holocaust.” Designed as a Travel Study course, it includes travel to the heart of the Nazi machine, of German, Czech, and Polish culture, and to the concentration camps of Ravensbruck, Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Treblinka. Visits of Berlin, Nuremberg, Prague, Cracow, and Warsaw are included. The class will meet regularly in the spring for an academic preparation to the trip. This course is a part of a cluster of courses in History, English, Christian Studies, and Psychology that are offered through Union University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. For more information visit the course’s website at www.uu.edu/events/holocausttrip or contact Dr. Carls at accarls@utm.edu . An informational/organizational meeting will be scheduled at the beginning of the fall term.
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- June 21, 2007 -
A Hard Rain Fell: SDS and Why It Failed
by David Barber will be released Feburary 2008. For more information: Click here.
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- April 2, 2007 - Dr. David Coffey, associate professor of history, chair of the Department of History and Philosophy and interim dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, has been named to the American Military History Advisory Board for the international publishing firm ABC-CLIO. This group of 12 military historians, whose areas of expertise cover the broad spectrum of U.S. history, will advise the editors of ABC-COLIO on a range of topics, including new encyclopedia projects, database content and other issues related to military history. Coffey previously served as associate editor of ABC-CLIO's award-winning three-volume "Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War." Additionally, he has signed on as an editor for two forthcoming encyclopedia projects.
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- March 29, 2007 - Timothy Smith, an adjunct instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, has been awarded a research fellowship by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Smith will conduct research at the New York Public Library in New York City. His project title is "A Western Gettysburg: The Establishment of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park."
"It was quite an honor to receive this grant, and I am very thankful to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for making this research possible," said Smith, of Adamsville.
To support outstanding scholarship, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History awards short-term fellowships in several categories: Research Fellowships for post-doctoral scholars at every faculty rank, Dissertation Fellowships for doctoral candidates who have completed exams and begun dissertation reading and writing, and Research Fellowships for journalists and independent scholars. The Gilder Lehrman Fellowships support work in one of five archives in New York City. Since 1994, it has funded a total of 415 fellowships.
“We are tremendously fortunate to have a teacher and scholar of Tim Smith’s caliber associated with the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin,” said Dr. David Coffey, department chair and interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “This award is yet another reflection of the remarkable quality and access we offer our students on- and off-campus on a daily basis.”
Smith received bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in history from Ole Miss and a doctorate from Mississippi State University in 2001. His main research interest is the Battle of Shiloh, and more broadly, the history of battlefield preservation. He has written three books on the subject, including, most recently, “The Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and the Battlefield.”
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- Dec. 4, 2006 - A University of Tennessee at Martin instructor of history, Brent Cox, recently received the Tennessee Eagle Award for “heroic contributions to Native Americans.”
The award is presented by the Tennessee Eagle Award Organization, a group of Native Americans in Tennessee.
While Cox appreciates the honor, he credits UT Martin for making it possible and for drawing attention to issues facing Native Americans through many efforts such as the annual Civil Rights Conference and other programs that promote diversity.
“I am thankful to be honored, and UT Martin is a big reason why I received the award,” said Cox.
“We all know of Brent’s devotion to Native American issues and his numerous contributions to the community and to our university,” said Dr. David Coffey, chair of the UT Martin Department of History and Philosophy and interim dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. “It is simply wonderful that he is being recognized as a champion of his people.” Coffey added, “I believe this award also speaks to the broader commitment by members of the department to celebrate and promote diversity, cultural understanding and tolerance.”
Cox’s involvement as a board officer for the Tennessee Native American Convention, his work teaching a Native American class for several years at UT Martin and his involvement making Native American issues a part of UT Martin’s Civil Rights Conference, supported his award nomination. He began as a adjunct instructor at UT Martin in 1999.
Cox is a native of Tennessee, whose four grandparents have Indian (mixed) lineage. He points to the teachings of one of his grandmothers as having a lasting effect on his life. The lifestyle he learned from her at an early age resurfaced when he became an adult, and he continues to practice those teachings today.
“I follow the old ways. The main goal is to help everyone and deny yourself. A lot of people don’t realize that’s possible,” said Cox. He explained the “old ways” as walking softly and not being prideful. Cox said many people wrongly consider those as passive characteristics. “Those are two things you don’t normally see in society today,” he said. The way of life also is explained as having a connection to the earth – “an understanding of what we’re doing to the earth.”
One of Cox’s focuses has been the archaeological identification of Native American burial grounds and other sites of importance. And like others involved in civil rights issues, he said, “It’s an ongoing thing.”
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