It wasn’t an ordinary Saturday morning on the third floor of the University Union.
In one room, students discussed “the politics of archaeology at Tel Hazor” and “the origins of Christian eremitism.” Down the hall, the “economic activities of women in late colonial Mexico” were explored, followed by the “suburbanization and the American landscape.”
And that was all before lunch.
About 70 attendees explored a variety of historical topics during the second Mary Catherine Kahl Conference, sponsored by the TU history department.
History department chair Mark Whitman said the conference’s purpose – to provide a forum for students to present their research papers – is unique.
“We have very few examples of conferences anywhere that feature only [undergraduate research] of this sort,” Whitman said.
Twenty students presented their papers – each 20 to 25 pages long – at the all-day event, which was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts.
The day featured seven panel discussions, grouped into three sessions. During the first two sessions, panels discussed contemporary dilemmas in historical context and early modern England, among other topics. During lunch, Johns Hopkins University professor Kyle McCarter spoke about “the strange story of the Ossuary of James, the Brother of Jesus.” During the final session, the French revolution and military history were discussed.
Several prizes were awarded to students who presented “outstanding” papers. The award for best research paper went to senior Charles Van Zee, whose paper re-assessed Commodore Matthew Perry’s visit to Japan. He explained that many hours of work went into the manuscript.
“It took two or three weeks of solid day-in, day-out research,” he said, along with 20 hours of writing and editing.
Planning for the conference began six months ago. Professor Allaire Stallsmith chaired the committee.
“I was very impressed by the student presentations…they were poised and articulate,” she said.
The conference was first held in 2002, and takes place every two years. It honors Mary Catherine Kahl, a former chair of the history department. Kahl taught at Towson for 46 years.
“She would be very, very proud of this conference,” Whitman told the presenters. “She is the person who shaped our department, and [ensured] that you, the students, are the stars of the show.”
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