2014 James Jones Experience of War Lecture: “Humanity’s Moral Progress and the Holocaust: An Argument Against Pessimism”

Dr. Dan McMillan is coming to campus of Thursday, November 13 to deliver the 2014 James Jones Experience of War lecture: “Humanity’s Moral Progress and the Holocaust: an Argument Against Pessimism.”  Dr. McMillan is the author of How Could This Happen? Explaining the Holocaust (Basic Books, 2014).  The talk will be held in the Doudna Lecture Hall at 5:00 and will be followed by a reception and book signing in the Doudna concourse. The event, which  is sponsored by the History and English Departments, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the James Jones Literary Society, is free and open to the public.

Graduate Students Attend Gala in Springfield

On Saturday, October 4 Brian Failing, Kimberly Jones, and Andrea Morgan, attended the Springfield Gala sponsored by the Graduate College at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield, IL. This event brought together about 50 current graduate students, alumni, and administrators from across the university Mr. Failing, Ms. Morgan, and Ms. Jones attended this event as representatives of their programs. Brian is a student in the Historical Administration Master’s Program and Kimberley and Andrea are students in the traditional MA in History Program. After dinner, the students had the opportunity to tour the exhibits at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Museum.

From Left to Right: Andrea Morgan, Brian Failing, and Kimberly Jones with Abraham Lincoln and his family at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

One purpose of this event was to showcase the importance of graduate assistantships to students. Many students in the HA and History MA programs receive some form of assistantship, fellowship, or award that provides them with a tuition waiver, stipend, and real-world experience. Failing said “my graduate assistantship made my dream of earning my Masters a reality. Through this assistantship I have the ability to continue my education, pursue my research interests, and be an active practitioner in the museum and history fields.”

 

 

EIU History Professor Featured in Medieval Cathedral Exhibit

Dr. Bailey K. Young is one of the experts (the only one from North America) featured in a special exhibition opening this month in Tournai Cathedral (Belgium), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The exhibition presents to the general public, for the first time, the results of fifteen years (1996-2011) of archaeological study and excavation of one of Europe’s most celebrated medieval cathedrals, in its present form a mixed Romanesque (nave) and Gothic (choir) monument.

The outside of Tournai Cathedral with its Romanesque nave and soaring transept towers (dating to the 12th century), from the busy marketplace

The excavations by the CRAN (National Archaeological Research Center) of the Université catholique de Louvain  have revealed that it was preceded on the site by six major earlier cathedrals and churches over some eight centuries, the first –an Early Christian basilica– built upon a Late Roman elite residence.  Among the particularly exciting discoveries are a step-in baptismal pool dating to the Carolingian era (ca. 800 A.D.) and the intact tombs of two 11^th century bishops, who are well-known in written sources, wearing episcopal garb.

The inside of the Gothic choir (13th century)—this part has been closed to the general public since an earthquake in 2001 led to an ongoing stabilization program, as the scaffolds attest.

 

The CRAN is EIU’s partner in the excavation of Walhain Castle, and every year Dr. Young has brought cohorts of students from his Summer Archaeology Program in Belgium to see the progress of these excavations, with a tour by the leading archaeologist.

Dr. Bailey K. Young with two EIU students from the 2006 group: Jeremy Daly, a Junior History major and Niccole Hurley, a graduated (Honors) major then in our M.A. program. She went on to get a law degree in St. Louis, where she currently practices.

Even when the cathedral was closed to the general public for restoration work we got a key for an exclusive visit—indeed, one year we were almost locked in!  Professor Young has also translated the fifteen explanatory panels and photo captions into English, and translated the English summary for the three-volume excavation report just published (2014).  The exhibition will be open throughout the year and into 2015.

Students in July 2014 getting an explanation from Prof. Verslype in front of the Romanesque façade

Prof> Verslype explaining to the 2014 group the fundamentals of Gothic architecture

Students from the 2014 group taking a rest in the choir stalls of a medieval church—in the center, in the blue shirt, EIU Senior History major Nathan Rees

Students enjoying lunch after the visit in a nearby restaurant, with Dr. Laurent Verslype, today Director of the CRAN and one of the archaeologists who excavated the cathedral site.