UCF History Alumni Spotlight: Karen Kelly, Class of 2017
January 29, 2018 Karen Kelly currently lives about an hour away from Paris in the historic city of Rouen, Normandy teaching English to French children. Since graduating from UCF in 2017 with a BA in History, Karen has started working as a teaching assistant through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). The...
History Department partners with the ZORA! Festival
January 23, 2018 In partnership with the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities, Dr. Scot French and UCF History graduate student Gramond McPherson created an exhibit highlighting the history of Eatonville, Fl. and Zora Neale Hurston’s legacy. The exhibit narrates part of Eatonville’s history, one of the nation’s oldest African...
In Memoriam: Dr. Simon Barton
January 23, 2018 With great sadness, the Department of History at the University of Central Florida announces the passing of Simon Fraser Barton, Professor of History. The renowned historian of medieval Iberia passed away in Orlando on Friday, December 15, 2017 at the age of 55. Before coming to the University of Central...
UCF History Department Presents at American Historical Association Conference
January 18, 2018 Professors and students from the UCF History Department presented at the American Historical Association Conference last week. Dr. Amelia Lyons, Dr. Scot French, Dr. Barbara Gannon, and Graduate student Sarah Schneider presented papers on the benefits and challenges of the Veterans Legacy Program. Dr. Martinez-Fernandez also chaired a Latin American...
Dr. Luis Martinez-Fernandez, UCF Professor of History, presents "Before-and-after Maria”
January 11, 2018 Over 200,000 people have migrated from Puerto Rico since hurricane Maria devastated the island. Following the storm’s landfall, the Central Florida area has become a refuge to a growing number of Puerto Ricans impacted by the storm. Dr. Luis Martinez-Fernandez, UCF Professor of History, continues to share his expert knowledge...
Dr. Robert Cassanello and Dr. Lisa Mills discuss upcoming documentary film on WMFE 90.7
December 18, 2017 Dr. Robert Cassanello and Dr. Lisa Mills recently joined Reporter Brendan Byrne at the WMFE 90.7 studio to discuss their work on an upcoming documentary film, “Marching Forward”. Slated for release in early 2018, the documentary chronicles the rise of the all-black marching band at Orlando’s Jones High School...
New classes are being offered through the History Department for Spring 2018! Want to take something different? We’ve got you covered.
December 06, 2017 Digital Storytelling (ASH 3930) – Dr. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni If you are interested in new ways to tell stories about the past, this class is for you. “Digital Storytelling” is a relatively new practice which uses digital tools for community-engagement. Digital stories are often presented in a compelling first-person style and combine...
Upcoming Panel at HASTAC 2017 – Digital Storytelling as Public History/Archaeology: a View from the Vayots Dzor Fortress Landscapes Project, Armenia
October 24, 2017 This year HASTAC 2017 will take place at the University of Central Florida. At this conference, a number of panels will take place relating to this year’s theme of “The Possible Worlds of Digital Humanities.” One of the panels featured at HASTAC is led by UCF’s History Department’s Dr. Tiffany...
The 5th Annual Jerrell H. Shofner Lecture Series
October 20, 2017 The History Department hosted the annual Jerrell H. Shofner lecture series covering Florida culture and history earlier this week. Nearly 100 students, faculty and alumni attended this year’s lecture as guest speaker, Gary. R. Mormino, discussed “Florida and the Age of Terror.” Mormino explored Florida as it navigated its way...
Student Highlight: Rachael Rothstein-Safra, Knight of Distinction
October 19, 2017 Senior history major Rachael Rothstein-Safra was recently recognized as a Knight of Distinction. The Knights of Distinction Program highlights students who participate in experiences that allow them to apply knowledge learned within the classroom to real world situations and environments. You can read more about Rachael as she reflects on...
History Professor focuses on the Space Industry in Orlando Sentinel Column
October 19, 2017 The Orlando Sentinel featured visiting assistant professor, Yanek Mieczkowski in an online op-ed. In this piece, Professor Mieczkowski comments on the recent SpaceX launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and how it plays to what former president Eisenhower envisioned for the future of the Space Age. You can read Professor...
Professor Luis Martínez-Fernández shares insight into Puerto Rican Migration to Florida
October 19, 2017 Almost a month after Hurricane Maria, much of the island of Puerto Rico is still without power. Significant infrastructure damage and limited resources have given many Puerto Ricans reason enough to relocate to the U.S. mainland. UCF history Professor Luis Martínez-Fernández discusses a potential mass migration to the state of...
UCF Honors College documentary about the notorious "Johns Committee" to air on WUCF-TV Thursday, October 19th at 10:30pm
October 11, 2017 Fifty years ago, Florida’s Legislative Investigative Committee, led by Senator Charley Johns sought to remove homosexuals from Florida’s state universities. As a result of the “Johns Committee’s” efforts, more than 200 gay and lesbian students and teachers were expelled or fired. Featuring two of the victims and one interrogator, The...
Experiencing Chinese Culture through the Local Community
October 11, 2017 Students from Dr. Hong Zhang’s Chinese history class attended a local celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Also referred to as the Moon Festival, it’s one of the most important Chinese festivals and takes place when the moon is at its brightest during the lunar calendar. “Seeing the diverse array of...
Rebuilding Puerto Rico, From a Historian’s Perspective
October 03, 2017 Central Florida is home to one of the world’s highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans. Almost two weeks since Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, efforts to grasp to magnitude of the devastation are still underway. In a recent interview, Professor Luis Martínez-Fernández, historian and expert on the Hispanic Caribbean,...
Important New Volume on the Jewish Enlightenment: The Maskil in our Time: Studies in Honor of Moshe Pelli
September 22, 2017 Three scholars, namely Zev Garber, Lev Hakak, and Shmuel Katz have recently undertaken to edit a jubilee volume (Festschrift) in honor of Moshe Pelli, authority on the Hebrew Haskalah (the Jewish Enlightenment), as well as longtime Director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Judaic Studies and the Abe and Tess Wise...
UCF Community Veterans History Project receives The Anne J. Caudal Foundation Grant
September 06, 2017 The UCF Community Veterans History Project, coordinated by the History Department’s Dr. Barbara Gannon, has been awarded the Anne J. Caudal Foundation Grant. The Anne J. Caudal Foundation’s grant helps to fund the UCF CVHP’s efforts to collect the stories of veterans in the Central Florida community as well as...
History Professor receives Community Based Research Grant
August 31, 2017 Dr. Rosalind Beiler, Associate Professor of History, received a Community Based Research Grant from the Office of Research and Community Engagement at the Burnett Honors College to partner with History Revealed, Inc., a historical research organization that focuses the public education of lesser-known groups of people from the past. The...
Faculty Summer Research Spotlight: Dr. Yovanna Pineda
August 03, 2017 The Harvester: The Memories behind the Machinery Dr. Yovanna Pineda spent three weeks in Argentina directing her documentary The Harvester. Joining her was Professor Scott Launier, UCF Department of Writing and Rhetoric, who assisted with filming, lighting, and driving through towns and cities in Santa Fé province to record interviews,...
Summer Internship Spotlight: Brandon Nightingale
August 03, 2017 History graduate student Brandon Nightingale is currently interning at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. His work this summer focuses on researching and developing WWI White Papers that will become interpretations for future exhibitions, identifying replacements for Gallery Loans and conducting research relative to African...