Department of History - Western University

Join us Tuesday, August 18th at 10:00am (EST) to support MA candidate, Samra Khan at her public lecture. "Historical Modalities, Modern Strategies: The Political Uses of Anti-Westernism in South Asia." RSVP to [email protected] for the zoom link.

Image Source - Left image: A South Asian chintz hanging depicting English forces fighting alongside South Asian allies against the French on the Coromandel coast (source: www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Right: India and Pakistan join Eurasin powers at the 2017 SCO Summit

Please join us on Thursday, August 20th at 10:00am (EST) to support MA candidate, Alexander Fitch at his public lecture:
The Program of Choice: Scouts Canada and the Residential and Day School Systems, 1910-1970. RSVP to [email protected] for the zoom link.

Congratulations to the all the faculty, including our own, Prof. Alan MacEachern!

What if artificial intelligence wasn’t just a tool, but a teammate in the learning process?

As AI continues to transform workplaces and industries around the world, educators at Western are exploring how students can learn to work with AI in thoughtful, responsible, and meaningful ways.

Featured in Western Alumni Magazine, Dr. Bill Turkel, a History professor in Western's Faculty of Social Science and one of the inaugural Generative AI Teaching Fellows, is helping shape a new approach to learning that prepares students for a rapidly evolving future.

Through Western's Centre for Teaching and Learning's Generative AI Teaching Fellowship, Dr. Turkel is developing hands-on teaching modules that place students in real-world scenarios, including historical and international relations case studies. Rather than simply asking AI for answers, students learn how to collaborate with it to investigate complex questions, develop hypotheses, challenge evidence, and test their reasoning.

The goal is not to replace critical thinking. It is to strengthen it.

Dr. Turkel believes the most important skill students can develop is the ability to solve problems that neither humans nor AI could tackle effectively on their own. By learning to work alongside AI, students gain experience evaluating information, questioning assumptions, and making informed decisions in increasingly complex environments.

One of the most exciting discoveries from the project is how quickly AI technology continues to evolve. New possibilities emerge almost weekly, creating opportunities for innovative teaching approaches that help students adapt to changing professional landscapes.

For Dr. Turkel, AI can serve as a "digital teammate" that encourages deeper thinking and helps uncover hidden biases. In a world overflowing with information, these tools can help students identify gaps in their knowledge while sharpening their ability to assess evidence and think critically.

As workplaces increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into everyday operations, initiatives like the Generative AI Teaching Fellowship are helping ensure graduates are prepared not just to use new technologies, but to understand them, question them, and apply them responsibly.

Read the full story in Western Alumni Magazine:
https://magazine.westernu.ca/people-ss26/

Please join us Thursday, July 16 at 10:00am (EST) to support PhD candidate, Benya Villani at their public lecture.

No Longer the “Sport of Nations”: Understanding Post-War Jewish Identity Transformation in Europe and Beyond.

Rsvp to [email protected] for the zoom link.

Please join us on Thursday, July 2nd at 10:00am (EST) to support PhD candidate, Mabel Gardner at her public lecture.

The Best of Times: How Journalists Helen Hiett and Gladys Arnold Achieved Success During the Great Depression.

All are welcome! RSVP to [email protected] for the zoom link.

Call for participants! https://bit.ly/mappingmemory26

A remarkable international honour for the Faculty of Social Science at Western University.

Dr. Cody Groat, Assistant Professor in History and Indigenous Studies, has been appointed by UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany to serve a four-year term on the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for the Memory of the World Programme.

This prestigious committee oversees the recognition and preservation of documentary heritage of global significance, helping ensure that important records, histories, and cultural knowledge are protected and remembered for future generations. The committee meets at UNESCO headquarters in Paris every two years to guide this important international work.

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO has noted that Dr. Groat is believed to be the first Canadian appointed to this international committee since former National Archivist of Canada Jean-Pierre Wallot served in the 1990s.

This appointment reflects not only Dr. Groat’s expertise and leadership in history and Indigenous studies, but also the growing international impact of scholarship taking place within the Faculty of Social Science at Western University.

Dr. Groat previously served as Chair of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Memory of the World Advisory Committee from 2021 to 2025, building on years of dedicated work in heritage preservation, historical research, and public scholarship.

We congratulate Dr. Groat on this exceptional achievement and celebrate the global recognition of his contributions to preserving documentary heritage and advancing meaningful conversations about history, memory, and Indigenous knowledge.

Prof. Michael S. Fulton was recently featured on an episode of Crusading History. The topic - The Crisis That Created Saladin. Tune in and enjoy!

www.youtube.com