LSUS History and Social Sciences Department

Today, Rev. Azrael McClain, associate pastor of historic Little Union Baptist Church, was the guest speaker for Dr. Joiner’s HIST 476/690 Public History class. Rev. McClain spoke on the history of the Civil Rights Movement in north Louisiana.

Dr. Cheryl White will again be a lecturer for the esteemed Smithsonian Institution, as part of their Art History Certification Program. On Wednesday January 11, she will deliver a livestream presentation exploring the varied artistic depictions of Christ across the centuries - “from the Catacombs to Caravaggio.”

So far, 121 artifacts recovered from the early twentieth century during a cultural resource survey at the historic Calanthean Temple. This has been a great project with our student interns in conjunction with the Spring Street Museum, which is now developing a public exhibit about the rich history of this African-American built and owned structure. The Calanthean was built in 1923, so we will mark its centennial next year with a spotlight on this university initiative!

LSUS History students have worked hard all semester on this urban cultural resource project and site survey. From perfume bottles to liquor bottles and assorted pottery and china, the work at the historic Calanthean Temple has yielded some great artifacts to help us tell the story of the past at this iconic structure built in 1923.

However, one of the coolest finds was this baluster, one of a few mysteriously missing from the building for decades - we are now hopeful of finding the remaining pieces so that this balcony can be fully restored to its 1923 original!

A few of our interns at work this evening at Shreveport’s historic Calanthean Temple - with their first significant find of this cultural resource investigation and site survey- an intact 1940s era medicine bottle. This will be great fun putting together an exhibit at our Spring Street Museum.

Our History interns this semester are preparing to begin a Phase One Cultural Resource investigation (urban archaeology) at Shreveport’s historic Calanthean Temple on Texas Avenue. Now that the weather is cooling, we can’t wait to see what artifacts from this era of Shreveport history might be found - to frame a new exhibit at the LSUS Spring Street Museum showcasing this structure and its remarkable story as the headquarters of an African American woman’s organization - The Order of Calanthe. Built in 1923, the building will mark its 100th anniversary next year, and LSUS is thrilled to be part of telling this story.

Dr. Cheryl White will be a featured panelist at the annual Louisiana Book Festival at the state capital in Baton Rouge on Saturday, October 29, highlighting the 2021 release from The History Press: Shreveport Martyrs of 1873.

http://www.louisianabookfestival.org/Author_White.html?fbclid=IwAR0H1RXVopwd8HVikP8s8r_6lI_AwhPIDBn-4-_NeEj2apa2Zina5Fvlm9Y

Dr. Joiner’s new book on Greenwood Cemetery in Shreveport will be available later this year. It will be unlike the earlier books on Shreveport. More news soon!

Downtown Development Authority

Our Spring Street Museum is a venue for this great event! Check it out.

Downtown Development Authority Welcome to Downtown Shreveport, the heart of northwest Louisiana

Medieval England's Art and Archaeology

Dr. Cheryl White, Professor of History, is the guest lecturer on September 10 for some very special programming of the Smithsonian Institution.
This earns credit toward the Smithsonian's esteemed World Art History Certificate Program!
The topics (for those who know her) are all from her historical and artistic interests and passions: the Sutton Hoo Burial site, the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Bayeux Tapestry, and Canterbury Cathedral.
Check out the details here:

Medieval England's Art and Archaeology Historian Cheryl White examines four significant monuments of art and archaeology of medieval England—the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Bayeux Tapestry, and Canterbury Cathedral—each of which points to a specific turning point in the historical narrative of the 7th...

Kutuzov

Oxford University Press published Professor Alexander Mikaberidze's new book, "Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace." For a review see The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/kutuzov-book-review-russias-beloved-general-11661516805

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/kutuzov-9780197546734?cc=us&lang=en&#

Kutuzov A full-life portrait of the man Tolstoy immortalized, Stalin lionized, and Russian history has manipulated and mythologized beyond recognition.Every Russian knows him purely by his patronym. He was the general who triumphed over Napoleon's Grande Armée during the Patriotic War of 1812, not merely r...

The Spring Street Museum, housed in the oldest building in downtown Shreveport, is owned and operated by LSU Shreveport.

Heading up our team at the Spring Street Museum is Dr. Cheryl White, Professor of History at LSU Shreveport, who also serves as the Director of Academic Initiatives and Museum Studies. She holds the endowed Hubert Humphreys Professorship, and the Yancey-Strain Endowed Curatorship. Under her academic leadership, the museum extends its reach through programming that directly engages LSUS students with local and regional history, and brings the university mission into the heart of the Shreveport community.

Exciting news!

Photos from Spring Street Museum's post

Tonight, at 6 pm at the Bossier History Center, Prof. Gary Joiner will lecture on the secret Confederate naval base in Shreveport. This event is free and open to the public.

Great Gothic Cathedrals of the High Middle Ages: Awe, Wonder, and Imagination

Dr. Cheryl White is teaching a special online session for the Smithsonian's Art History certification program on August 11 - exploring the social and cultural expressions uniquely found in Gothic architecture of the High Middle Ages. Check out the details here:

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/gothic-cathedrals

Great Gothic Cathedrals of the High Middle Ages: Awe, Wonder, and Imagination Explore the fascinating connections between local medieval communities and the construction of great Gothic monuments to faith, believed to be the purest expression of shared life with historian Cheryl White. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Timeline photos

A delegation from Shreveport recently got a chance to tour the hometown of our first Shreveport Servant of God to die in the 1873 yellow fever epidemic. During the trip, the delegation met with the civil and religious officials, of Pleine Fougeres in Brittany, the hometown of Father Isidore Quemerais. Mayor Louis Thebault made a special presentation of thanksgiving and international concord to the “Delegation Americaine de Louisiane.” I can’t wait to hear more about this trip and how our two cities can honor those five priests who gave their lives for the good of the citizens of Shreveport.

On April 7-9, our department will host, in coaboration with the University of Utrecht, an international conference on post-Napoleonic reconstruction of Europe and the development of new international security system. We have a great line-up of keynote speakers and panels. To register: https://towards-a-brave-new-world.eventbrite.co.uk

LSUS is taking the Humanities out into the community! A partnership with St. John Berchmans School just wrapped the third quarter with student presentations on the foundations of philosophy with Dr. Cheryl White.
A fun and rewarding initiative as we live into our university mission of community engagement!

2022 Massena Society Conference

If you are interested in history of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Era (1789-1815), consider registering for the virtual conference that Prof. Alexander Mikaberidze will host next month. Participation is free and open to the public but participants must register.

We have a great line up of presentations and three keynote speakers:

Prof. Michael L. Leggiere, University of North Texas, author of Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002); The Fall of Napoleon, volume I: The Allied Invasion of France, 1813-1814 (2007); and Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany (2015).

Prof. Michael Rowe, King’s College London, author of From Reich to State: the Rhineland in the Revolutionary Age, 1780-1830 (2003); Collaboration and Resistance in Napoleonic Europe: State Formation in an Age of Upheaval, 1800-1815 (2003) and War, Demobilization and Memory: The Legacy of War in the Era of Atlantic Revolutions (with Alan Forrest and Karen Hagemann, 2016).

Prof. Peter H. Wilson, University of Oxford, author of The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe’s History (2017); The Bee and the Eagle: Napoleonic France and the End of the Holy Roman Empire (with Alan Forrest, 2009); A Companion to Eighteenth Century Europe (2008).

http://massenasociety.org/massena-society-conference/

2022 Massena Society Conference 2022 Massena Society Conference “DUST OF GLORY” REEXAMINING THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC ERA MARCH 10-12, 2022 The Massena Society will hold its annual conference on March 10-12, 2022. This year’s conference is in memory of our founder Professor Donald D. Horward (1933-2021). Click ...

The Shroud of Turin: The Mysteries Endure

On Thursday, December 2, Dr. Cheryl White is presenting a lecture for the Smithsonian Institution, to be livestreamed at the link below. The Shroud of Turin is a historical artifact that has drawn the attention of scholars from many academic fields, and continues to be the subject of much ongoing peer-reviewed research today. Historically challenging, scientifically compelling, and artistically intriguing -- the Shroud of Turin remains the most studied object known to exist.
Dr. White has authored numerous articles on the history of the relic, and served as the historical consultant for the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. for a major public exhibit opening in February 2022.

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/shroud-of-turin-mysteries-endure

The Shroud of Turin: The Mysteries Endure The Shroud of Turin has been an object of reverence and fascination since it surfaced in mid-14th century France. Historian Cheryl White and the Rev. Peter Mangum, noted specialists in the study of the shroud, explore the mystery of this artifact through its known history and scientific findings, as...

Alyssa is a Sociology major! Congrats - we could not be more proud of you!!

LSU Shreveport’s Alyssa Garza Selected Among 4 Students Nationwide to Present Peer Education Leadership Project

Shreveport, LA—Alyssa Garza, an LSU Shreveport sociology major, concluded the National Peer Education Leadership Project (PELP) with a presentation at the 2021 NASPA General Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Garza was among four students nationwide accepted to research, present, and potentially implement health and wellness concepts designed for higher education settings.

Students selected to be in the PELP Cohort provided a research proposal, resume, and proof of certification as a Peer Educator. Garza became the first Certified Peer Educator (CPE) in LSUS’s history in 2020.

Her research, “Stay Positive: Applying Positive Psychology in the First Year of College and in Life,” is a study that breaks down the benefits and importance of implementing a positive psychology-based course for first-year students on university campuses. The presentation was the product of a year-long study with the NASPA team, and presenting her research is something Garza will always remember.

“I am very, very grateful for this experience,” Garza reflected. “It was the highlight of this year and something I will remember for the rest of my life because I am seeing the impact and reward of my effort. Students and higher education professionals came up to me after presenting to express interest, and it truly meant a lot. There was even an administrator who wants to keep in touch with me and potentially implement the course I developed on her campus!”

Anticipated to graduate in Fall 2022, Garza currently works for the LSUS Counseling Services Department where she is an invaluable team member to the Director of Counseling Services and Peer Education Advisor, Angela Pellerin.

“It was quite apparent soon after Alyssa started as a student worker that she had something special,” Pellerin said. “As a Peer Education Advisor, the opportunity came for PELP, and knowing Alyssa’s potential, I invited her to apply. Watching her tremendous growth in only a year’s time reminds me of why I do what I do. Encouraging and witnessing students as they discover their strengths and sense of purpose is one of the most satisfying experiences for me as a professional working in higher education. Seeing Alyssa’s final presentation has made everyone in our entire division of Student Development truly proud.”

Garza hopes to utilize her training, research project, and personal experience to empower first-year students to prioritize building mental health skills with positive psychology methods.

“My main goal with this project was to help students who are in the same situation I found myself in,” Garza said of her mental health challenges as a first-year student. “I struggled with catastrophizing and negativity which created a general cognitive distortion of life being something negative. When I started picking out things that were positive, I noticed the slightest change in myself that became big a difference as I cultivated positivity into my day-to-day life. I really wanted to use this project as a holistic outlook for students on how to approach mental health and the challenges they face in college by building positive skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.”

With graduation in Fall 2022, Garza aspires to continue her education in psychology and one day offer mental health services to the military community. Her father served in the Air Force, and she hopes to integrate her experience and love for the armed forces into her career path.

“Alyssa’s innate curiosity, passion, and service-oriented mindset have become great assets to our office’s mission in supporting student well-being,” Pellerin said. “She offers wonderful student perspective, wisdom, and a strong voice to our outreach efforts. I know we have not seen the last of what she is on Earth to do.”

Written by Bianca G. Stakes

Award 🚨 Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze on winning one of the national book prizes, The Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, for his book "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History."

Please join a virtual celebration on Thursday, 11/4.

Learn more: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/about/alexander-mikaberidze-wins-gilder-lehrman-military-history-prize

A community outreach program of LSUS — today in Humanities 101 at St. John Berchmans School, with Laura Beeman Nugent teaching Greek Theatre!!

Dr. White’s new collaboration book on the 1873 yellow fever is out. I began reading it and I pronounce it “Glorious!”
Dr. Gary Dillard Joiner

Shreveport Martyrs | Servants of God

Sponsored by the LSUS Foundation, this full-length film documentary highlights the ongoing historical research of Dr. Cheryl White, who is a contributor to this important story-telling of 1873 Shreveport.
Tickets go on sale at the Strand on October 1.

Shreveport Martyrs | Servants of God Servants of God “As the official representative of His Holiness Pope Francis in the United States, I commend to you the story of these five priests … This episode in the history of the American Church is a needed message for our Western world in the current age. It highlights a model of sanctity...

LSUS has partnered with St. John Berchmans School to bring a “Humanities 101” enrichment to 7th and 8th graders. With history professor Dr. Cheryl White coordinating, the year-long enrichment will bring in several other LSUS liberal arts faculty and expose students to many university programs first-hand.

Nothing better than student reunions!! Ethan Puckett with his MBA now, and Ben Haines on the way to a Ph.D.!

Tomorrow morning at 7:10 a.m., Dr. Cheryl White will be live on KEEL Radio to discuss the recent finding of a cache of letters from 1918 Shreveport - from a mother and father to their son on the front in World War I. (thanks to Sister Sharon Rambin for donating them!)
Fascinating insights - a poignant step back in time you won’t want to miss! Tune in.

Dr. Cheryl H. White has been the primary researcher on this project, culminating in a feature-length documentary and book about five Shreveport priests of the 1873 Yellow Fever Epidemic. As a result of this work with co-authors Fr. Peter Mangum and W. Ryan Smith, all five are now in the Vatican’s canonization process.

Exciting news on the forthcoming book!

The Surest Path to Heaven: The Shreveport Martyrs of 1873, authored by Fr. Peter Mangum, W. Ryan Smith, and Dr. Cheryl White, has been contracted for publication by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina.
The book contains a Foreword from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and chronicles the remarkable and heroic lives of our Servants of God: Fr. Isidore Quemerais, Fr. Jean Pierre, Fr. Jean Marie Biler, Fr. Louis Gergaud, and Fr. Francois Le Vezouet.
The expected release date is late October 2021 !

(Image: Memorial stained glass windows, Holy Trinity Church, Shreveport)

Departmental News Update: Spring Semester 2021
Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze was voted Professor of the Year for the College of Arts and Sciences! This award is a long-standing and honored tradition here at LSUS, based on nominations by the student body and confirmation by the Student Government Association.

AND – A university-wide panel has granted Outstanding Faculty Awards to TWO of our LSUS History faculty! In a process based upon nominations by other faculty – Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze received the award for his contributions in the area of Research, and Dr. Cheryl White for her contributions in the area of Service.

Finally, three of our faculty have been selected to participate in a state-wide Open Textbooks Pilot Program as part of a $2 million grant funded by the Department of Education. This innovative program will make textbooks freely accessible to all students without restriction. Joining select faculty from other public and private academic institutions across Louisiana are Dr. Helen Wise (Sociology), and Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze and Dr. Cheryl White (History). The goal of this initiative is to significantly reduce costs and improve learning outcomes for approximately 250,000 student enrollments statewide per academic year.

Save the date!

To register click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-legacy-of-the-filibuster-war-national-identity-and-collective-memory-i-tickets-150750898997

Open now for registration, special course offering for Fall Semester.
Cheryl H. White Alexander Mikaberidze

Revisiting the Civil War: A Cause Worth Losing?

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revisiting-the-civil-war-a-cause-worth-losing-tickets-147858273075

Revisiting the Civil War: A Cause Worth Losing? Join us March 30, from 6-7:30pm, as LSUS student and Navy veteran Chad Beall discusses the controversy surrounding Confederate statues.