History at Aquinas College

AQ history students have the opportunity to conduct significant research and writing projects with hands-on guidance from faculty. It's no wonder our students have a track record of flourishing in graduate school.

Student Transcription

In upper level seminars, history students have transcribed historical texts and edited their own collection of original research papers on topics such as European witchcraft during the early modern period.  For example, check out this English Civil War document entitled A Dialogue or, Rather a Parley between Prince Ruperts Dogge whose name isPuddle, and Tobies Dog whose name is Pepper. 

These works are student transcriptions of public domain historical texts. While the transcriptions represent a valuable contribution to early modern studies, scholars are advised to access the original texts or facsimile images when citing the works in academic contexts.

Student Research

Beatrice Sherwood participated in a collaborative research project on the plague in 16th-century France alongside Professor Chad Gunnoe. Together, they investigated the plague epidemic of the 1560s that was active from the British Isles to the Ottoman Empire with specific attention to the French urban center of Lyon. This project was funded by the Aquinas College Summer Scholars Program and sought to illuminate the complex relationship between the plague and inter confessional tensions amidst the French Wars of Religion.

Jessica Kline successfully presented her quantitative analysis of "The Impact of Taxation on the British Tea Trade: 1600 - 1800" at the 2016 Phi Alpha Theta Michigan Regional Conference at Oakland University.

Matthew Morales and Professor Bethany Kilcrease held a public discussion of the latest trends in British imperial historiography. Go to the 27:30 mark of the YouTube video to see the history discussion. 

Brett Guest and Joshua Schneider successfully presented their research on "Commentary and Satire in Karl Marx" and "The Schmalkaldic League and Lutheran Germany," respectively, at the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, & Letters Conference held at Saginaw Valley State University. 

Miles Feuerstein and Joshua Schneider are working with Professors Duncan and Kilcrease as paid research assistants.  Miles is researching President Martin Van Buren with Dr. Duncan and Josh is researching the popularization of science in Victorian British Catholic Truth Society publications with Dr. Kilcrease. 

Callin Cherry is working with Dr. Gunnoe on a digital humanities project called the History Podcast Network.  The Network will compile podcasts that focus on medieval European history in an easy to use database. It will include reviews and detailed information on each resource with the intent to integrate more digital humanities into collegiate classrooms."  Callin's work is funded by an Earhart Emerging Scholars Award.

Samuel Klee won a prestigious Kirk Center Wilbur Residential Fellowship (normally awarded to graduate students!) to conduct further research for his AQ senior honors project on the intellectual history of conservatism.  At the same time, Sam was admitted to the highly competitive Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s Honors Program.