JMU Undergraduate History Program Spotlighted at AHA Annual Meeting

HARRISONBURG - James Madison University's undergraduate history program is featured among four videos that were premiered at the American Historical Association's 123rd annual meeting in New York City. 

Five-minute news videos spotlighting JMU, Murray State University in Kentucky, Princeton University and the University of Michigan, all schools that offer outstanding undergraduate research opportunities for their history students, were shown throughout the Jan. 2-5 conference. The videos were run on continuous loops in foyers and corridors in the annual meeting site and at hotels where conference participants lodged. 

Michael J. Galgano, head of the history department, wrote the script for the video, which was filmed Dec. 2 on campus. In the video, Galgano presents information about undergraduate research at JMU, while Assistant Professor Daniel R. Kerr focuses on the department's public history concentration. Seniors John "Tripp" Hughes of Midlothian and Amy Cerminara of Waynesboro have prominent roles in the video, discussing their research experiences as history majors at JMU. 

"It is an honor for a major professional group to allow our department to focus on JMU's outstanding undergraduate history program and to acquaint more people with our public history concentration," Galgano said. "I'm pleased the see the AHA recognize two important aspects of the profession - teaching and public history." The AHA was founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 to serve the broad field of history. 

The AHA has archived the video, which may be viewed at http://www.historianstv.com/. To see "Doing History at JMU: James Madison University," scroll down on the right side of the Web page. 

JMU history faculty members Jessica Davidson, Michael Gubser, Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, Kristen McCleary and William Van Norman joined Galgano in attending the annual meeting.