Message from the Chair

This fall quarter is significantly different from last year’s – when vaccines were still on the horizon, SCU’s campus was closed, and faculty, students, and staff were struggling with COVID-19 and its consequences, including the loss of loved ones and the cessation of life as we knew it during pre-pandemic times. Although we are not out of the woods yet, especially with the spread of the Delta variant, and COVID-19 cases and deaths continuing to rise across the world, we are in a very different place than we were a year ago. This is particularly true for those of us who reside in states with high vaccination rates.

It has been truly wonderful to be back on campus. Teaching, learning, and interacting with others in the workplace in masks is not easy, but it is, in my opinion, so much better than doing these things virtually. Still, we managed to communicate effectively via Zoom and other platforms at least much of the time, and it will be interesting to see how we can continue to do so virtually as well as in person as this academic year unfolds.

This fall newsletter features many of our students’ wonderful achievements from last year. It is amazing what our history students managed to produce even under the enormous stress of the first full academic year during the pandemic. I also want to acknowledge the many accomplishments of our non-award-winning students, including showing up to classes, contributing to their learning environments, and studying challenging topics and materials – even as they struggled with wifi connections, sick relatives, economic difficulties, mental-health challenges, and more.

I wish you all the very best,

Amy E. Randall, Professor and Department Chair, and Associate Director for the Center for the Arts and Humanities

Matthew Newsom-Kerr published an Op-Ed in the Washington Post, "Frustration, anger, and deaths won't convince the unvaccinated: The more vaccine advocates fulminate, the more stubborn anti-vaccine sentiment will be."

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Amy Randall published “For the Father of a Newborn: Soviet Obstetrics and the Mobilization of Men as Medical Allies," in Aspasia: The International Yearbook of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern European Women's and Gender History.

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Sonia Gomez was named a Faculty Fellow at the Center for the Arts and Humanities. She also gave a talk at the Black Transnationalism and Japan Conference organized by the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at Oxford University.

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Nancy Unger was featured in a podcast, "Gilded? Progressive? Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

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Paul Mariani, S.J. gave two talks on China and the Catholic Church.

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The History Club

The History Club has held two events so far this quarter, including a pizza and Chronology game night with professors. The Club is looking forward to hosting two more events soon in an effort to continue to help students cultivate their interests in history while having fun in a community passionate about history.

Honors in History

The faculty of the department of history recognizes the following Class of 2021 students for distinguished academic performance and scholarship, including completing a senior thesis, and maintaining a minimum 3.5 GPA, thus achieving the distinction of Honors in History upon graduation with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Congratulations to Grace Gilmore, Brandon Schultz, and Tegan Smith.

Phi Alpha Theta

Congratulations to the Historical Perspectives student editors, Haley Butler and Maggie Oys, for winning 2nd place in the Phi Alpha Theta Nash Journal contest for 2020. Speaking of Phi Alpha Theta, the Lambda Upsilon Chapter at Santa Clara University welcomed 21 new initiates in 2021. A warm welcome and congratulations to: Frances June Bertotti Metoyer, Samantha Castillo, Sean Michael Chamberlain, Damian Nicholas Fong, Aysha Marie Gardner, Elizabeth Reynoso Gutierrez, Hannah Marie Hagan, Megan Kelly, Therese Maligranda, Claire Marsden, Claire Jane Louise Murphy, Bianca Marie Romero, Antonio Xavier Vargas, Adelaide Donne Vergnolle, Sophie Grace Wink, and Emil Robert Wohl.

Student Awards

Congratulations to the 2021 History Department award winners!

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