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NEW BOISE STATE HISTORY DEGREE SHOWCASES THE PAST AS PROLOGUE Photos available for download. Click on Individual Candidates. Bosnian refugees, gay rights, horse evolution, educational reform in Chile and Vietnamese victims of chemical warfare are among subjects explored by five candidates of a new master’s program at Boise State University stressing the practical side of historical scholarship. A multi-media presentation of their work is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 9 in Room 210 of the Simplot Micron Instructional Technology Center on the Boise State campus. The applied history program was officially approved by the State Board of Education in January to prepare students for careers in history not specifically related to teaching. Building on Boise State’s urban location and the history department’s long-standing commitment to community outreach, the program features field work, foreign travel, electronic presentation and classes designed to apply the insights and methods of historical scholarship to a wide range of modern concerns. "Applied history links the stories of the past to communities in the present," said student presenter Kate Baxter. "It helps us understand ‘now’ and plan for ‘from now on’ by making academic research accessible to the public." The five candidates and their research topics are: Kate Baxter — The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. Baxter chose to research the fossil beds because they chronicle all aspects of the Earth’s history, from geologic events to life’s chaotic evolution. They also stand as a witness to more recent events, such as the passage of pioneers and the arrival of homesteaders. "Fossils still emerge from [the monument’s] world-class Pleistocene quarry, but irrigation from surrounding farmlands eats at the ancient bluffs," Baxter said. "Hagerman holds the past and projects it into the issues that define our future." Jon Hanian — Bosnian refugees. Hanian, a reporter with KBCI Channel 2, prepared a documentary focusing on a local Bosnian family as a way of melding his career skills with historic research. Realizing there was a compelling story behind what forced this family to flee their homeland, he returned to war-torn Bosnia with three family members and chronicled the conditions and climate of their former home. "Applied history provides a basis for understanding what happened to these people," Hanian said. Raymona Maddy — Vietnam War. Maddy, a computer instructor by trade, chose to create a CD-ROM package as a resource for studying the Vietnam War. In the process, she gained a stronger understanding of this tumultuous time in America’s history and made several contacts in the Vietnam veteran and refugee communities. "This is an example of how history and technology can merge effectively," she said. Jeremy Maxand — Gay rights and Proposition One. Maxand will showcase his Web archive of political leaflets, clippings and photographs concerning the defeat of Idaho’s Proposition One, which he said is a good case study of the social movement of the 1990s. "Proposition One is an excellent example of a chapter in Idaho’s ‘public history’ because it was such an intensely fought battle between two groups," he said. "The line was definitely drawn in the sand over this, and those who would not normally voice their opinion on such issues stood their ground." Suzanne Rosario — Chilean educational reform. Rosario’s 30-year look at Chilean nationalism provided a glimpse of how governments use the educational system as a tool to create national identity. Chile’s schools underwent a change from the Marxist model implemented by Salvador Allende in 1970 to the repressive system favored by Gen. Augusto Pinochet to a current curriculum that dares to challenge history. "As an educator, it is imperative for me to understand the relationship between government and society," Rosario said. "Through the applied history program I have been able to cultivate a deeper understanding of these relationships and how they have manifested themselves within three dramatically different periods." The presentation marks the end of the successful two-year trial period for the applied history program. "The main difference between applied history and traditional history is neither knowledge or awareness, it’s delivery," said Boise State history professor Todd Shallat. "To apply history, one needs to research the audience’s needs to discover how information will be used in a practical way." To learn more about the applied history program, contact Shallat at 426-3701. Contact: Media Contact:
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