2023 Georgia Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society Conference - Columbus State UniversitySkip to Main Content
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2023 Georgia Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society Conference
14–15 April, 2023 Columbus State University RiverPark Campus
Phi Alpha Theta
The Department of History and Geography at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia will host the 2023 Phi Alpha Theta
State Regional Conference on 14-15 April, 2023. This will be the first regional conference
that a Phi Alpha Theta Chapter has held in Georgia in several years and will take
place on the RiverPark campus of Columbus State in historic Uptown Columbus.
The conference is intended to provide opportunities for history students and faculty
to connect (and reconnect) with one another while highlighting outstanding student
work conducted in our region. There will be a dinner and social mixer for participants
on the evening of Friday, 14 April, with student presentations on Saturday.
We seek the submission of undergraduate papers on topics related to local, American,
European, and world histories covering any period of time. Our department also includes
a number of specialists of war and society, and so papers focused on aspects of US
and world military histories are especially welcome. Cash prizes and book vouchers
will also be awarded for the most outstanding presentations at the conference, including
special prizes for the best paper on topics related to local Georgia/Alabama and a
military history topic.
We welcome submissions and attendance from both Phi Alpha Theta members as well as
students who are not yet members of the society. Additionally, we welcome contributions
from students and faculty advisors from outside of Georgia should they wish to join
us in Columbus, and we enthusiastically invite community members with a passion for
history to attend the diverse and interesting talks on Saturday, 15 April.
Friday, 14 April: Dr. Doug Thompson
“Asking Big Questions in Small Places: Complex Narratives about Race and Religion
in 20th-c. Richmond, VA, and 19th-c. Penfield, GA”
Dr. Doug Thompson is a professor of History and Southern Studies at Mercer University. He is also the
Director of the Spencer B. King, Jr. Center for Southern Studies.
Columbus State has arranged for group rates at two local hotels in Uptown Columbus
for those who are traveling to join us. Both hotels are in convenient walking distance
from the conference venues, with available on-site parking.
AC Hotel by Marriott
A very new hotel opened in Uptown Columbus during the pandemic, the AC Marriott Columbus Downtown is nestled on the north side of Uptown Columbus along Broadway and only a short walk
from the venue for the conference and banquet.
Rates and Booking
The conference rate of $149 per night can be booked online. This rate will be available to book until 14 March 2023.
The AC Hotel by Marriott
Columbus Marriott
Separate from the AC Marriott, the Columbus Marriott is a beautiful hotel located in renovated grist mill on the edge of the Columbus
Historic District. This hotel is older than the other Marriott listed here, but has
very beautiful public spaces, and is across the street from Columbus State’s One Arsenal
Place, the location of all of the conference presentations.
Rates and Booking
A conference rate of $159 per night can be booked online. This rate will be available to book until 17 March 2023.
The Columbus Marriott
Friday 14 April
5–6:15 p.m.
Bo Bartlett Center CSU RiverPark Campus
Keynote Address
"Asking Big Questions in Small Places: Complex Narratives About Race and Religion"
Dr. Doug Thompson (Mercer University)
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Bo Bartlett Center
Opening Banquet, Social Mixer
For presenters, faculty advisors, and pre-registrants only
Saturday 15 April
8–8:30 a.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall Foyer CSU RiverPark Campus
Check-in and Coffee
8:30–8:45 a.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall Auditorium (Room 1304)
Opening Remarks
8:45–9:45 a.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall Auditorium (Room 1304)
Keynote Address
"The Korean War: Origins of Forever War"
Dr. Mary L. Dudziak (Emory University)
10–12 p.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall
Morning Panels
Room 1304 (Auditorium) | Military History Panel Moderator: Dr. David Kieran (Columbus State University)
Hank Steed (Mercer University)
“One Hundred Percent Americanism:” The Foundational Politics of the American Legion
Sara Carr (Mercer University)
The Pacifists’ Fight: Conscientious Objectors in World War I
Madeleine Meyer (Berry College)
The Last Ones You’d Expect: Civilian Impact on World War II Intelligence Operations
Rae Stark (Nicholls State University)
“Code of Silence:” Abuse and Harassment of Women in the U.S. Military
Room 1301 | Modern History Moderator: Dr. Gary Sprayberry (Columbus State University)
Jay Maldonado (Columbus State University)
Discrimination Against African Americans in American Healthcare
Mary Shewan (Berry College)
Brutalization, Romanticization, and Fetishization: A Study on Human Remains from African
Countries
Chloe Pontes (Berry College)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Textile Block Houses, 1893-1924: The Appropriation of Maya Architecture
Following the World’s Columbian Exposition
Castor Gay (Mercer University)
Gorbachev and Putin Compared: Visions and Interpretations of Russian History
Room 1305 | Memory and History Moderator: Dr. Caroline Newhall (Columbus State University)
Gabby Charon (Nicholls State University)
Confederate Matriarchs: Winnie and Varina Davis, the United Daughters of the Confederacy,
and the Lost Cause
Joshua Herring (Columbus State University)
The Biggest Loser: The Hardships and Struggles of the Defeated Confederacy
Luther Bludsworth (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Remembrance and Post-Memory in Maus: Reimagining the Shoah Through Personal Narrative
Katherine Samuelson (Columbus State University)
Catharsis Through Comedy: How M*A*S*H* Helped Heal the Trauma of Vietnam for the American
Public
12–1:30 p.m.
Lunch
On your own in Uptown Columbus
1:30–3 p.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall
Early Afternoon Panels
Room 1309 | Intellectual History Moderator: Dr. Bryan Banks (Columbus State University)
Bailey Melton (Columbus State University)
How Space Shaped Voltaire’s Interpretation of the Enlightenment
James Peavey (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Cesare Beccaria: Father of Modern Criminology
JP Lutz (Mercer University)
Religion, National Identity, and the Politics of Post-Soviet Georgia
Room 1301 | Legal History Moderator: Dr. Mary L. Dudziak (Emory University)
Hannah Stanley (Valdosta State University)
An Analysis of the Second Amendment and the Militia in the Revolutionary Era
Anna Dougherty (Mercer University)
Education in Nursing: African American Nurses and Tuberculosis
Ashlynn Sutton (Nicholls State University)
“A Surprising Success at the Polls:” The Rise and Legacy of Populism in America
Room 1305 | Gender History Moderator: Dr. Susan Bragg (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Margaret Ricketts (Columbus State University)
Opinions on Women’s Dress During the 1870s and Onward
Morgan Stanfill (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Debating Boyhood Masculinity During the Great
Makayla Benz (Berry College)
Women’s Rights in a Post-9/11 Saudi Arabia: True Change, or Saving Face?
Room 1304 | A History of Education Moderator: Dr. Lauren Santarelli (Columbus State University)
Malia Ayers (Mercer University)
“It is Easy to Discover What Has Been Discovered Before:” An Exploration into American
History Textbooks’ Portrayals of Native Americans Through American History
Lydia Huthmaker (Mercer University)
American History Education: History Told by the Victor, the Publishing White Narrative
of the African American Story
Audene Wilkinson (Mercer University)
The Right Fight: The African American Response to the Desegregation of Higher Education
3–3:15 p.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall Foyer
Coffee Break
3:15–5 p.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall
Later Afternoon Panels
Room 1305 | Early American History Moderator: Dr. Doug Tompson (Columbus State University)
Tyler Daniels (Valdosta State University)
Contested Spiritual Power in Colonial New England
Meghan Hershman (Columbus State University)
Women and How Religion Impacted Their Views on the American Revolution
B. Cordell Moats (Valdosta State University)
Southeastern Native American Leadership in the 1800s
Room 1301 | The Representation of the Past in Video Games Moderator: Dr. Ryan J. Lynch (Columbus State University)
Hal Johnson (Columbus State University)
Walden, A Game: A Balance in Historical Education and Entertainment
Chloe Curbelo (Columbus State University)
Ghost of Tsushima: A Video Game’s Influence on Popular Culture and Japanese History
Alaysia Brown (Columbus State University)
Dancing Into the 80s: Yakuza 0 and Japanese History and Culture Through Fiction
Connor Santee (Mercer University)
Livy, Torquatus, and Augustan Rome: How Livy Critiques the Emperor
5–5:30 p.m.
Frank D. Brown Hall Auditorium (Room 1304)
Closing Comments
For presenters, the conference registration fee is $20 and includes attendance at
the banquet and social mixer on the evening of Friday, 14 April. Registration for the conference can be found here, and the conference registration fee can be paid here. Attendance to hear the conference
papers on Saturday 15 April is free and open to the public, but we would welcome donations of $5 towards the work of the History and Geography Department at Columbus State if you
are willing and able.
