This year, for the first time and thanks to the Dean’s new Faculty-Student Engagement and Enrichment Fund, all of the students who completed a Senior Honors Thesis in the History Department—Hanan Abdellatif, Holly Nelson, Benjamin Schlesinger, Jessica Shaffer, and Jane Slaughter—were invited, along with their faculty advisors—Sasha Turner, Minkah Makalani, John Marshall, Sarah Pearsall, and Victoria Harms—to a dinner to celebrate this accomplishment after they had submitted their theses. At the dinner, hosted by the course instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Sarah Pearsall, and held at the excellent local restaurant, Cypriana, each thesis writer gave a brief presentation on the substantive arguments and research of their thesis. Faculty had a chance to ask questions (such as what the students had found that had surprised them, or how they are navigated particular archives or research questions). The students and the faculty also just chatted about issues of research, future plans, and so on, in a more informal setting than the formal classroom. The evening was the capstone of the capstone for our honors undergraduates, and everyone really enjoyed it. We wish all of our graduating history majors and minors great success going forward!
The Senior Theses in History this year are:
Hanan Abdellatif (advisor: Sasha Turner): “Medicalizing Race and Gender at the Johns Hopkins Hospital: An Examination of Howard Kelly’s Life and Career”
Holly Nelson (advisor: Minkah Makalani), “‘A Rare Standing Ovation’: Ballet Diplomacy, Russian Myth, and Black Transnationalism in the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Soviet Union Tour (1988)”
Benjamin Schlesinger (advisor: John Marshall), “‘To Suffer as a Traitor to the Kingdom of England’: Trial of the Duke of Hamilton
Jessica Shaffer (advisor: Sarah Pearsall), “Sinful Creatures: Animals and Magic in the Salem Witch Trials, 1692-1693”
Jane Slaughter (advisor: Victoria Harms), “Nuclear Ties: An Investigation into the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl Accidents”