Western Carolina University Department of History

Western Carolina University Department of History Welcome to the History Department at Western Carolina University. We are a group of world class hist

Monday was Awards Day, when the History Department recognizing the outstanding achievements of our students. Congratulat...
04/29/2026

Monday was Awards Day, when the History Department recognizing the outstanding achievements of our students. Congratulations to all of these history students!

Clegg Family Military Legacy Scholarship – Andrew Warner

Wolfe Scholarship – Ash Solomon

Curtis Wood Scholarship – Kaz Brannon

Alice Matthews Scholarship – Chloe Pope

Billy and Ruth Hice Scholarship – Samantha Greene

History Department Academic Excellence Scholarship – Emma Booth and Susannah Hinz

James A. Lewis Scholarship – Angelica Hacker

Lucy M. and Jean C. Brown Scholarship – Jacob Henry

Curtis and Enid Meltzer Scholarship – Douglas Murphy and Landon Morgan

Outstanding Graduating Senior – Caileigh Coval

Recognition: Dean’s Outstanding Scholar Award, BA/BS History – Bennett Judy

Recognition: Dean’s Outstanding Scholar Award, Social Science Education – Hannah Brown

Recognition: Dean’s Outstanding Scholar Award, MA History – Ethan Harvey

Yesterday was Capstone Day in the History Department, when students present the projects and public history internships ...
04/29/2026

Yesterday was Capstone Day in the History Department, when students present the projects and public history internships they have been working on for the semester. Congratulations to those who presented in the first session, for all the fantastic research they have conducted and work they did for local history institutions, and to the faculty and community partners who worked with them.

Ethan Anderson, Appalachian Women's Museum

Maddy Blankenship, Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center

Chase Bridges, Webster Historical Society

Maddie Norwood, Cashiers Historical Society

Colin Parker, Jackson County Historic Commission

Zachary Paul, Hunter Library

Dalton Queen, "Crops, Cattle and Conjurers: Environment's Role In Shaping the 17th Century Witch Trials"

Hunter Frye, "An Everglades Ecobiography: The Rivers of Grass from 1947 to 2016"

Natalia Domina, "From Exploration to Creation: The German and Italian Nuclear Bomb Projects"

Chase Clendenen, Jackson County Historical Association

Caileigh Coval, Mountain Heritage Center

Kimberly Hydrick, Mountain Heritage Center

Bennett Judy, Jackson County Historical Association

Skylar Smathers, Museum of Haywood County History

William Goodwin, "Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Poisoning of the Earth"

Tyler Martin, "Behind the Scenes of Ruin: An Analysis of Environmental Disasters’ Documentation"

Nora Mathews, "Creating N**i Ecology: Nature Protection, Animal Welfare, and Environmental Propaganda in the Third Reich, 1919-1945"

Lanie Shuping, "The Perfect Vacation: Tuberculosis and Health Spas, 1880–1910"

Alex Stamps: "The War Waged on Earth: Environmental damage of the First World War from 1914-1918"

Alex Carpenter: "Characterization to Conservation: Disney’s Movies and Theme Parks Changing Depiction of Nature, from 1937 to 2008"

Last week undergraduate and graduate students from the history department shared their own original research at WCU's Re...
04/06/2026

Last week undergraduate and graduate students from the history department shared their own original research at WCU's Research and Scholarship Conference (RASC), congratulations to all of them on their hard work and creativity!

-Britan Sides, MA student, “Drag Oral Histories: Methodology and Experience Doing Oral Histories with Drag Performers in Western North Carolina”

-Jacob Henry, BSED student, "‘The Turn of the Tide of Success’: The Myths and Realities of the Battle of King’s Mountain"

-Joshua Sealy, “The Boys of the Blue and Gray: Human Stories in the First World War”

-Remy Cox, "In Pursuit of Greater Freedom: A Short History of Le****ns Choosing to Live Between the Lines"

-Sally Harris, "Lend me a Hand": Polio in North Carolina"

-Samantha Greene, "Capture, Conquest, and Cultural Assimilation: The Visigoth Takeover of Gaul and the Effect Left on Gallic Society"

On March 20-21, the History Department is hosting the 18th annual Southern Forum on Agricultural, Rural, and Environment...
03/06/2026

On March 20-21, the History Department is hosting the 18th annual Southern Forum on Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History (SFARE). Dr. Alison Collis Greene, Associate Professor of American Religious History at Emory University, will be delivering the keynote address, which is free and open to the public (see details below). Please come on out to hear what promises to be a fascinating lecture. Registration for SFARE is free. Contact Dr. Luke Manget ([email protected]) or Dr. Rob Ferguson ([email protected]) for more details.

MA student Britan Sides brought to the attention of the Historical Marker Commission that one of their signs was histori...
03/06/2026

MA student Britan Sides brought to the attention of the Historical Marker Commission that one of their signs was historically inaccurate, naming William Holland Thomas as a "White Chief" of the Cherokee. Britan sought out and received support from Thomas' descendants and the Museum of the Cherokee People to request that the sign be altered. Yesterday the new sign was rededicated and unveiled--nice work everyone!

Please join the history department's own Dr. David Dorondo for a global spotlight panel, "The Ukraine-Russia War--Four Y...
02/23/2026

Please join the history department's own Dr. David Dorondo for a global spotlight panel, "The Ukraine-Russia War--Four Years In," from 4-5:30pm on February 25, 2026 in Apodaca 402.

Yesterday, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s U.S. Military History class turned the classroom into a mini film festival. 🎬Wo...
12/05/2025

Yesterday, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s U.S. Military History class turned the classroom into a mini film festival. 🎬

Working in teams, students examined a single “event” in U.S. military history, using both primary and secondary sources. They then produced 5-minute documentaries based on their findings. The project allowed students to practice their historical research skills while also showcasing their storytelling, editing, and design abilities.

This year’s films explored a range of topics, including:

The Cuban Missile Crisis
D-Day on screen: The Longest Day vs. Saving Private Ryan
The Battle of Mogadishu
The establishment of Guantanamo Bay
The 1991 Agent Orange Act

Active learning projects like these let students step into the role of historian, researcher, and filmmaker all at once—and are just one example of the many hands-on learning opportunities available to History students at Western Carolina University.

Please join us TODAY Thursday November 13, 2025 from 5:15-6:45pm in Forsyth 101 for a lecture titled "Native Ground Onli...
11/13/2025

Please join us TODAY Thursday November 13, 2025 from 5:15-6:45pm in Forsyth 101 for a lecture titled "Native Ground Online: Mapping the Cherokee Nation before Removal" by historian and UGA Professor Dr. Claudio Saunt.

History Meets the Battlefield @ WCU (with Water Balloons!)Last weekend, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s U.S. Military Hist...
10/01/2025

History Meets the Battlefield @ WCU (with Water Balloons!)
Last weekend, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s U.S. Military History class participated in the “Battle of Cullowhee”—a water balloon capture-the-flag game at the IM Fields.

The showdown pitted the Bulldawgs against the Catamounts in a lively exercise blending strategy, teamwork, & plenty of plenty of splashes! Students even got the chance to throw water balloons at Dr. McGuire—making the lesson all the more memorable.

But this wasn’t just play—this active-learning activity helps students connect battlefield tactics to historical analysis.

After the “battle,” students step into the role of historians. Each wrote a first-person account of the game, which Dr. McGuire then placed in WCU’s Special Collections. Now, students must use these narratives as primary sources to write their own History of the Battle of Cullowhee.

Sometimes the best way to study history is to do history. From water balloons to the archives, history comes alive at WCU!

Last weekend, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s HIST 454: U.S. Military History class visited Kings Mountain National Milita...
09/13/2025

Last weekend, students in Dr. Sam McGuire’s HIST 454: U.S. Military History class visited Kings Mountain National Military Park and Cowpens National Battlefield. Rangers led us across key terrain and capped the day with a flintlock/musket firing demo that brought the Revolutionary War to life. We also traced scenes from Lawrence E. Babits’s A Devil of a Whipping, which students read in class—turning these battlefields into “outdoor classrooms.”

Why these sites? At Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780), Patriot militia defeated Loyalists in what Thomas Jefferson called “the turn of the tide of success”—a morale-shifting victory after the fall of Charleston. At Cowpens (January 17, 1781), Gen. Daniel Morgan’s textbook double envelopment routed Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s force, helping swing momentum in the Southern Campaign.

Immense thanks to the NPS historians and staff for an unforgettable field experience!

And yes—that is Dr. McGuire in a Revolutionary War bonnet. The students bought it as a joke, and he’s a good sport: if students are laughing, having fun, and learning, WCU History professors will wear it! 😄

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225 McKee Building
Cullowhee, NC
28723

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+18282277211

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