Remember how T.A.s and Profs used to always go on about how it was important for students to prepare for tutorials or seminars? Well, click here for an enlightening two minute video demonstration of what can happen if you don't do your homework. With thanks to the crack news team at the Onion News Network.

The Department of History is extremely pleased to announce that the University of Saskatchewan will present Carla Fehr with the University Medal in Social Sciences and the Dean of Arts and Science Medal at fall convocation, this coming Saturday, October 27th.

Fehr grew up on a farm in the Osler area and attends the University of Saskatchewan where she recently earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in International Studies (Development Stream). During her undergraduate career, Fehr was involved in various on-campus groups, including Engineers Without Borders, the International Studies Student Association, and the Model United Nations.

Carla is at present in the Master’s program in History studying under the supervision of Dr. Jim Handy. She is the examining The Economist magazine between 1843 and 1871 and its role and influence in shaping the modern world.

Congratulations to Carla!

Say it loud!

The HISTORY

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

ASSOCIATION & the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

present…

The sixth annual HUSA History Film Series!

300

Thermopylae, 480 B.C.E. Greece vs. Persia. The greatest last stand in ancient history.

To save their fellow Greeks from domination at the hands of the Persian ruler Xerxes, King Leonidas of Sparta and his band of 300 warriors defend a crucial mountain pass against an army of countless thousands. They fight knowing that their fate is certain annihilation. But their self-sacrifice delays the invasion long enough to allow the rest of Greece to prepare for resistance—and ultimate victory.

First told by the Greek historian Herodotus, the tale of Leonidas now comes to life in the graphic novel by Frank Miller and the 2006 film 300 by Zack Snyder. But as history or myth? Come find out with HUSA!

Introduced by Angela Kalinowski, Department of History/CMRS

DATE & TIME: Thursday, October 25 @ 7:00 p.m.

PLACE: Arts 241 (Neatby-Timlin Theatre)

ADMISSION: free! (refreshments available for a small fee)

Tomorrow's History Graduate Students Colloquium features presentations by Mandy Fehr, "The Relationships of Place: A Study of Memory, Change, and Identity in Aboriginal British Columbia", and Tenyia Miller, "Sickness as a Scripted Occasion: Reading Religious Language in Seventeenth-Century Illness Narratives." Friday, October 19, 3:30 pm in the Faculty Club (downstairs). Grad students and faculty welcome.

Ever wondered not just why you would, and not just whether you would, but how you would actually apply to grad school? If so (or even, frankly, if not), have we got an undergrad workshop for you! And just so as nobody is confused, we're calling it:

How to Apply to Grad School

A History Department Undergraduate Workshop

Wednesday, October 17^th, 2:30-4:00pm in Arts 102

If you are even thinking of applying to graduate school in the next year or two, be sure to come along for some pertinent, helpful, and altogether free advice.*

Our resident experts will set you straight on

Canadian, American, & British grad programmes!

(and programs!)

Get the inside scoop from current grad students and faculty members involved in grad school within living memory! Find out what you need to do to get to the best place for you! Learn how to get somebody else to pay for it!

FIND OUT WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!

All that, plus

Refreshments will be served!

As they say in grad school, “whaddayagoddalose?”

* not to be confused with the sort of free advice best left unheeded

The Diefenbaker Centre is hosting a fascinating exhibition, "Imagining Reproduction in Science & History", on now through October 28th. The exhibition features images of the body dating mainly from the period 1650-1800, and is being held in conjunction with a conference of the same title, October 19-21st. The conference, which is by invitation only, involves scholars from Canada, the U.S., and Britain, and presenters include our very own Lisa Smith and Larry Stewart. Click here for the conference program, and to see more of the images on display.

As previously noted below, don't forget to remember to attend Gary Zellar's HGSC Lecture Series presentation, “African Creeks: Race and Identity in the Creek Nation”, Thursday October 18th at 3:00pm in Room 1022 of the Education Building. Click here for details.

This week's CMRS colloquium will be presented by Dr. Maud McInerney of Haverford University in Pennsylvania:

“Amazons in Haute Couture: Translation and Transformation in the Twelfth Century Troy Story”

Thursday, 18 October at 4:00 in STM 344B. (Talk to begin at 4:30.)

Dr. McInerney specializes in medieval English literature, but also has degrees in Classics. Her discussion of the history of the Tale of Troy promises to be most interesting. Everyone welcome.

Some of our best friends are profs. Seriously.

And students.
So you can bet that we here at What's Up will be sending one of the top reporters to bring you all the action as it happens tomorrow night at the

HUSA Social Highlight of the Year,

Meet the Profs Night!

You don't want to miss this one. The beveraging and munching and convivial yakking gets underway at 5pm, Thursday October 11th in the proverbial back room of Louis', right here on campus.

* Please note that the faculty have agreed to check their swords at the door on this occasion.

The Department of History has begun to issue press releases celebrating the major achievements of our faculty and students. These bulletins are sent to news outlets on campus, around town, throughout Saskatchewan, and across Canada. But you can read them here first. Be sure to congratulate Jim Miller when you see him, by the way.

Miller Key Player in Aboriginal Treaties Exhibition

University of Saskatchewan History Professor, J.R. (Jim) Miller has helped curate a new national exhibition, "Spirit and Intent: Understanding Aboriginal Treaties," at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

Miller, Canada Research Chair in Native-Newcomer Relations and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is one of the leading authorities in historical Aboriginal studies in Canada and author of several books, including the award-winning Skyscrapers Hide the Heavens. His latest project is a comprehensive history of treaty-making in Canada.

Over the past year, Miller and fellow curator, Dr. John Borrows, Law Foundation Chair of Aboriginal Justice and Governance at the University of Victoria and a member of Chippewa of the Nawash First Nations, have worked closely with Library and Archives staff in Ottawa to identify and select a rich collection of artifacts for the exhibition. Indeed, their work together on the exhibit is a reflection of the partnership underlying the treaty process.

“Spirit and Intent explores the assumptions and motives behind agreements between Aboriginal peoples and the Crown,” said Dr. Miller. "This process has been an important building block for modern Canada."

The artifacts in the exhibition include publications, maps, paintings, wampum belts, trade items, totems, diaries, land claim negotiations, and modern agreements. One of the many highlights is the original Treaty 9 document from 1905-06, also known as the James Bay Treaty.

"This exhibition is a significant expression of our continuing dedication to preserve and make the history of Canada’s First Peoples known," said Ian Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. "It contains treasures of our shared past that are extremely rare, priceless and of immense historical and cultural significance."

Miller’s involvement in the project illustrates the growing pre-eminence of the University of Saskatchewan in Aboriginal and Native-newcomer studies.

The Spirit and Intent exhibition is on display in Room C at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa until March 24, 2008. The exhibition is also profiled on the LAC website:
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/whats-on/treaties-exhibition/index-e.html.

For students new to this university or looking to upgrade their research skills, the following events are just the ticket. Except there are no tickets. Just drop by.

There will be a "drop-in" History Research Help Session on Wednesday, October 24 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 161 [the computer lab] Murray Library. This session is suitable for all levels of students.

In case you don't know, our library has quite astounding microfilm resources, and much of that collection has not and may never see the light of online. So rather than just laying down and avoiding microfilm, or waiting for the digital age that may never come, why not make your peace with microfilm, and learn how to find and read the piece of microfilm you need?

So, with that in mind, on Thursday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m. there will be a help session on Microfilm Resources, in the Microfilm Reading Room, 2nd floor of the Murray Library. The session is suitable for upper level undergraduates, graduate students and researchers.

Spread the word.

The History Department is hosting two workshops for students considering applying for grad school and grad school funding. Current undergrad inhabitants of Planet History ought to have been bombarded by now with emails about this, but it never hurts to offer a reminder. And if the time to apply might be a year or more away, you can learn about your options in advance.

(The term "workshop" is something of a misnomer, by the way, as no work whatsoever is required of those wishing to attend, beyond showing up. These are information sessions designed to offer tactical advise and to answer any questions you might have.)

“Applying for Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Funding”. Friday October 5^th, 2:30 pm, Arts 710:

If you are thinking of applying to do a Master’s degree next year anywhere in Canada (including here), then you should be seriously considering applying for a SSHRC MA Scholarship, and tomorrow’s workshop will offer valuable advice. The first half of the workshop will, in fact, be directed specifically to applicants for MA funding, while the second half with focus on doctoral applicants.

“How to Apply to Graduate School”. Wednesday, October 17^th, 2:30-4pm, Arts 102

This workshop concerns more general issues surrounding grad school: How do you choose a good school? A supervisor? A topic? What does the application process entail? What does it cost to apply? And what can you do to secure funding? Faculty and current grad students will be on hand to answer your questions about how the whole process works. There will also be brief presentations on why you might consider, and what would be involved in, applying to grad programs (or programmes) in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain, with sound practical advice.

If grad school is one of the options you are considering, these workshops will provide much useful advice.

Congratulations to Valerie Korinek, who delivered the Keynote Address "RE-oriented, Diverse & Modern: Queerying the Prairie" at The Prairies in 3-D Conference, in Winnipeg at St. John's College, University of Manitoba, this past Saturday, September 29th.

Breaking news: reports reaching the What's Up news desk at this hour indicate that Valerie Korinek's keynote address was an even bigger hit than first thought, scoring an 8.6 on the CRS (Conference Richter Scale). It is now confirmed that, in addition to delivering the widely anticipated scholarly goods, she also hit all her marks, the audience laughed at appropriate times, and many good and perceptive questions ensued.

The History Grad Students Committee is pleased to announce the first in the HGSC Lecture Series for 2007-08, which will be presented by our newest faculty member:

Dr. Gary Zellar

(Department of History)

“African Creeks: Race and Identity in the Creek Nation.”

Thursday, October 18^th at 3:00pm

Room 1022: Education Building

The Lecture is open to the general public. That means you!

Click here for more details

Just in: this all-points bulletin from Margaret Robbins, Commander-in-Chief of HUSA:

Hey-o HUSA members!!!

Welcome to HUSA! Hooray! I just wanted to send out a quick welcome email and let you know about our first event of the year! So, welcome first! This year looks like its going to be super fun. we have lots of events planned for the coming months which you will hear about through email and also keep an eye out for posters around campus. We also have a Facebook group - U of S HUSA- for anyone who wants to see what we're up to that way! all and all it looks like it will be a fantastic year starting with out fantastic first event!!

The State of the Department Address!!

When: Thursday October 4, 4:30 p.m

Where: Arts 217

What: Our friendly department head Professor Fairbairn will give a presentation on the various goings on in the Department of History and the undergraduate program. He will also answer any questions you may have about the department or the program!

Why: for fun! and also for information! greatest combination ever!

This is great opportunity to find out about the department and to take an active role in your program! Professor Fairbairn will be happy to answer questions so come prepared to ask and be told! hooray! It doesnt matter if you're a first year or in the upper years, all history students are welcome!!!

If you have any questions about this event or anything else to do with HUSA feel free to email us at uofshusa@yahoo.ca

HOORAY! so thats all for now but keep your eyes open for emails to come with information about Meet the Profs Night, Movie Nights and Haloween parties!!!

If you are in a nostalgic mood, you might want to check out Everett Baker's Saskatchewan: Portraits of an Era selected and with an introduction by Bill Waiser. The book is published by Fifth House in Canada, and Fitzhenry & Whiteside in the U.S. Baker's photographs, mainly from the 1940s and 1950s, offer a remarkable (and beautiful) record of Saskatchewan life. The magic of nostalgia is that, done right, it can speak to you even if the past in question was not exactly your own. This is done right.

Congratulations to Leanne Bablitz (M.A., 1996), now Assistant Professor of Ancient History at the University of British Columbia, on the publication of her new book, Actors and Audience in the Roman Courtroom (Routledge: 2007). The book asks what you would see if you attended a trial in a courtroom in the early Roman empire. What was the behaviour of litigants, advocates, judges and audience? It was customary for Roman individuals out of general interest to attend the various courts held in public places in the city centre -- and thanks to Leanne you can now tag along, too. Learn more about it by clicking here.