Month / February 2016

by abritt

Chad R. Fulwider, Emory PhD Alumnus, Publishes ‘German Propaganda and U.S. Neutrality in World War I ‘

Chad R. Fulwider, Associate Professor of History at the Centenary College of Louisiana, recently published German Propaganda and U.S. Neutrality in World War I with the University of Missouri Press. Fulwider graduated from Emory’s PhD program in 2008 with a specialization in Modern European History. Below is a review of Fulwider’s new work.

“Until now, there has been no comprehensive study of German propagandists’ efforts to keep the United States out of the First World War. In this deeply researched book, Chad Fulwider presents a nuanced view of these propaganda operations, exposing many fascinating aspects of these activities and filling a large gap in the historiography of World War I.”—Thomas Boghardt, author of The Zimmerman Telegram: Intelligence, Diplomacy, and America’s Entry into World War I

by abritt

Joseph Crespino Discusses Jimmy Carter’s Legacy on Georgia Public Broadcasting

Joseph Crespino recently contributed to “A Millennial Look at Jimmy Carter,” a piece about changing perceptions of the former president and his legacy over time. Authored by Sam Whitehead for Georgia Public Broadcasting, the story includes commentary by Crespino, Julian Zelizer of Princeton, and Steve Hochman of the Carter Center. Read/listed to the full story here.

“We remember Carter as a one term president, but his presidency had significant achievements,” said Joseph Crespino, who teaches history at Emory University. “The re-negotiation of this historic treaty with Panama, and issues over the Panama Canal was a major achievement,” said Crespino. “So too with Camp David, of course. Who has done more to bring peace to the Middle East when you think about a legacy of American presidents over the last 50 years?”

 

by abritt

Spring 2016: Graduate Students Design and Teach Courses to Emory Undergraduates

Each semester students from Emory’s History graduate program enter the classroom to teach courses they have designed and developed through the TATTO program. This spring five third-year graduate students are teaching dozens of Emory undergraduates, exposing them to fascinating topics ranging across time and space.

These courses enable graduate students to gain valuable experience teaching subjects directly linked to their own research interests. More broadly, the experience forms part of the History Department and Laney Graduate School’s holistic training that prepares graduate students for careers in teaching and research.

Below are the five courses being taught this semester, along with links to the profiles of each instructor and the syllabi:

by abritt

Andrade’s ‘The Gunpowder Age’ Reviewed in The Wall Street Journal

Tonio Andrade‘s The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History (Princeton 2016) was reviewed by Jeffrey Wasserstrom in The Wall Street Journal on January 29, 2016. The article, available here, is titled “Flying Rats and Festive Fireworks.” Wasserstrom’s appreciative review describes the The Gunpowder Age as marking “a major contribution to a significant area of academic concern while opening the eyes of non-specialists.”

The description of The Gunpowder Age from Princeton University Press follows:

The Chinese invented gunpowder and began exploring its military uses as early as the 900s, four centuries before the technology passed to the West. But by the early 1800s, China had fallen so far behind the West in gunpowder warfare that it was easily defeated by Britain in the Opium War of 1839–42. What happened? In The Gunpowder Age, Tonio Andrade offers a compelling new answer, opening a fresh perspective on a key question of world history: why did the countries of western Europe surge to global importance starting in the 1500s while China slipped behind?

Historians have long argued that gunpowder weapons helped Europeans establish global hegemony. Yet the inhabitants of what is today China not only invented guns and bombs but also, as Andrade shows, continued to innovate in gunpowder technology through the early 1700s—much longer than previously thought. Why, then, did China become so vulnerable? Andrade argues that one significant reason is that it was out of practice fighting wars, having enjoyed nearly a century of relative peace, since 1760. Indeed, he demonstrates that China—like Europe—was a powerful military innovator, particularly during times of great warfare, such as the violent century starting after the Opium War, when the Chinese once again quickly modernized their forces. Today, China is simply returning to its old position as one of the world’s great military powers.

By showing that China’s military dynamism was deeper, longer lasting, and more quickly recovered than previously understood, The Gunpowder Age challenges long-standing explanations of the so-called Great Divergence between the West and Asia.