History
Presidential Election Headed for a Photo Finish
10/08/2012
With the 2012 presidential election gearing up for the final weeks of the campaign, it’s inevitable that some voters – particularly those who supported then-Senator Barack Obama four years ago – would compare this cycle to the 2008 election, and might be feeling nostalgic for days gone by.
MacLean Chair Focuses on Middle East History and Irish Culture
09/17/2012
John Wrynn, S.J., former chair and professor of history at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, N.J., joins Saint Joseph’s University as the current Donald I. MacLean, S.J., Chair for the 2012 -13 academic year.
Is the United States Government Broken? -
03/01/2010
There is no question that the U.S. government is facing its share of troubles. During the worst recession in its history, it is fighting two foreign wars. On top of that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.7 percent of the workforce is unemployed, and despite months of congressional discussion and deal making, a solution to the health care crisis seems far off.
In History Classes, the Play is the Thing
08/13/2009
This fall, Jeffrey Hyson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, will transform his freshman Western Civilization I classes into fascinating games. Hyson will use an innovative pedagogy developed at Barnard College called Reacting to the Past (RTTP).
What’s Behind China’s Religious Resurgence?
11/17/2010
The vast populace of China is experiencing a new purchasing power fueled by changing economic policies. Meanwhile, China watchers are reporting another lifestyle shift in the world’s third largest country: the resurgence of organized religion.
Mapping Obama’s Path to Victory
11/11/2008
Before the election results rolled in late Tuesday night, political analysts across the country were feverishly predicting which states would go blue or red. Now that the dust has settled and the electoral map is clearly painted, those same experts are looking back on the campaigns to analyze how Senator John McCain and President-Elect Barack Obama got where they are today.
Connecting with the Great Depression?
10/07/2008
Political leaders, economic analysts and journalists are comparing the current financial meltdown to the Great Depression. “Worst Crisis Since the ’30s, With No End Yet in Sight” was a recent baleful headline from The Wall Street Journal.
Beyond the Battlefields: A Greater Understanding of the Civil War
04/08/2011
April 12 marks the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter in the Charleston, S.C., harbor, and signals the beginning of a multi-year commemoration of the United States Civil War (1861-1865). Accordingly, many national Civil War parks and sites – like Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, Pa., and Shiloh, Miss.– are ready to receive a bumper crop of visitors over the next four years, as our nation revisits this time from our history.
Will Denver's '08 DNC Prove as Unconventional as Chicago '68?
07/31/2008
A Democratic convention during an unpopular war in the last months of an even more unpopular presidency: Chicago, 1968? Try Denver, 2008! But will denizens of the Rocky Mountain state be driven to sip from politically incorrect water bottles because of psychedelic substances lacing their pristine reservoirs? Not likely, says Katherine Sibley, Ph.D., chair and professor of history at Saint Joseph’s University.
Occupy Wall Street: Crowd Action as American Tradition
10/14/2011
On Oct. 6, a group of Philadelphians gathered at Dilworth Plaza by City Hall in the name of Occupy Philadelphia. The demonstration was organized in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, which began in September and has since gone national. Jeffrey Hyson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history and director of the American studies program at Saint Joseph’s University, says that historically, a key component of revolution is the action of crowds taking to the streets.
