UHV to host fifth annual History Day
The University of Houston-Victoria is set to kick off the fifth annual History Day event this coming March. Hosted by the UHV Department of Social Science, the two-day event will serve as both a recruitment opportunity for the History program and a celebration of history students, faculty and research at UHV.
The event will kick off on Monday, March 10 with an evening keynote address by Patrick Geary, professor emeritus of history at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. The keynote address will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the UHV University Commons Multi-Purpose Room, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. The event is free and open to the public.
Renowned for his expertise in medieval European history, Geary’s lecture, titled “Integrating History and Natural Sciences: Why and How to Study History in the 21st Century,” will highlight the importance of combining historical research with advancements in natural sciences. Throughout his career, Geary has dedicated his research to looking into the religious history, social history, identity, ethnicity and cultural memory of medieval Europe between the 4th and 10th centuries.
“I am looking forward to meeting the students at UHV and learning about their interests and hopes for their education,” Geary said. “It is important for the public to understand how the study of the past remains deeply relevant in addressing the challenges and concerns of the modern day.”
In his upcoming lecture, Geary will explore how the integration of natural sciences, particularly the field of genetics, can provide new and invaluable insights into the distant past that written sources and archaeological evidence alone cannot reveal.
By combining scientific methodologies with historical and material culture evidence, researchers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of past social organizations, cultural traditions and the complex factors that have shaped human societies over time, he said.
“We apply natural scientific methodologies to better understand how people in the past moved, organized and lived their lives. That doesn’t tell us why they did these things, but it tells us a lot about social organization and cultural traditions,” Geary said. “And when we combine that with historical written material and material culture evidence of art developed by archeologists, we begin to better understand the people of the past.”
His visit is made possible through the Medieval Academy of America’s Centennial Speaker Series, which commemorates the Academy’s 100th anniversary. Additionally, a dinner with Geary, involving UHV faculty and students, will be financially sponsored by the Association of Members of the Institute for Advanced Study, the Institute for Advanced Study’s alumni organization.
“We are excited for Professor Geary to come down to UHV to speak at our History Day event,” said Esther Cuenca, UHV assistant professor of history and chair of the Department of Social Science. “History Day is an important event for us, as it allows us to celebrate the achievements of our history students and share the value of a history degree with prospective students.”
The student-centered portion of History Day will take place on Tuesday, March 11. At 1 p.m., a lunch will be hosted by Cuenca and Jim Dupree, UHV assistant professor of history, in the UHV University Commons Multi-Purpose Room. Pizza will be provided to attendees.
During the lunch, Cuenca and Dupree will discuss the benefits of majoring in history and its various career paths. Shortly after, the afternoon will continue with a panel showcasing student research featuring presentations from history seniors Daniel Christ-Hunt and Emilio Vargas on their original research projects. This will be followed by a faculty research panel, in which Dupree and Cuenca will share insights into their professional historical research. The event will include an alumni panel, where former UHV history majors will discuss how their history degrees have shaped their careers.
For more information on UHV History Day, please contact Esther Cuenca at cuencae@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.