History Department Denison University

We love to see when four years of learning, thinking, and persevering come together--our senior history majors in Dr. Lauren Araiza's senior seminar at Denison University are presenting their research projects today! Gabriella Bany Rachel Bassin Eleanor Blount Jess Cohen Jaylon Jackson Darren Rubin Ari Skolnik London Vargo #DUhistory #historymatters #thinkbetter

Come and see what our seniors have been doing this fall! Senior research presentations on Wednesday, December 11, 3-6pm. #DUhistory #historymatters #denisonproud

What can you DU with a Denison University history major? Write a book about history! Check out History alum Kate Waggoner Karchner's new book, coming out with Routledge in February. "Islam and Papal Power in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe traces the influential history of another book: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s _Contra legem Sarracenorum_. Around 1301, a Dominican missionary named Riccoldo da Montecroce wrote a treatise on the Qur’an, arguing against the validity of the Muslim faith. Over the next two hundred years, Europeans read, copied, translated, and circulated Riccoldo’s work more than any other text on Islam. This study overviews and contextualizes that popularity in order to analyze Christian understandings of Islam in early modern Europe." And to think that her interest in this topic (developed at the University of Michigan - Rackham Graduate School) all started with research projects in the Denison History Department. #historybrag #denisonproud #historymatters https://lnkd.in/g_fa-wpy

What can you DU with a Denison University History Major? Alumni Spotlight #10: Will Koontz ’15   Will Koontz is a multifamily broker and First Vice President of Investments with Marcus & Millichap in Cleveland. He works for the firm’s National Multi Housing Group. We asked Will to tell us about his work at MM and how his Denison history major helped him get there.   🔷 What is your current job, and how did you get there from Denison?   In short: I sell apartment buildings! When I began my job search senior year, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I reached out to one of my LinkedIn connections, and a conversation led to several rounds of interviews with Marcus & Millichap and eventually an offer to join their team in Cleveland. I started with MM just 2 weeks after graduation and have been here ever since. 🔷 Is there something about your current role that you were concerned about that it turns out you really like?   Being a history major and a Spanish minor, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up with the math and financial analysis required in investment sales. I’m glad that fear didn’t hold me back! There was a learning curve, but I’ve come to really enjoy analyzing the numbers of a property and making connections with my market knowledge to add value.   🔷 What are some of the ways that your history major helped prepare you for the challenges of building this career path?   My history major taught me how to think and analyze in a whole new way. To observe a particular event or period, and make connections to people, places, and actions over a period of time. This process requires excellent research, analysis, and communication skills.   There are so many parallels between what I do in real estate and what historians do. My role is: to know every apartment building, owner, and investor in the market; to know the details of every transaction and leverage that knowledge to add value for my clients. I am researching (databasing owners / properties), analyzing/inferring (underwriting/valuing properties), and presenting my conclusion to a focused audience (marketing a property to investors).   At Denison I learned to observe and process information and then convey my conclusion in an organized and effective way. That foundation prepared me to find value in a property and argue why that value should be realized by the market. 🔷 Is there a history major experience that has especially stuck with you over time?   I remember walking out of the meeting with Prof. Catherine Dollard about the first draft of my senior thesis feeling like I was never going to make it to graduation! I learned crucial lessons that semester on time management and staying disciplined enough to do the hard things even when you don’t always feel motivated. There is a lot of attrition in the commercial real estate industry, and I definitely wouldn’t have endured without my experience at Denison, particularly as a history major.   #DUHistory #denisonproud #historymatters

What can you DU with a Denison University History Major? Alumni Spotlight #9: Hannah Ohlmann ’19 Hannah is a Senior Account Executive at The Bliss Group, an integrated public relations and marketing agency in NYC. We asked her to tell us about her work at The Bliss Group and how her Denison history major helped her get there: 🔷 What are your main responsibilities at The Bliss Group, and what was your path from Denison to your current role? Most of my time as a senior account executive is spent on client management, media relations, and content development. Coming out of Denison, I knew I wanted a career involving research and writing, which I found (maybe surprisingly!) in B2B PR. I get to work with a variety of clients, learning about their business and their larger industry, and building narratives that help other businesses understand their expertise. 🔷 What opportunities do you have to continue learning? There are always new things to learn in the PR and marketing world, whether gaining a deeper understanding of client subject matter or a new skill. Sometimes this happens when I join a new account team or when we host journalists at our Lunch and Learn series and ask them about their beat and how they like to work with us. 🔷 Is there something you enjoy in this role that you didn't realize would be part of the job? I didn't realize that working on events would be part of this role, but I love coordinating and hosting events for clients and internally. Corporate events can be a fun challenge between the guest list, the content of the event, and how you capitalize on the outcome. 🔷 What are some of the ways that your history major helped prepare you for the challenges of building this career path? As a history major, I learned how to present a clearly defined argument and support it with facts, which has shaped my ability to write concisely and persuasively. I also learned to draw educated conclusions based on the information at hand, an invaluable skill when counseling clients and “reading between the lines” to get at what they are leaving unsaid. My senior seminar paper was on the changing rhetoric of the Anti-Saloon League during World War I. I studied the convention proceedings from the years leading up to and during World War I to see how they utilized the war to further their cause of prohibition. When shaping a story, word choice matters--then and now! 🔷 Is there a history major experience that has especially stuck with you over time? One example is something Dr. Proctor said in his course on the Conquest of Mexico: There are big “T” truths (the facts of things that happened in the past) and little “t” truths (how different people interpret why those things happened and why they matter). This thinking is useful not only for how we conceptualize history, but also how we understand the world around us. I have applied it to so many situations to help redirect my thinking. #DUhistory #denisonproud #thinkbetter

Today is the day! We're so excited to welcome Dr. James Grossman, Executive Director of the American Historical Association for a 2-day visit to Denison University. Come and join us at 5pm in the Burton Morgan auditorium! #DUhistory #historymatters #liberalartsforall

Check out history major Jess Cohen '25 on the Denison University website! #DUhistory #historymatters #denisonproud https://lnkd.in/gi_H8Ct2

Only a few more days until we welcome James Grossman of the American Historical Association for two days of on-campus conversations about the joys, challenges, and importance of doing history. Come join us on Monday, September 30, at 5pm! #DUhistory #historymatters #liberalartsforall

Senior Izzi Howard is a Denison University History Major DUing Summer Research! At the recent The Lisska Center Summer Scholar Symposium, Izzi presented her poster on her research project, "Arsenic in Victorian Britain: A Primary Source Analysis," developed under the guidance of Dr. Joanna Tague. We asked Izzi to tell us a bit about the project and what she learned this summer about doing historical research: 🔸 What was the main topic of your project? "I was investigating the prevalence of arsenic in Victorian Britain to see why it was used in domestic goods when it was known to be poisonous. I looked at medical journals, cartoons and arts committee papers." 🔸 What did you discover through your research? "I would say the main discovery I made was the lack of power that the medical community had in getting consumer protections against arsenic and the emerging industrial lobby that basically prevented Parliament from passing meaningful legislation." 🔸 What did you learn from your research experience that reaches beyond your specific topic? "Working with Dr. Tague was great. She really introduced me to a better style of research that works for me--the key is printing out all of my sources (but not my 800 page sources!). Working with hard copies of historical texts and images, it was a lot easier to highlight parts and find pages than online and I could color code sections I wanted to weave together." A crucial step in doing history is always figuring out the best method for working with the kinds of sources you have. Congratulations to Izzi on her summer accomplishment. When you see her on campus, please make sure to ask her questions so that you can learn more! #DUhistory #historymatters #denisonproud #liberalartsforall

CONGRATULATIONS to Emma Proe '23 who has turned her senior history thesis completed under Dr. Lauren Araiza into a published article! So exciting to see our Denison University history majors contributing to important historical discussions and the creation of knowledge that helps us better understand the world around us. Emma, we couldn't be prouder! #historymatters #DUhistory #liberalartsforall #denisonproud https://lnkd.in/gaxWd97e