The Historian at a Murder Trial

by Will Katerberg. Once I had jury duty and ended up a jury foreman in a murder trial. The trial was unusual in that there were two defendants, two juries, and two defense attorneys. The victim was a drug dealer who’d taken money from a friend of the two defendants. They broke into his house …

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A Year in Cyprus: The Complex Intersection of International Politics and Historical Research

by Young Kim. During the 2012-2013 academic year, my family and I had the privilege of living for ten months in Cyprus, where as a Fulbright research fellow, I conducted research and wrote a book on the life and work of Epiphanius of Salamis, who was chief bishop of the island from 367-403.  I know …

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Student standing beside a stack of books as tall as she is.

Celebrating Our Honors Students

by Bob Schoone-Jongen. About a year ago a student walks into my office.  “Hey, professor…,” begins the conversation.  (It may have been just “prof.”)  Anyhow, the conversation immediately turns to an honors thesis: How to do one?  Would I supervise a project?  In my mind there are counter questions: What’s the topic?  Why me?  Do …

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A circle featuring symbols of several religions surrounding a peace dove.

Principled Pluralism and Interreligious Dialogue

by Frans van Liere. Last Thursday, April 25, Calvin College hosted “Principled Pluralism: Navigating America’s Increasingly Diverse Religious Landscape”, a panel discussion on religious pluralism on college campuses, with Joseph DeMott moderating a discussion among Calvin’s president Michael LeRoy, Calvin Theological Seminary president Jul Medenblik, and Alec Hill, the president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The …

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Cliven Bundy’s Range War

by Will Katerberg. Historians of the American West sometimes say that the region is like the rest of the United States, “only more so.” Recent news from Nevada has reminded me of this truth. American politics sometimes is crazy, Nevada politics only more so. This brings us to Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who this …

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“Strong in Body, Mind, and Spirit”: Purity Movements and Sexual Aggression

by Kristin Du Mez. A disturbing new study by Marquette University sociologist Heather R. Hlavka reports how young women today have “normalized” sexual assault to the point that they are often unable to identify harassment and rape for what they are—criminal acts. Based on an examination of forensic interviews conducted by the nonprofit Children’s Advocacy …

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