by Frans van Liere The story of the Four Sons of Haymo was widely popular in the late middle ages and Renaissance, especially in France and in the Low Countries, where I grew up. As a boy in school, I learned a song about the “Vier Heemskinderen” (as it is called in Dutch), and their …
Continue reading Recovering Lost Stories
by Matt Beukema. You’ve likely heard the question or even asked it yourself. After answering “History” to the question of what I studied in college comes that dreaded second question. The question that comes nearly 90% of the time to history (and English, I’m sure) graduates. “Do you want to teach?” I don’t know why …
Continue reading The Dreaded Second Question – Or, In Defense of My Major
We had so much interest and enthusiasm for our February colloquium talk, that we are pleased to be able to share it here (with kind permission by the speaker): 'This is What Men Call God': The Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder A lecture by John Fry at Calvin College (February 22, 2017) This year marks …
Continue reading Audio: John Fry on the Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder
In the days after the terrible news of attacks in Paris and Beirut, members of the history department looked at each other and asked "What can we do?" As we are inundated with stories of terror, violence, and hatred around the world, we struggle as individuals and as communities with how to respond. As historians, …
Continue reading ISIS, Terrorism and Refugees: A Teach In
by Anna Lindner. (Excerpt from the Service-Learning at Calvin College blog.) The history department, by virtue of its nature, could and, I believe, should have a close relationship with the Service-Learning Center. History is not merely the study of the past; it is also an investigation of humans, the way they perceive and then try …
Continue reading Service-learning for the history student
by Rachel Watson (Excerpt from an article on October 12, 2015 on Calvin's News & Stories.) Tucked safely away in a climate-controlled space in Calvin College’s Meeter Center is a medieval devotional manuscript the college has owned since 1912. It recently became an object of deeper interest to Frans van Liere, professor of history and …
Continue reading Professor Dives Deep Into History of Rare Manuscript
