‘Turning Points in History’

The Turning Points in History program, sponsored by the History department, provides several opportunities for history enthusiasts to get their fix each semester.

The program is in its eighth year, and invites between one and three historians per semester to not only speak to the public, but also to provide a seminar for a select group of History majors.

“There are hundreds of lectureship programs in the country, but we wanted to bring something more than just a lecture, that is why we have the afternoon seminar,” History Professor William Cobb said. “It’s a more intimate setting.”

According to Cobb, the seminar allows students ?who must complete certain readings beforehand to be invited ? the opportunity to talk with a historian of note and find out how the magic of history happens.

The seminars also provide History students with a taste of what graduate school will be like, by giving them the chance to interact with a professor in a smaller group setting.

According to Cobb, the historians who have presented here have been impressed by the students who have participated.

It is Cobb’s belief that it is more important to bring a good speaker and historian to the campus than to worry about the funding for the speaker, as the school seems to always help pitch in to bring great speakers.

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Dr. Nina Silber from Boston University will be speaking in the library auditorium from 7-8 p.m. as part of the Turning Points in History program.

Next semester Turning Points will be presenting Taylor Branch, which according to Cobb, is one of the most famous scholars of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity for the university to have him on campus,” Cobb said.