History Happenings
Weekly Newsletter
Updated 5/12/2026
Each week we use this space to announce important upcoming events & deadlines, as well as internship, scholarship, & conference opportunities!
Find more WWU events on the Western Involvement Network (WIN)!
Current Issue
In Case You Missed It
Fall Registration Opens 5/12!
Find all our history courses in Browse Classes.
Any undergraduate override requests should be sent directly to the instructor of the desired course. If you have questions about HIST 499 please contact history@wwu.edu. Graduate override requests can be sent to history@wwu.edu.
Israeli Apartheid Week
Tuesday: May 12th 5-7pm, Antisemitism Vs Antizionism, AW 210
Wednesday: May 13th 5-7pm, The Voice of Hind Rajab, Film screening, AW 210
Thursday: May 14th 5-7pm, Gaza and Scholasticide Teach In, AW 210
Friday: May 15th 5-7pm Nakba day, Vigil and Culture Night, FR 201
31st Political Science Association Conference
May 12th (Full Schedule)
The Political Science Department and The Political Science Association present the 31st Annual Political Science Association Conference 8 a.m. - 2:20 p.m. in Arntzen Hall, 4th floor and 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. in Biology Building, Room 234 on Tuesday, May 12. Coffee and donuts will be served in the conference headquarters, Arntzen Hall 419, Payne Lounge.
WA Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis will join panelists Matt Davis, Jude King, Sophia Maynard, Alex O'Connell and Quinlan Zimmerman for a roundtable discussion on Trump v. U.S. (2024): The Supreme Court's Recent Executive Immunity Ruling at 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. in Biology Building 234 with Associate Professor of Political Science Paul Chen moderating the event.
Justice Montoya-Lewis will then deliver the Gordon Sandison Memorial Lecture, "Descendant Daughter," at 4 - 5 p.m. in Academic West 204 and via Zoom.
Descendant's Daughter Talk with Justice Montoya-Lewis
May 12, 4pm, AW 204 and Zoom
Since time immemorial, indigenous tribes have lived on the lands we live and work on in our daily lives. The federal government, beginning in the late 1700s, have struggled to manage what they defined as “The Indian Problem,” (language used by the federal government to describe the issue of indigenous people living on lands the federal and state government sought to take over). Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court. In her talk, "Descendant Daughter", Justice Montoya-Lewis will describe how a variety of federal Indian law policies towards tribes have impacted generations of her own family. Using her family history, photographs, and her own life story, she will elucidate the impact of the federal government on the lives of indigenous people, present, past, and future.
Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an Associate Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. She was appointed by Governor Inslee in 2019 and won a full term in a contested election in 2020. Prior to that, she was a trial judge for 20 years, serving as a Whatcom County Superior Court judge and a tribal court judge for tribes in Washington and the Southwest. From 2003-2015, she was an Associate Professor at WWU’s Fairhaven College. Justice Montoya-Lewis holds a B.A. degree from the UNM, and J.D. and M.S.W. degrees from UW. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court.
Upcoming History MA Thesis Defenses
Devon Drabick: "Resistors No More: A Social History of Jamaican Maroons in the Eighteenth Century"
May 13th at 3pm in Bond Hall 401
Scholars Week
Poster Session (Undergrad and Grad Students)
May 13th, 9-5pm in Carver Gym
Three-minute Thesis Talks (Grad Students only)
May 14th, 10-12 and 3-4:30 in Solarium (OM 590)
Jewish American Heritage Month: Lunch & Learns
5/14 & 5/20 12-1pm in VU 735
Join us for a Lunch & Learn series in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month. Learn, reflect, and engage in meaningful conversations around identity, history, and community.
Litav is the owner of Litav Langley Consulting LLC, providing business and non-profit leaders with strategic advisement, organizational development, and education to build organizations where all employees and clients can thrive. Each of these sessions focuses on different topics preparing staff and faculty to support student development, learning about Jewish activism, and participating in traditional celebrations. Lunch will be provided.
Western Labor Town Hall
May 18th 5:30pm in AW 204
The unions at Western Washington University (UFWW, WAWU, WFSE, PSE) are hosting this event to provide an opportunity for representatives and candidates in Washington state’s 40th and 42nd districts to share their experiences and goals for securing funding for Western. Our campus continues to receive the lowest per-student funding in the state and the recent legislative budget cuts to higher education is part of a decades-long trend in state divestment of funding for public education.
This town hall is an opportunity for Western campus members to voice concerns and ask our representatives how they are going to support Western in coming years.
WWU Fraser Lecture Series Presents, "Knowledge from the Blackfoot Confederacy. Nitsipowahsin: Breath of Our Ancestors"
May 19-22 at the Lhag 'temish ew'w e tse XwLemi' — House of Healing — Longhouse, located in the Sehome Hill Arboretum at 505 Arboretum Drive
For the full schedule, please visit the Fraser Lecture Series Website.
Western Washington University’s 2025-26 Fraser Lecture Series presents “Nitsipowahsin: Breath of Our Ancestors,” an immersive program that honors the knowledge, experiences, wisdom, and storytelling of the Blackfoot Confederacy, May 19–22, at the Lhag 'temish ew'w e tse XwLemi' — House of Healing — Longhouse, located in the Sehome Hill Arboretum at 505 Arboretum Drive.
The main lecture series, from Wednesday, May 20 through Friday, May 22, welcomes respected elders, ceremonialists, and scholars from the Siksikaitsitapi, representing three of the four Blackfoot Confederacy Tribes — Kainai, Piikani and Aamskapi Piikani. These distinguished voices will share teachings, experiences and wisdom across a range of topics including Siksikaitsitapi ways of knowing and being, science, philosophy, culture, language, history, contemporary context, Tribal sovereignty, food sovereignty, environmental justice and more.
The series begins with a special pre-lecture event on Tuesday afternoon, May 19, where WWU student Frank Miedema, a member of the Blackfeet Nation (Aamskapi Piikani), will present on Indigenous water rights and the Blackfeet Nation.
The Lhaq ’temish-ew’xw e tse XwLemi — House of Healing — which opens on Thursday, May 14, is a Coast Salish-style longhouse built in partnership and close collaboration with Coast Salish tribal nations and the WWU Native American Student Union (NASU).
The 2025-26 WWU Fraser Lecture Series is organized by Visiting Assistant Professor Will Makóyiisááminaa and Professor Kristen B. French (A'saanaakíí) of WWU’s Woodring College of Education. Event sponsors include the WWU Center for Education, Equity and Diversity (CEED), NASU, WWU’s Office of Tribal Relations, and Woodring College.
More details about the 2025-26 WWU Fraser Lecture Series are available on the WWU Tribal Relations website, including links to live streams of each presentation.
The Fraser Lecture Series is funded by an endowment from the estate of Gordon H. and Alice C. Fraser. The purpose of this endowment is to support lectures, seminars, symposia or workshops in the natural, social and applied sciences, with emphasis on the Health and Life Sciences. Through the lecture series, individuals of international and national reputation are invited to the University to share their knowledge with the campus community and help improve existing programs or initiate new ones.
Diplomacy Inside Out: How Foreign Policy Gets Done
May 19th at 4pm in CF 105
IAA is hosting a moderated discussion and Q&A! Join us alongside guest experts John Johnson and Edward Alden for a glimpse into the world of foreign correspondence and diplomacy. Food and drinks will be served.
Calling All Student Leaders!
Attention all leadership students, peer advisors, resident advisors, inclusion assistants, RHA, NRHH, RPB members, AS leaders, team captains, club and organization leaders, supervisors, student employees, teaching assistants, athletes, managers...
WWU is joining the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, and we would appreciate your help! Participate and be entered into drawings for $25 and $100 gift cards! Check your email to find the survey link! Survey window is from 5/6-5/24.
Questions? Email us at Morse.Institute@wwu.edu.
In Case You Missed It
Wellbeing Resources
As a reminder, the Counseling & Wellness Center provides crisis support, phone consultations, regular clinical services, weekly community check-ins, and wellness workshops.
Help w/Academics
The Tutoring Center in the Library offers drop-in tutoring and study skills coaching (includes help with notetaking, planning and focus, and time management).
Need help with a paper, homework, or projects? The Hacherl Research & Writing Studio in the Library is available in-person, chat, video call, or asynchronously through their draft submission service.
Other Resources:
Find more information about Campus Resources, Know Your Rights, Policies, Safety, and more on the BRC Resources page.
If you have any questions, please call (360) 650 3457 or email history@wwu.edu.
HIST 499 Pre-registration is Closed!
Placements have been emailed to students. If you didn't complete pre-registration and need to take HIST 499 during the 2026-27 school year, contact history@wwu.edu asap!
How Does it Work?
Through the survey, students ranked their top three choices and selected the prerequisites that they've taken, or plan to take, for each of their three courses. The department will assign students to a HIST 499 section based on the total number of credit hours each student has earned. Students may not get into their top choice, but every effort is made to enroll them in one of their top three. Review the 2026-27 HIST 499 Courses and Prerequisites, for more information.
Please note that pre-registration only reserves a seat—it does not mean that you are registered for the course. At the end of Spring, students will receive an email with their HIST 499 placement and information about next steps.
Prerequisites
Prior to the first day of the HIST 499 class, the prerequisite must be completed (with at least a C- for History Majors or C for History/Social Studies Majors). Though many options may be listed, only a single prerequisite is required. (Not all prerequisites are offered every year.)
In addition to the HIST 499 prerequisite, majors declared 2024-25 or after are required to complete HIST 301 prior to the first day of the 499 class. Majors declared before 2024-25 are encouraged but not required to complete HIST 301.
Ethnic Studies Book Discussion
May 20th 4pm in AW 210
George Lipsitz is Research Professor Emeritus of Black Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition to Ethnic Studies at the Crossroads his publications include The Danger Zone is Everywhere, The Possessive Investment in Whiteness, How Racism Takes Place, Dangerous Crossroads, and Time Passages. He co-edited with Kalamu ya Salaam the Students at the Center authored book Go To Jail, co-authored the book Saludarte with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and was a member of the editorial team that wrote the teachers’ guide to the Asian Immigrant Women Advocates’ film Becoming Ourselves.
His new book Ethic Studies at the Crossroads aims to deepen the capacity of Ethnic Studies to be a source of new knowledge and an ally of social movement mobilization. It seeks to help build a counter-culture of accompaniment that connects campus knowledge to community concerns, pedagogies, and practices.
Because Ethnic Studies offers opposition to injustice it encounters opposition from opponents. Sometimes its critical potential is muted by co-optive incorporation inside institutions. Yet it can still be an important public sphere site for the construction of infrastructures of critique, care, and contestation.
Advance copies of Chapter 2 and 5 from Ethic Studies at the Crossroads are available in preparation for the conversation. Please reach out to Julie Moon at moonj@wwu.edu to request copies.
CALC (The Critical A.I. Literacies Collective) Upcoming Events
On Wednesday, May 20 at 4PM in CF 120, our collective will host a town hall meeting on "New Directions in Critical A.I. Literacies" followed by a party with food from 5-6PM to celebrate a year of critical conversations about corporate A.I. Products.
Graduate School Information Session
May 21st, 5pm in BH 415
Free Pizza!
If you are considering applying to graduate school in history or an allied discipline, this info session is for you!
Learn about the application process & how to frame your history education favorably for admissions committees. This session is open to students who are considering applying to WWU's MA in history as well as students considering graduate programs elsewhere.
Presented by Phi Alpha Theta and Dr. Jen Seltz, Graduate Student Advisor.
Meet the Archivists Open House
Thursday, May 21, from 2:00-4:00pm in Special Collections (Wilson 6th floor)
Archives & Special Collections personnel will give introductions and be available to answer questions about the collections, doing research, career pathways, and the field of archives and special collections. Attendees will have an opportunity to explore samples from the collections, such as rare books, manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, maps, and historical institutional records. Behind-the-scenes tours of the facility will also be offered. For more information or for disability accommodation(s), contact Michael Taylor, Special Collections Librarian, at taylo213@wwu.edu | (360) 650-3097.
History Department Job Opportunities
Undergraduate Research Assistant
For questions, please contact Dr. Christine Johnston (johnst27@wwu.edu).
Survey on AI Use and Attitudes at WWU
We are undertaking a research study on AI Use and Attitudes among the WWU Community (HRPP Study Number: 14712EX26). The 5–10 minute survey asks you about your experience with AI at WWU, if and how you use AI tools, and what your attitudes are towards AI in education. This research will help us understand how the use of artificial intelligence is impacting learner and educator experiences at Western.
If you have any questions about this research, please contact Christine Johnston (Christine.Johnston@wwu.edu). If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact the WWU Office of Research Integrity (researchintegrity@wwu.edu or 360-650-3334; project study number is 14712EX26)
History and Archives Fellow at the National Transportation Library
Are you interested in learning how to develop a new archival repository into a more discoverable, rich resource for the Department of Transportation? Here is an opportunity to learn new archival operating procedures, improve outreach and access to library collections and services, and research, create, and share educational content about transportation history!
Call for Papers: Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review
VTUHR is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal sponsored by the Department of History at Virginia Tech. We are committed to publishing high-quality undergraduate historical research and to offering students opportunities for formal publication and engagement with a wider academic audience.
Submission Guidelines
- VTUHR invites submissions of original historical scholarship from current or recently graduated undergraduate students at four-year colleges and universities.
- Research papers should be grounded in a comprehensive base of primary sources, advance a clear historical argument, and engage with historiography to demonstrate the author's unique contribution.
- We also welcome historiographical essays, which should present an original argument about the development of historical interpretation on a particular topic over time.
- VTUHR accepts papers on a rolling basis, but early submissions allow more time for revisions. All submissions must be formatted according to the latest Chicago Manual of Style (notes and bibliography).
How to Submit
Authors should submit their work as a Microsoft Word document through the VTUHR submission portal. Visit the VTUHR website to learn more and direct any questions via email to sheehanea@vt.edu.
Phi Alpha Theta Earns Official AS Club Status!
Meet the PAT officers: Natalie McCullough, Delia Costello, Sawyer Schlecht, Logan Jones, and Sebastian Langley
Want to learn more about the History Honors Society? Visit the Phi Alpha Theta page on our website!
