E-mail this pageSenior Projects
History majors at Plattsburgh cap their studies by writing an original work of historical scholarship. The one-semester course (HIS 485 ) is an independent study where students are matched up with History faculty who serve as mentors for the project. At the end of the semester, 485-students present their research in a public forum. Below is a list of the participants and titles of senior projects over the past few semesters.
Fall 2009
Seth Connor, "The Split of a Common Religion: French and Irish Catholics in Plattsburgh, New York (1870-1900)"
Mentor: Dr. Mark Richard
Ashley Cook, "The Warriors Society, the Antis, and the Children: Definitions of Sovereignty, Interpretations of History, and the Politicization of Akwesasne's Youth"
Mentor: Dr. James Rice
David Deno, "Sword of the Skies: The Origin of the Plattsburgh Air Force Base"
Mentor: Dr. James Lindgren
Aaron Ditch, "Guides and Sports: The Impact of 19th Century Adirondack Guides and Clients on the Adirondack Region"
Mentor: Dr. Kevin Dann
Theresa Guay, "The Montreal Massacre"
Mentor: Dr. Mark Richard
Dan Johnson, "White Robes, Black Robes, and Jesus Christ: How the Ku Klux Klan and Al Sharpton Took Similar Interest in a Small Hudson River Village"
Mentor: Dr. Stuart Voss
Jean Markham, "The Rebirth of Times Square: The Transition from Prostitutes to Disney"
Mentor: Dr. Sylvie Beaudreau
Kelly Marsh, "Freaks, Geeks, and Humbug: The Rise and Fall of the American Freak Show 1835-1970"
Mentor: Dr. Jessamyn Neuhaus
Justin Mulverhill, "Broadcast Media and Presidential Elections: Impact, Influence, and Evolution"
Mentor: Dr. Stuart Voss
Nick Ostroy, "Bloodletting: The 'Bulgarian Horrors' and the Ottoman Empire in the World of Bram Stoker and his Dracula"
Mentor: Dr. Vincent Carey
Tammy Rock, "Frontier Town: Living History or Old West Kitsch?"
Mentor: Dr. James Lindgren
Sean Springer, "Stolen Past, Stolen Future: Eugenics and Native Peoples in Vermont and Alberta, 1920-1972"
Mentor: Dr. Connie Shemo
Brian Womer, "An Exhibition on Smuggling on Lake Champlain Between 1800-1815""
Mentor: Dr. Vincent Carey
Eric Yanis, "King of the Road: The 'Ramblin Man' Archetype in American Folk Music"
Mentor: Dr. Richard Schafer
Fall 2008
Phillip Butehorn, "Sacrificing Liberty: Party Policies, the French Question, and the Alien and Sedition Acts"
Mentor: Dr. James Rice
John Christman, "Canal or Railroad: An Evolutionary History of the Two Major Economic Forces in the United States, and the Battle for Shipping Dominance, 1825-1918"
Mentor: Dr. Jeff Hornibrook
Sandra DiMarco, "Married Women's Role in the Work Force During the Great Depression: Did Working Empower or Enslave Them?"
Mentor: Dr. Connie Shemo
Jordan Grubb, "For Christ's Sake or Company's Sake?: The Shaping of a Universal Church Community in the IMages and Text of Foxe's 'Acts and Monuments'"
Mentor: Dr. Vincent Carey
Donna Kelley, "The Two Sides of the United States' Immigration Policies, Observed through the Chinese Six Companies"
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Gordon
Marie Nacht, "Pioneers and Proprietors: The Platt Family in Plattsburgh"
Mentor: Dr. Stuart Voss
Andrea Stuff, "Re-Writing War: Battlefield Literature and the New Europeans"
Mentor: Dr. Richard Schafer
James Sheehan, "The History of the Atlas F ICBM in the North Country"
Mentor: Dr. James Lindgren
Erin Trescott, "A Loss of Innocence: Oral History Interviews with a Korean War Vet and Vietnam War Vet"
Mentor: Dr. Jessamyn Neuhaus
Jeremy Walas, "Further into Fiction: Ken Kesey, LSD and 1960s Counterculture"
Mentor: Dr. Gary Kroll
Spring 2008
Joshua Brown, "Irish Presence in the North Country Through Family History"
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Gordon
Daniel Haley, "The Dungeon and Dragon Controversies: How And Why the Religious Right Attacked the Role-playing Game" Mentor: Dr. James Lindgren
Benjamin Irwin, "The Role of Religion in Anti-Irish Prejudice and the Formation of the Irish American Identity"
Mentor: Dr. Vincent Carey
John Kopaskie, "Knights of the Air: How Propagandists Developed Aviators into Heroes"
Mentor: Dr. Jeff Hornibrook
Jennie McFadden, "Memorials and Museums as Legal Tools in Genocide Trials"
Mentor: Dr. Vincent Carey
Jason Patrie, "Evolution of an American Sport: The Emergence of Competitive Road Cycling in the United States"
Mentor: Dr. James Rice
Nicholas Strange, "'Ride Further and Talk Less, Few Words and Fast Action:' A Comparison of Cowboy Autobiographies and Interviews"
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Gordon
Matthew Whitening, "Ainu Autonomy and the Japanese State: A History from Independence to Dependence" Mentor: Dr. Jeff Hornibrook
Anthony Williams, "'A Perfect Union?' Changing Views of Biracial Identity in the United States, 1990s to Present"
Mentor: Dr. Connie Shemo
Janusz Zaremba, "Conspiracy Silence: The Historical Memory of the Katyn Forest Massacre"
Mentor: Dr. Richard Schafer
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
For more information about the History program at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact
Wendy Gordon, Chair
History Department
Champlain Valley Hall
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Phone: (518) 564-2213
Fax: (518) 564-2212
E-mail: gordonwm@plattsburgh.edu