The American Association for History and Computing
The American Association for History and Computing (AAHC) held its annual meeting in January 2004 in conjunction with the AHA’s annual meeting in Washington, D. C. Nine sessions dealing with all aspects of history and technology were held, many of which examined the application of technology to teaching. The keynote speaker at a reception sponsored by Muzzy Lane Software, Inc. was Orville Vernon Burton, recipient of the 2003 AHA’s Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award. Burton electrified the group with his talk, which was entitled “Keeping Up with the E-Joneses: History and Computers in the Twenty-first Century.”
In addition to an annual conference, the AAHC publishes online the peer-reviewed Journal of the Association for History and Computing (JAHC). Submissions on any topic related to the use of computing in history, such as the application of computers to historical research, writing, teaching (at any level, including K-12) or disseminating historical knowledge are welcome. AAHC members also receive an electronic newsletter.
The AAHC in association with M.E. Sharpe, Inc. sponsors a book series “History, the Humanities and New Technology.” Books in the series thus far include Digital Scholarship in the Tenure, Promotion, and Review Process, ed. Deborah Lines Andersen; Teaching History in the Digital Classroom, by D. Antonio Cantu; Wilson J. Warren; and Computers, Visualization and History: How New Technology Will Transform Our Understanding of the Past, by David J. Staley. Those interested in submitting book proposals for the series may contact the series editors: David J. Staley; Dennis Trinkle; or Jeffrey Barlow.
The AAHC is particularly interested in helping administrators to better define, understand, and promote digital media that professionals produce in academic settings. Working with the Modern Language Association and the American Political Science Association, the AAHC developed Guidelines for Evaluating Digital Media Activities in Tenure, Review, and Promotion to help institutions and departments adequately, fully, and fairly evaluate and reward those engaged in research and teaching with digital media. The AAHC is also working on issues such as the preservation of digital sources and the exploration of new forms of historical scholarship employing digital media. The next annual conference of the AAHC will be held April 15–17, 2005, at Roosevelt University in Schaumberg, Illinois. Details will be posted on the AAHC web site as they become available.
The North American Society for Oceanic History
NASOH, the North American Society for Oceanic History, will hold its 2005 annual meeting in Savannah, Georgia, May 19–21, 2005. The society invites proposals for sessions and individual papers to be presented at the meeting.
NASOH is a membership organization of maritime and naval historians, underwater archaeologists, librarians, archivists and museum professionals with a maritime focus, ship preservationists, students, sailors, and unaffiliated scholars and enthusiasts interested in oceanic history.
The theme of the 2005 meeting is “North American Maritime History: The Southern Connection.” The emphasis will be upon, but not limited to, new research on the history of maritime trade and warfare, as well as new archaeological evidence of maritime activities in southern waters.
Submissions addressing the maritime heritage of the southern United States with focus on the waters of the Carolina-Georgia-Florida coast are encouraged. The history and archaeology of colonial era, early national, and Civil War vessels and sites is especially desired. The art, literature, and music of the maritime south are also appropriate topics.
Presentations will be no more than 30 minutes in length. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2004. Those submitting proposals will be notified by mid-January 2005. Proposals should include a one-page summary of the presentation, its thesis, sources, etc., and a one-page resume or c.v. Participants are encouraged to use visuals such as slides, PowerPoint presentations, or video displays.
Proposals may be sent to Joseph F. Meany Jr., Ph.D., 2005 Program Chair, c/o Sam’l Hutton Associates, 28–30 Cornhill Street, Annapolis, MD 21401-1706 or by e-mail to NASOH2005@aol.com. Please identify “NASOH Program” in the subject line. Proposals and correspondence by e-mail are especially encouraged.
The Haskins Society
The 23rd International Conference of the Charles Homer Haskins Society for Viking, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Angevin History will meet for the first time this year at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., November 5–7, 2004. Featured speakers will be Thomas N. Bisson, Jesse Byock, and Chris Lewis. Questions about the conference can be addressed to the conference director, Jennifer Paxton.
As an affiliate of the American Historical Association, the Haskins Society organizes joint Haskins-AHA sessions at AHA annual meetings. The Haskins Society also cooperates closely with the Battle Conferences on Anglo-Norman Studies (Battle, Sussex), the North American Conference on British Studies, and the Medieval Academy of America. In addition, the society organizes and sponsors scholarly sessions at the International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in early May of each year and at the Leeds International Medieval Congress each summer.
The Society numbers more the 200 scholars, drawn from the United States and many foreign countries. Details about the society are at https://www.haskinssociety.org/.
The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
Established in 1967, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) promotes excellence in research and teaching in the history of U.S. foreign relations.
SHAFR sponsors two major periodicals. Diplomatic History, the journal of record in the field, disseminates the finest scholarship in its articles, in-depth book reviews, round-table discussions of major issues, and other special items. Passport: The Newsletter of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations publishes essays on research in foreign and domestic archives, the teaching of diplomatic history, and historiographical and methodological issues.
Recently SHAFR also sponsored publication of a massive bibliography, American Foreign Relations since 1600: A Guide to the Literature (ABC-CLIO, 2003). Compiled by Robert L. Beisner and 32 contributing editors, the two-volume guide contains over 16,000 annotated entries arranged in 32 chapters.
SHAFR sponsors numerous awards and fellowships including three annual dissertation fellowships, an annual fellowship to fund the study of a foreign language, and a biannual prize for the best dissertation in the field. SHAFR also awards annual prizes for the best article, the best first book, and the best senior book in the field and a biannual prize for the best edited work. It also issues an annual lecture prize to an outstanding junior member of the society and a biannual lifetime achievement award to a senior colleague. A special program designed to promote excellence in scholarship by women alternately awards a biannual research fellowship and a biannual book prize.
The society holds annual conferences, usually in June. A typical conference attracts 300–400 attendees from around the world and features 45–55 panels of two to three papers as well as a presidential address. SHAFR also sponsors sessions and hosts luncheon meetings at the annual meetings of the AHA and the Organization of American Historians.
SHAFR has some 1,600 members residing in 42 countries. SHAFR is governed by an elected Council and President and managed by an Executive Director. Information on membership, prizes, publications, and other aspects of this vibrant professional society may be found at www.shafr.org.
