History Majors at Phi Alpha Theta Conference
Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2019
On the last Saturday in March, students and faculty from the History program at Aquinas College attended the annual Tennessee Regional Conference of Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honor Society.
The Xi-Alpha Chapter at Belmont University hosted this year’s conference. The event draws students and faculty from a number of colleges and universities across the state.
“a testimony to a different perspective on life: one which views history through the lens of hope which comes from faith in Jesus Christ”
Sister Madeline Rose Kraemer, O.P., ’20 (B.S. History) was part of a panel on the World Wars. Her studies at Aquinas are preparing her to teach History in Catholic schools. But attending this weekend’s conference was another sort of teaching opportunity.
“The Aquinas students and faculty at the conference were, by their presence, a testimony to a different perspective on life: one which views history through the lens of hope which comes from faith in Jesus Christ,” Sister Madeline Rose commented.
Her paper, “War-Time Diplomacy: United States-Vatican Diplomatic Relations As a Case Study of Pius XII’s Response to World War II,” examined how diplomatic activity between the United States and the Vatican during the Second World War illustrated both the effectiveness and the limitations of the pope’s policy of discreet resistance against the Axis.
Madeline Embrey, ’19 (B.A. History) presented her paper, “Virtue, Oppression, and Influence: A Study of Women’s Sociopolitical Presence during the French Revolutionary Era” as part of a Panel session entitled, “Women, Work, and Revolution.”
Aquinas instructor of history and philosophy Sister Jean Marie Warner, O.P. and Dr. Vince Ryan, Associate Professor of History at Aquinas, attended.
The college’s academic programs reflect a deep commitment to developing excellence in research and public speaking skills, elements of Dominican study and preacher preparation. “Madeline and Sister Madeline Rose were exemplary in both the presentation of their papers and how they handled the questions that were asked of them,” Dr. Ryan said. “The History program and the college were well-represented by all the Aquinas students who attended the conference.”