- Wednesday, April 25, 2018
- 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
- Meeter Center Lecture Hall
Students graduating with honors in history will present their senior honors theses. Please join us in celebrating our students' achievements by hearing the results of their year-long research.
This year's presenters:
Devin Schweigert
Cheers Amidst Tears: Sport in the Aftermath of Tragedy
When tragedy strikes, is it possible that sports can play a part in the healing and recovery process? In the wake of a tragedy, a sporting event may seem insignificant and insensitive, but many journalists are quick to relate a team’s success to healing and recovery. This narrative has become commonplace, and displays of “Boston Strong,” “We are all Hokies,” and George W. Bush’s thumbs up in Yankee Stadium in 2001 all show how sports are intertwined with recovery after a traumatic event. So do sports really help in these times? When people have lost loved ones, possessions, sense of security, and more, can an athlete contribute to them getting back on their feet? Case studies from local, national, and international examples show that sports do indeed have healing power.
Tanner Vincent
Buried Alive: An Environmental History of Urban Stream Burial in Grand Rapids, Michigan
At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, Grand Rapids buried and built over two major water networks — Silver Creek and Coldbrook Creek. Who would think of removing streams and green space from the urban environment and why? This presentation uses old newspaper articles, engineering reports, and oral histories to show the evolution of urban policies related to land and water use, and the evolution of streams from healthy to degraded and buried. The story does not end with the streams buried, however. These streams became a matter of public debate and discussion of “wise use” during Grand Rapids’ public housing debate in the 1960s. Finally this presentation explores the relevance of this history to the contemporary proposals to “daylight” streams like Silver and Coldbrook Creeks in Grand Rapids.
Co-sponsored by the Honors Program.
This event is part of our monthly history colloquia series. These lectures are open to the Calvin community - students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends - and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Come early to enjoy refreshments and conversation, and feel free to ask questions or join the discussion at the end.