WKU History Department

History Undergraduate Research Conference

(jointly held with Phi Alpha Theta regional conference)

April 15, 2023

NOTE: The 2023 History Undergraduate Research Conference has concluded. Thanks very much to our presenters and everyone else who helped make this year's event a success!

History and background

The History Undergraduate Research Conference (HURC) is an internal conference in which WKU students present the results of their research and writing in a friendly and supportive academic setting. It exists to celebrate the achievements of our students and to share ideas with other like-minded historians (both undergraduates and faculty).

According to History Department tradition, the rules and regulations of the HURC were initially a small sub-section of the Book of Rites, included under the Smaller Rules of Demeanor. However, the practice fell into disuse in 213 BCE after all copies of the Book of Rites were destroyed at the behest of Qin Shi Huangdi (well-known to have been an amateur revisionist historian). The HURC was resurrected at the initiative of Carol Crowe-Carraco in 2011 and has been an annual tradition for WKU’s students of history ever since.

For 2023, WKU’s own HURC is being combined with the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference for Kentucky. Students applying to the HURC do not need to submit anything differently, and do not need to be members of Phi Alpha Theta.

WKU ONLY HURC Prizes for 2023

Thanks to the generosity of Carol Crowe-Carraco and other donors, WKU students participating in the HURC are eligible for the following prizes. HURC presenters do *not* need to be members of Phi Alpha Theta to be eligible for these prizes:

• $300 for the Richard Troutman memorial prize winner for best overall paper
• $200 for the runner-up paper
• $100 for the second runner-up
• $300 for the best paper in Black history

Conference registration

To register for the conference (payment collected separately), please fill out the registration form, at

https://forms.gle/BFgP1JyM3Tqumtrv8

Who should attend?

You should attend. If you are not presenting a paper, this is a great opportunity to see what historical research looks like in action. If you have not yet written a senior seminar paper, this is your chance to see what that can look like and get inspired! This is also a chance to support older PAT students, meet Dr. Katherine Lennard (Frockt Family Chair of Civil War studies at WKU starting fall 2023), and also provide a welcoming atmosphere for our outside guests. Please come!

Cost to participate

Registration will cost $30 to the WKU PAT chapter. However! The Chapter has secured some funds from SGA to cover costs for members. If you are interested, speak with Professor Serafini (david.serafini@wku.edu) about how to make those arrangements. Otherwise, you can pay the chapter on Venmo (you can scan the QR code below). If you prefer to pay for your registration on site, we will take cash or card. (Again, please be sure to also fill out the registration form, at https://forms.gle/BFgP1JyM3Tqumtrv8.)

If you are planning on attending but are not presenting a paper, it would be extremely helpful if you would please write to the conference coordinator, Dr. Jeffrey Miner (jeffrey.miner@wku.edu) to let him know you will be attending so he can communicate that to our food vendor.

If you need to pay the chapter, be sure to include both your name and your school so we can make sure that we process your payment correctly.

Phi Alpha Theta Eta Pi Chapter
@PATWKU

Key dates

• March 15: proposals due
• March 22: presenters notified by email on or before this date
• March 31: Presenters interested in competing for PAT awards (only) submit a full draft of their paper
• April 14: Social event and pizza with visiting students for the PAT conference
• April 15: HURC/PAT conference presentations

Presentation specifics

Presentations must not exceed 15 minutes.
This is approximately 1500 words, depending on how quickly you speak.
Presentations should include some kind of visual aid. This may be done in a variety of forms, but is very helpful for the audience. You might find it useful to include a map or maps, a timeline, brief quotations from relevant primary sources, or other kinds of aids.
After panelists have delivered their papers, the remainder of the time will be spent on Q&A with the panelists and audience.

Conference information

All panels will be held on the second floor of Cherry Hall (1906 College Heights Blvd, Bowling Green KY 42101).

The conference will begin around 9AM on Saturday and feature papers by nearly thirty students from eleven different schools. The program and schedule will be available as soon as it is ready, but expect the conference to wrap up by mid- to late afternoon.

If you have any questions, please contact either

Dr. Jeffrey Miner (conference coordinator) at jeffrey.miner@wku.edu

or

Mr. David Serafini (Phi Alpha Theta chapter advisor) at david.serafini@wku.edu.