The holiday season is a time of giving gifts and Americans spend a lot on gifts. In 2022, the National Retail Federation reported that the average American plans to spend $826 on gifts, food and decorations for the holidays. Of that amount, around $500 go toward gifts for family members. With such a large quantity of gifts being given away, it’s important to consider: What’s the carbon footprint of these gifts? How can consumers be more intentional about gifting more sustainably this holiday season? Missouri State University sophomore Sam Wang offers some insights about sustainable gift giving ..read more

Juneteenth falls on June 19. It’s the newest federal holiday in the United States commemorating emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Dr. Marlin Barber, senior instructor of history at Missouri State University, explains to BestColleges.com the meaning and significance of Juneteenth, as well as how colleges and students can celebrate it ..read more

The research of Dr. Julia Troche has been selected for the 2022 issue of Mind’s Eye, the university’s research publication. Her story, which focuses on her interests in power structures and death in the ancient world, was recently posted on the site. Here’s an excerpt from the story: A key goal of Troche’s research is to analyze and present information from a different angle than the way it has been taught or described in publications. That’s why in addressing power in her book, Troche includes both top-down and bottom-up power. Instead of focusing only on the king’s actions, she also highlig ..read more

Dr. Julia Troche is an Egyptologist who delves into the realm of ancient Egypt and Assyria. One of her main research areas examines the intersection of religion and society in the ancient world. It involves thinking about how religious and social practices, norms and ideology confronted each other or worked together. Last December, Troche who’s an assistant professor of history at Missouri State University, published her first book. It’s titled, “Death, Power, and Apotheosis in Ancient Egypt: The Old and Middle Kingdoms.” The time period of these kingdoms is about 2,700-1,700 BC. Troche discus ..read more

What comes to mind when you think about the Ozarks? Perhaps it is its unique geographic features or rich history. It may be the hillbilly stereotype or story of the Baldknobbers. With the goal of presenting the region’s most complete portrait, historian Dr. Brooks Blevins started to write a comprehensive history of the Ozarks a few years ago. It resulted in a trilogy. The first and second books were “A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks” and “A History of the Ozarks, Volume 2: The Conflicted Ozarks,” respectively. The final book, “A History of the Ozarks, Volume 3: The Ozarkers” c ..read more

History Student Hannah Fuller shares her experience with innovative, cross-disciplinary hands-on research in the History department, including experimental archaeology, visiting museums, building her own virtual exhibition, and publishing her research in Logos: A Journal of Undergraduate Research (Fall 2021). Congratulations to Hannah for her exceptional work! “I began conducting research for “Gendered Powers of the Dead” in the Spring of 2020 for an artifact corpus project in Dr. Troche’s HST 697: Archaeology and Ancient History. The assignment asked us to choose an artifact type and analyze ..read more

In ancient Egypt, cats were initially adopted as useful predators and gradually became symbols of divinity and protection. How and why did these animals gain their important role? Dr. Julia Troche, Egyptologist and assistant professor of history at Missouri State University, offers some insights to History.com ..read more

In celebration of Missouri’s 2021 bicentennial anniversary, Ozarks Public Television, in partnership with other Public Television Association of Missouri stations, announces the broadcast premiere of “Missouri! A Bicentennial Celebration.”   The show will premiere at 8 p.m. Aug. 12.   “I believe everyone can find tidbits of history and knowledge in the documentary that will lead them to do more digging and research on topics of Missouri’s past that interest them,” Brent Slane, program producer, said. “Just like researching a family tree, the deeper you dive i ..read more

The History Department is pleased to announce its winners of our Undergraduate and Graduate History paper awards.  Faculty nominate outstanding papers that they have received during the academic year and a faculty committee selects an undergraduate and graduate paper for special recognition. The 2021 undergraduate winner was Belle Johnson, whose paper, “More than a Trick of the Light: A Diachronic and Thematic Study of the Palpability of Magic in Ancient Egypt,” was written under the direction of Dr. Julia Troche.  Dr Troche describes the paper’s significance and reasons for nominati ..read more

Every year for Women’s HERstory Month the Gender Studies Program and Office of Multicultural Programs at Missouri State University celebrate students, staff, and faculty who are nominated for their “encouragement, mentoring, and support provided to other women and femme identified individuals” and for their “commitment to positively influencing the lives of others” through “innovation and/or leadership.” Due to the emerging pandemic last March, both the 2020 and 2021 Womxn of Distinction Awards were announced this past month and awards were handed out to staff and faculty recipients at a small ..read more