UTSA Students Protest in the Aftermath of Brown, Garner Decisions

Sparked by the lack of indictments following the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, UTSA students took to the Sombrilla to host a die-in on December 10, 2014. Reaction among students and alumni in the comments attached to photos of the event on the UTSA Facebook page was mixed, but it is worth noting that the students took part in both long-valued American traditions--assembling and peacefully protesting--and in a wave of recent protests sweeping the country and the world.

Though the lives of Mike Brown and Eric Garner were valuable in and of themselves, many activists are protesting the larger picture, one in which they argue that discriminatory, differential, and violent treatment of African Americans within the criminal justice system and at the hands of vigilantes has a long history that shows no signs of abating. They are also asserting, as evidenced by the increasingly popular slogan/hashtag #blacklivesmatter, that black lives (not just deaths)* have inherent value and that the loss (and poor quality) of black life should not be easily dismissed.

For whatever we may think of Brown and Garner (for example, a common argument is that their deaths are justifiable, in part, because they may have been/were engaged in criminal activity), we cannot excuse statistics that show that young black men, aged 15 to 19, are 21 times more likely to be "shot dead by police than their white counterparts." Perhaps the protests are the beginning of a much-needed national conversation.

______________

From the creators of #blacklivesmatter: "Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes. [...] When we say Black Lives Matter, we are talking about the ways in which Black people are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity."

Nau Fellowships

(Double) Majoring in history? Thinking about earning a graduate degree in history? The UTSA Department of History has generous, competitive funding opportunities. You can find out more about history scholarships here. I'd like to highlight the Nau Scholarships/Fellowships:

Description

The Nau Undergraduate Scholarship is open to current undergraduate students in the UTSA History program.

6-12 students will be selected as Nau Scholars to receive awards of $5,000 to $10,000 each for the academic year 2015-2016. Recipients will also be eligible for in-state tuition.

Eligibility

• Recipients must be enrolled full-time (15 hours) during the fall semester of the award year. Recipients may be enrolled in fewer than 15 hours in the spring semester only if they are graduating in the spring and need fewer than 15 hours to graduate.

• Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 OR have at least a 3.5 in the last thirty hours completed.

• Students must be a Junior (minimum 75 hours completed) at time of application and currently be enrolled in or have completed HIS 2003 Historical Methods (earning no lower than a B-).

• Recipients must enroll in “Seminar in History” (HIS 4973) during award year or have completed the course prior to start of award year.

Requirements

• Brief essay (700 words or less) discussing a book you have read in a college-level History course that has shaped your understanding of the past and inspired your interest in history.

• Writing sample of your academic work in History (e.g. book review, historiographic essay, research paper).

• 1-2 Letters of recommendation from UTSA History faculty (transfer students may use a faculty member from a previously attended college or university).

Contact

Kolleen Guy

kolleen.guy@utsa.edu

More about the graduate fellowships:

Description

The Nau Graduate Fellowship is open to newly admitted graduate students enrolled in the M.A. Program in History Students must not have completed any graduate history courses at UTSA.

5-7 students will be selected as Nau Fellows to receive $8,000 to $12,000 each for the academic year 2014-2015. Recipients will also be eligible for in-state tuition.

Graduate fellowships are available for students with scholarly interests in all areas of history. We strongly encourage applications from students interested in studying diverse temporal, geographic, and thematic fields.

Students with an interest in the U.S. Civil War Era or Texas History (including borderlands history) may complete additional requirements outlined in this online application to be eligible for a two-year funding package that will include a Teaching Assistantship the second year. Two multi-year packages will be awarded to students in these fields.

Recipients of the two-year package could receive an additional award of $10,000 to $16,000 for the 2nd year award provided recipients meet the minimum award requirements each semester and commit to a Teaching Assistantship in the department in the second year. The total award package could be between $18,000 to $28,000 over two years.

If you need further clarification on the details of the two-year program please email the Department of History (history@utsa.edu).

Eligibility

• Applicants must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.5 in the last 60 hours of coursework.

• Recipients must be enrolled full-time (9 hours) during the award year.

Requirements

• Brief essay discussing how a particular book or author has helped to shape your interest in history and in what ways the book or author encourages you to think broadly about an historical topic. (700 words or less)

Note: applicants for two-year funding must discuss a book about Texas or U.S. Civil War era history in your response.

• Writing sample of your academic work in History.

• 2 Letters of recommendation from History faculty at previous graduate or undergraduate institution.

• Applicants for two-year funding must write an additional essay: Describe your interest in and approach to teaching the U.S. Civil War era or Texas History. In your response, please discuss the teaching style you found most effective as an undergraduate student as well as your previous academic or non-academic teaching experiences, if any. (1,000 words or less)

Deadline

Review of applications will begin on February 20, 2015 and will continue until funds are awarded.

Contact

Catherine Nolan-Ferrell

Catherine.Ferrell@utsa.edu