Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Orange Is The New Golgotha, Kerry S. Walters

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The Roman soldiers jeered at Jesus, called him "towelhead" and "sand monkey," ripped off his garments and clad him in an orange jumpsuit. Then they pulled a black sack over his head and led him to an interrogation cell, where CIA operatives awaited him. They shackled Jesus's wrists and strung him up so that he dangled from the ceiling. One of them questioned him, and when his responses weren't to their liking, the other beat him. [excerpt]

Heavy Metal Gettysburg And The Allure Of Emotive History, Kevin P. Lavery

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In July 1863

A Nation Torn In Tragedy

A Trick Of Fate, Two Great Armies Merge

Gods Of War At Gettysburg

Devastation Lies Ahead

50,000 Bodies Litter The Land

Hell Rages Three Full Days

The Reaper Sows, There’s The Devil To Pay.

Thus begins the first song in Iced Earth’s three-part ballad inspired by the Battle of Gettysburg. [excerpt]

A “Friendship . . . Born Amidst The Thunders Of Gettysburg”: The Barlow- Gordon Incident, Brianna E. Kirk

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

July 1, 1863. It is the first day of what will come to be known as the Battle of Gettysburg. Union forces, upon firing the first shot in the early morning hours of that Wednesday, were pushed back from their position near Herr’s Ridge and McPherson’s woods towards Cemetery Hill. Following orders given by Schurz, twenty-nine year old Brigadier General Francis Channing Barlow moved his division to the right of Schimmelfennig’s division and placed them on top of an elevated piece of land known as Blocher’s Knoll. The Eleventh Corps had yet to begin their retreat through Gettysburg, but they …

“So Here’S To The Stars And Stripes, Me Boys, And To Ireland’S Lovely Shore”, S. Marianne Johnson

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

The Dropkick Murphys is a popular American Celtic Punk band known for their combinations of punk rock and bagpipes. Their songs are filled with Irish pride and often have something to do with hard partying and whiskey. However, in their 1999 album The Gang’s All Here, the Murphys took on the topic of Irish soldiers in the American Civil War. The song “The Fighting 69th” was first sung by the Irish band The Wolfe Tones on their 1993 album Across the Broad Atlantic. The album features several songs dedicated to Irish immigrants to America and holds a certain fascination for …

39 Social Justice Books And Movies To Keep Your Brain Warm Over Winter Break!, The Surge Team

SURGE

A hodgepodge of books and movies, some serious, some funny that engage issues of social justice in a variety of ways. If you read or watch one, let us know what you think in the comments! [excerpt]

Fearless Friday: Ja'nai Harris, Christina L. Bassler

SURGE

Ja’Nai Harris ’16 is a fearless advocate for equity, diversity, and justice here at Gettysburg. Her efforts have been instrumental in planning several important events on campus including the #BlackLivesMatter vigil held on Tuesday, December 9th and the Ferguson discussion held on December 2nd. Through her work as a Diversity Peer Educator (DPE) and Co-president of the Black Student Union (BSU), she has used her leadership to spread positivity, activism and social change. [excerpt]

Stop Ducking, Stephen Lin

SURGE

When I joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, a small voice in my head kept saying that it was a bad idea. “Don’t become part of the system, Stephen.” But I defended my decision and believed in the idea of Phi Kappa Psi returning to campus with a clean slate. The possibilities far outweighed the cons. I dreamt of the potential of what Phi Psi could become and how we would stand above the traditional expectations of Greek organizations. I wanted to tell everyone about this dream and I couldn’t wait to find like-minded people. I felt inspired by how …

To My Peers Dismayed By The Looting, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

“…Violent acts of protesters.”
“…destruction of properties.”
“…looting stores.”

I tried to hide my frustration as I listened to the class discussion taking place. How can people be so easily influenced by mainstream media and focus on the acts of a few individuals instead of thousands of peaceful protesters? [excerpt]

On Getting Dressed, Sharon L. Stephenson

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

I lean against the chalkboard and wait for the young woman to speak. I feel especially put together because I am wearing an outfit; I bought all three pieces at the same time, indicating my financial stability and dedication to appearance.

It is a Friday, and this introductory physics student is casual in her sorority letter jersey, jeans and sneakers. Her hair is long, her skin porcelain; these traits do not distinguish her from her sorority sisters. She is exceptional, however, in her habit of obsessively leaning forward in her front-row desk, as if preparing to dive over the top. …

Ashes, Mauricio E. Novoa

SURGE

There’s silence as everybody waits to hear what we already know is coming,
ears fixated on Robert McCulloch with hands over mouths,
and our fears are validated. [excerpt]

Radost Rangelova, Assistant Professor Of Spanish, Musselman Library, Radost A. Rangelova

Next Page

In our newest Next Page column, featured reader Radost Rangelova, Assistant Professor of Spanish, shares with us what she reads for fun and the course it inspired (she had to warn the students NOT to read ahead!); one of the influential works that solidified her passion for the study of gender and the cultural construction of space; and her recommendation of a contemporary Colombian author to read next – perhaps something to add to your holiday wish list?

The Pursuit Of Advil And Blow Pops, Andeulazia C. Hughes-Murdock

SURGE

“Excuse me sir, where’s the Advil?” I ask politely as I walk, for the first time, into the Quik Mart across the street from the Colonial Hall apartments.

“Over there.” A middle-aged Indian man declares, apparently suspicious of my request to alleviate my cramps.

I smile back anyway, hoping that his face is permanently in a suspicious glance that makes me uncomfortable to go anywhere but the aisle in front of him. [excerpt]

Point/Counterpoint: Anchoring Historical Memory, Bryan G. Caswell, Heather L. Clancy '15

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 saw citizens and students of Gettysburg crowd into the Majestic Theater for the fifty-third annual Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture. The audience listened attentively as Dr. Nina Silber, a renowned historian of the American Civil War, explored the nuanced application of the memory of Abraham Lincoln during the 1930s and ‘40s, especially as associated with the figure of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. [excerpt]

Remembrance Day…But Remembering What?, S. Marianne Johnson

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In conversation with other CWI Fellows last week, we began discussing the strangeness of the annual Remembrance Day Parade. Originally conceived as a way to recreate the procession to the cemetery in 1863 to hear the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery, it seems to have morphed into something different all together. If we are honoring a recommitment to the preservation of Union, why do Confederate reenactors march in the parade? If we are simply celebrating the soldiers of both sides of the Civil War, why does the parade end at the site of the address …

A Difference Of Appearance, Charlotte H. Moreno

SURGE

Appearance can seem like it’s everything.

My father is from California; his parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. He has tan skin and dark hair and is bilingual in English and Spanish. My mom, though also from California, is a combination of Irish, Cuban, and Hungarian. She passed on her fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes to me. [excerpt]

Hidden In Plain Sight: The Coster Avenue Mural, Brianna E. Kirk

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

The Gettysburg Battlefield has over one thousand monuments dedicated to a host of brave men who fought and gave their lives during the three day engagement in July of 1863. Littered alongside well-traveled roads and points of attraction on the battlefield, most do not go unnoticed. There are a few, however, that do. One of them commemorates Captain Heckman’s Battery K of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, an oft-passed but unnoticed monument on Gettysburg College’s campus and the focus of one of my previous blog posts . Another cluster of monuments in the vicinity of the Gettysburg College campus and …

Gettysburg: A Town Built On Tourism, Kevin P. Lavery

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In my most recent blog posts, I’ve adopted a rather unforgiving stance on the rampant consumerism that pervades the town of Gettysburg. Essentially, I have argued that the borough’s tacky gift shops sell odious little trinkets to gullible tourists and profiteer from the public’s morbid obsession with war and death. But while I firmly believe that this zealous consumerism is a persistent threat to healthy historical engagement, there is another side to the issue that demands to be recognized: Gettysburg kitsch is part of what has made Gettysburg into a town brimming with opportunities to broaden the public’s historical consciousness. …

Lost: Sesquicentennial Sanity. If Found, Please Contact Borough Of Gettysburg., Kevin P. Lavery

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

If you were in Gettysburg during the summer of 2013, you surely encountered the ubiquitous 150th Gettysburg logo branded on everything from promotional materials to souvenirs. The latter – tacky at best and irreverent at worst – filled the town to the point of excess, making some of us wonder how many people completely missed the point of the sesquicentennial. Anniversaries exert a powerful force on the American historical psyche, but it is dubious whether Gettysburg’s celebration exerted an appropriate one. The sesquicentennial was a wonderful opportunity to refocus on the events of July 1863, but sadly many businesses in …

Gettysburg’S Faustian Bargain, Kevin P. Lavery

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

A question to the reader: have you ever visited Gettysburg? Presumably most of the Gettysburg Compiler’s audience will answer in the affirmative. A follow-up question: have you ever purchased a souvenir from one of the town’s abundant gift shops? Perhaps it was a kepi or a cork gun for your child? Or maybe a bottle of “Rebel Red” wine? Or some tacky trinket or faux antique?

Let’s face it: we live in a consumer society in which there is nothing too sacred to profit from. And, sadly, the Battle of Gettysburg is no exception. [excerpt]

Opinion: Too Many Veterans With Children Are Still Homeless, Christopher R. Fee, Joshua L. Stewart

English Faculty Publications

Don’t ignore homeless veterans.

As we pause this Veterans Day to reflect on those who have sacrificed in the service of our country, let us not neglect to address the plight of those who have returned to a civilian life with far less promise than they have every right to expect. [excerpt]

Fearless Friday: Friend Or Foe, Christina L. Bassler

SURGE

Friend or FOE, a recent addition to our campus offers queer students and their allies an opportunity to connect more socially and establish a mutual understanding of their experiences on campus. The group defines itself as having a less activist approach, rather, their main focus is to create a medium for students who feel that while their sexual orientation is important it is not necessarily something they want to be defined by. [excerpt]

Heroes Of Berlin Wall Struggle, William D. Bowman

History Faculty Publications

When the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, symbolically signaling the end of the Cold War, it was no surprise that many credited President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for bringing it down.

But the true heroes behind the fall of the Berlin Wall are those Eastern Europeans whose protests and political pressure started chipping away at the wall years before. East German citizens from a variety of political backgrounds and occupations risked their freedom in protests against communist policies and one-party rule in what they called the "peaceful revolution." [excerpt]

Gettysburg Valor Honored At Last, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

There is no expiration date on valor. This is the lesson on display today at the White House, as President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to a soldier who died 151 years ago at the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. Alonzo Cushing was a lowly lieutenant, two years out of West Point at that battle. But he commanded the last two cannon that faced Pickett's Charge, and what he did with them has kept memory alive. [excerpt]

Valor Finally Honored, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

It has taken one hundred and fifty-one years, but finally, 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing is getting his due - which in this case is the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In a ceremony today at the White House, President Obama will award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Cushing "for conspicuous gallantry... while serving as commanding officer of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac during combat operations in the vicinity of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863." [excerpt]

Rachel Weeping: A Christian Pacifist Reluctantly Endorses Military Strikes Against Isis, Kerry S. Walters

Philosophy Faculty Publications

I'm haunted these days by a scene from Matthew's Gospel. Herod, learning that an infant has been born in Bethlehem who will become "King of the Jews," orders the slaughter of the town's male children two years old and under. Matthew captures the deed's mind-numbing horror by imagining that Rachel, one of the traditional Hebrew matriarchs, "weeps and laments and refuses to be comforted, because her children are no more."

How, I ask myself, would Jesus's followers have acted could they've been in Bethlehem on that frenzied day? Would they have remained silent? Would they have shielded the infants with …

Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, Assistant Professor Of Africana Studies, Musselman Library, Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams

Next Page

In this new Next Page column, Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, shares with us highlights from a recent trip to Trinidad he took with students, where he gets his daily dose of news, and which book "gives him fire" after each reading.

Language Of Harry's Wizards: Authentic Vocabulary Instruction, Divonna M. Stebick, Constance N. Nichols

Education Faculty Publications

This study was the result of a year long action research project within a middle school language arts classroom. The students showed improvement in their vocabulary skills due to this instruction using Harry Potter as a context.

Souvenir, Kathryn Rhett

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

A collection of autobiographical essays

Souvenir, a collection of autobiographical essays rooted in the present, investigates travel, staying put, and how it is that our experience of being here right now includes so much of being elsewhere at another time. Rhett reconciles present to past in serious encounters with birth and death, alongside lighter observations. In a world that makes no sense except the sense we make of it, Souvenir plays with the dynamics of home and away to represent the fullness of daily life. [From the publisher]

Ms-168: Lena And Dr. Robert Fortenbaugh ’13 Papers, Faythe Grace

All Finding Aids

This collection consists primarily of materials related to the professional activities of Dr. Robert Fortenbaugh as a historian and, to a lesser extent, a Lutheran clergyman. Activities represented include Lutheran ministry, publication, review, and requests for published works, speaking engagements, involvement in professional organizations, summer employment at colleges and universities, and communication with former students. His correspondence from 1931 to 1959, and his diary from a trip to Germany in 1933 most fully document his activity as a historian, although the handwriting in the diary is extremely challenging. In particular, the diary and accompanying materials demonstrate Robert’s specialized knowledge of …

Seduced By The “Dark Turn”, S. Marianne Johnson

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Last year, I attended a Civil War Conference that highlighted what has become known as the “Dark Turn of the Civil War.” Basically, the turn is a shift in focus from the shiny-bugles-and-gleaming-bayonets interpretation of the Civil War to revealing the ugly underside of the Civil War, emphasizing themes of death, destruction, and loss. At the time, I remember thinking, this is a good thing, Civil War history does tend to be overly romanticized as the glorious American tragedy. One panel that bothered me, however, featured a discussion on “Dark Tourism.” I had never heard of Dark Tourism, and I …