Now that you’ve met me and the others who will be teaching the class, it’s time for us to learn something about you!
Help your classmates and me get to know you by leaving a comment with a few details about yourself. (This is one of your pre-term assignments, counting towards the blogging portion of your course participation grade. Complete your comment by noon on Th 2/2 to receive credit.)
Your comment should include your…
- Name and year of expected graduation
- Hometown
- Major/minor
- Favorite time period or topic in history you like to study
- Favorite historical book, movie, and/or historical site you’ve visited
- What you’d like to do once you graduate from Bethel
Intro to History 
Hello, my name is Aidan Ruch, and I hope to graduate in 2022. I live in Hopkins, Minnesota, which is about a thirty minute drive south of Bethel. I plan on majoring in both History and Political Science. After graduating from Bethel my tentative hope would be to either get a political internship, start teaching, or go to law school. However, I have four and a half years to plan, and a lot of things could change in those years, so I have no definite idea of what I will do after I graduate. My favorite time period is the American Civil War, but I also enjoy the Medieval era. (Until I was about ten, I wanted to grow up to be a knight.) My favorite historical site that I have visited is Gettysburg, which sparked my interest in studying history. In my free time I am enjoying a book called Double Cross, which is about what happened when the British realized in World War II that all the spies the Germans had sent over to Britain were either captured or had defected to them. Since there were no actual spies in Britain the British decide to convince the Germans that the Allies would land on D-Day at Calais rather than Normandy, and Double Cross tells the story of how this was accomplished
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Double Cross is terrific! (I thought about it when I visited the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia this fall.) McIntyre’s new book on the British SOE during the war is also good, as is his history of the British double agent Kim Philby.
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Hello! My name is Haley Johnson and I am looking to graduate from Bethel in the Spring of 2019. I’m from Richfield, Minnesota. I am working towards a dual degree in Art History/History (and potentially Digital Humanities) with a minor in Studio Art. My favorite time period to study is the 20th century – I think it’s so fast paced and things change so quickly with the growing technology. My favorite historical book is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (I recently took a tour at the Minnesota Historical Society and we got to see an artist book based off of this book by Tim O’Brien). I’m not positive what I want to do once I graduate from Bethel. I have a job on campus currently working with Kent Gerber in the Digital Library and I really enjoy doing archiving with that job. I just finished up an internship with Michelle Westmark Wingard in the Permanent Art Gallery, studying spaces and how people curate their galleries according to their mission. I also have an internship for the spring semester with Midway Contemporary Art in Minneapolis, working in their library, digitizing their books to be found on their website. So, I know I want to do something that is digital work, opening people up to information, but I’m not sure if I want to do that in a gallery setting or in a university/college setting.
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Good to hear from you, Haley. I’m glad you’re interested in DH and have already had a chance to work with Kent on the digital library! (Others: we’ll learn more about digital humanities at the end of February.)
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Hello! My name is Jake Marsh. I am a freshman here at Bethel and anticipate graduating in the spring of 2020. I am from Plymouth, Minnesota and went to Wayzata High School. I am double majoring in Social Studies Education, 5-12 and History. My favorite topic would have to be American war/military history. I think the action of those time periods is quite intriguing because of the long lasting effects it has on our country. My favorite historical movie was one that just recently came out, Hacksaw Ridge. It does a great job combining religious beliefs with war and how one man is able to serve while still honoring his beliefs.
After my time at Bethel I want to be a high school social studies or history teacher. I chose this route because I had so many great teachers in those departments that I was always especially interested in the course content. Over time, I felt it was something I would like to do myself!
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Hey Jake! Hacksaw Ridge is one of the few movies I’ve had a chance to see in recent months. I went with my dad while we were spending my fall sabbatical in Virginia – not too far from where the first part of the movie is set. If you’re interested, I actually wrote a Hacksaw Ridge-inspired blog post a few months back: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2016/11/unexpected-sites-of-christian-pacifism-hacksaw-ridge-and-adventism.
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Hey everyone, my name is Andrew Zwart and I am a sophomore here at Bethel. I intend to graduate in the spring of 2019. I was born and grew up in White Bear Lake, MN, but I currently live in Hanover, MA. I am majoring in Biokinetics with an emphasis in Exercise Science. I plan to add on both History and Psychology minors. My favorite period in history would be the 20th century, mostly centered around World War II and The Cold War (I took WWII from Dr. Gehrz last year). My favorite history book would have to be “Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad” by Peter L. Bergen. I also really enjoyed the film “Hacksaw Ridge.” When I graduate from Bethel, I would like to go to grad school to further my education with an emphasis on Sports Performance and someday I hope to own my own gym. I would also love to travel frequently someday!
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Hello everyone, my name is Collin Barrett and I plan to graduate in spring of 2019. I am from Waconia, MN, and am currently majoring in History; however, I am also Premed. My favorite topic in history is either ancient Mesopotamia, or ancient Rome, which is why I am also taking Roman Civilization with Dr. Goldberg this semester. My favorite historical book is SPQR by Mary Beard, because I think she does an excellent job of dissecting Roman politics and culture. As she narrates she also maintains a neutral viewpoint in her account which is incredibly beneficial due to the lack of sources at certain times. After I graduate I would like to pursue Medical School, but I am also considering PA school as well. Eventually I would love to work overseas in the eastern Baltic providing medical care for underprivileged families.
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Hey everyone, my name is Dustin Clark and I plan to graduate in the spring of 2020. I am originally from Chaska, MN, but I currently in St. Bonifacius, MN. My current major is History with a minor in Pre-law.(which I hope to turn into a Law Degree!) My favorite period in history would have to be centered around the Cold War and the whole “cloak and dagger” culture that followed. My favorite historical movie would have to be “Bridge of Spies.” My hope after Bethel is to graduate from law school with a family law degree and open up my own firm in the far future!
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Hello everyone, my name is Logan Olson. I am a sophomore this year and plan to graduate in the spring of 2019. I am from Maple Grove, MN, and I am majoring in History with a minor in Political Science. My favorite historical time period is 20th Century, focusing mainly on both the World Wars and the Cold war. My favorite historical movie is “Bridge of Spies.” Once I graduate from Bethel I plan to attend Law School and I hope to use the law degree and work for the Government or Family Practice.
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Hello my name is John Carlson. I am a freshman at Bethel and plan on graduating in the Spring of 2020. I am from Bloomington Minnesota and went to Jefferson High School. I am an undecided major right now but plan on either going into secondary education or missional ministry. I find World War II to be something that I am really into studying and learning about. I find those events to be very interesting and Like to see how a series of different events affects each other. One of my favorite historical movies is the movie Glory. I think it is very fascinating and it really makes you think about what it was like for African Americans during the time of the Civil War. Once I graduate from Bethel I would like to be a History teacher at a high school and a football coach.
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Hello everyone, I am Mikalah Pruss and I am graduating next winter! I am originally from Fremont, Nebraska, but I hope to continue making Minnesota my home after graduation. I am majoring in History with a minor in gender studies. I think my favorite topic to study in history is gender (surprise!). Men and women experienced history in different ways and I love to look at both perspectives. I do not think I can pick a favorite historical movie, however I love pretty much any and all documentaries. Most recently, I watched Makers: Women Who Make America in Dr. Magnuson’s class and I really enjoyed it! Post-graduation I hope to work in oral history where I can record, preserve, and possible produce peoples stories
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Hey everyone one, my name is Nelson Menjivar and I am a sophomore, who hopes to graduate by 2019. I am a History major with a minor in Philosophy. I grew up in Inver Grove Heights Minnesota but was actually born in El Salvador (small country in Central America in case you were wondering). Overall history as a whole interests me but the main era that draws my attention is the Medieval era (probably why I like Game of Thrones so much). As for my favorite history movie it would have to be a toss up between “Saving Private Ryan” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” After finishing Bethel I hope to either go into politics or be a historian, if all else fails; I have been working full-time at Target for two years and would continue to move up the ladder there.
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Hello. My name is Sarah Sauer. I am majoring in Accounting and History, and I plan on graduating in Spring 2018. I am from Victoria, MN. I enjoy studying Roman History, specifically the time surrounding the civil wars. This interest is derived from my time reading Julius Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Civili.I enjoy looking at how the biases of primary source authors manifest themselves in different works and their lingering impact on history. Upon graduation, I plan on working in exploring possibilities in public accounting, forensic accounting, or other graduate school opportunities,
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I’m Omar Lewis. I expect to be graduating around 2020 or 2021. I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’m Double majoring in political science and history. The topics of history that i find interesting are the Roman Empire and China’s history. My favorite historical book that I’ve read so far is Guns, Germs and Steel. I’m actually still trying to figure out what i want to do once i graduate.
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Looking forward to meeting you, Omar. The “what do I do” question is going to be a big one this semester: not that you’ll necessarily have a clear answer by May, but starting on the first day of class and then all the way through the course, we’ll try to give you some resources to help think through calling and career.
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Hi, I’m Shawn Monroe. I am a freshman and expect to be graduating the spring of 2020. I am from Okinawa, Japan. I plan on majoring in Secondary Education with an emphasis on History. My favorite topic is World War II, living in Okinawa and seeing battle sights and hearing from other people’s personal experience intrigued my fascination for this topic. My favorite historical movie is either letter to Iwo Jima (硫黄島). Once I graduate from Bethel, I am planning to go back home and teach at the high school I graduated from.
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I hope you get a chance to take my World War II class in the next year or two, Shawn. I’d love to hear more about the Okinawan perspective on the war. (That experience is an important theme in the oral history we use for the course: Japan at War, by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore Cook.)
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Hi! My name is Lauren Gannon, I’m from Circle Pines, Minnesota, and I am both excited and terrified to graduate with degrees in Media Production and History this spring. I hope to complete a Film Studies minor, but I’m not sure if its going to happen. I love studying the humanities, focusing on how the historical and cultural climate of a time impacts the people, thought, art and literature. However, my favorite period to study is the world in the 1960s and 70s. My favorite historical book is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, thanks to Dr. Gehrz’s WWI course, and my favorite historical movie is The King’s Speech, thanks to Colin Firth. Once I graduate from Bethel, I would love to return to school and continue studying history, maybe eventually becoming a professor. However, in the meantime, I look forward to applying the skills I have learned in my college career to whatever opportunity comes my way.
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Hola! My Name is Matt Velasco, I’m a junior and my expected graduation year is 2018! I’m from Victoria, Minnesota which is right next to Chanhassen, and I’m double majoring in History and Biblical & Theological Studies! Personally, my favorite period and topic to study in history are the reformations, specifically the English and European reformations. In a broader sense, Church history is my favorite. My favorite historical book that I’ve read is Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas, because Dietrich is a personal hero of mine. My ultimate dream is to be a church planter and senior pastor some day, but my plans right out of University are to continue working at the church I’m currently at, Westwood Community Church, and do youth ministry and go to seminary and get my M.Div!
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Hello! My name is Braeden Peterson, I’m currently a freshman here at Bethel and expected to graduate in the spring of 2020. I’m from Farmington, Minnesota and I’m an undecided major, but I’m leaning towards graphic design as a major. I think anything to deal with learning about WWI or WWII would be quite interesting to learn about. I also would have to that Lone Survivor is one of my favorite history movies. After I’ve completed my schooling here at Bethel, I’m excited to see how I’ll use my learned skills from my courses in school to incorporate them into my future career and life.
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Hello! My name is David Jankowski, and I expect to graduate in the winter of 2019. I am from Forest Lake, Minnesota and I am majoring in History with a minor in Biology. My favorite time period/subject to study is split between American Military History and the Roman Republic. My favorite historical spot that I’ve had the privilege to visit was Charleston, S.C. and walk along the harbor where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired. Once I gradate from Bethel I am hoping to either go on to medical school or be an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army(I currently am in Army ROTC and am enlisted in the MN National Guard).
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Hi! My name is Bonita Timaul and I’m a freshmen here at BU! I’m expected to graduate in the spring of 2020. I’m from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Which is about a 20 minute drive from Bethel. 30-40 minutes if there’s traffic (I commute). I recently changed my major from nursing to political science. I know that’s a big jump, but I’ve always been interested in politics and government. I would really love to learn more about WWII. I would also love to learn more about the Civil Rights and the Women’s Rights movements. My favorite historical movie/play is The Raisin in the Sun. Looking at this film was like looking at life from a different perspective from my own. It really opened my mind and made me willing to learn about the hardships of life of other people. After Bethel, although I’m still a little lost, I hope to attend and graduate from law school and do whatever I can to help fight for human rights for the underprivileged.
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Hello. My name is Andrew Nieuwsma and I plan to graduate December of 2017. I am from Lakeville, Minnesota but went to school at Bethany Academy in Bloomington. I am a business marketing and finance major with a minor in history. My favorite topic to study is Greek and Roman history and the early renaissance. One of my favorite sites where there are a lot of historical artifacts is the National Museum of Natural History. I am not entirely set on what I want to do when I graduate Bethel but planning on going into sales and marketing of some kind.
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Well hey there! My name is Maddy Gilbertson and expected graduation year would be 2020 or 2021. I am from Columbia Heights, Minnesota which basically on the other side of 35W from Bethel. I am a double major in Communications and Sociocultural studies, and am looking to possibly add a History minor. Yeah its a lot I know, but I’m here and I’m paying for it so why not. I have always been a big American history fan, as well as WWII. I think learning more about the Huns and their reign would be incredibly interesting. I am also a renaissance festival geek, so I would love to know more about the Medieval era as well. My favorite historical novel would have to be Uncle Toms Cabin. Once while perusing the clearance nostalgia section at Half Price Books I stumbled upon an old copy and obtained it immediately. It was super interesting to read the book that created a shift among those in the north during the Civil War. A hard read, but definitely worth it. I am still venturing options on what to do once I finish my time here at Bethel. I would like to spend some time at art school as well so that is a current possibility. Im unaware of exactly when, but I do at some point plan to return to Casa De Esperanza, an orphanage located in Caranavi, Bolivia, to live a serve the people and children there for an extend period of time.
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