Upcoming Events

Introducing a New Faculty Member!

We soon will be welcoming a new faculty member. Scheduled to arrive in time for fall 2008, Richard McBride, his wife Younghee and son David, have expressed enthusiasm about moving to Hawai'i and working with our students here at BYU-Hawai'i.  Dr. McBride enjoys reading, hiking, and visiting historical sites, particularly in East Asia.  In 2001, he earned a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA where he became a specialist in Korean and Chinese Buddhism and early Korean history. For the academic year 2007-2008, Dr. McBride was a Fulbright senior researcher in Korea, studying early Korean history. He particularly enjoys immersing himself in ancient writings, uncovering a world markedly different from his own, and working with scholars from around the world to decipher the past. In his own words, Dr. McBride has indicated, "I am excited to teach courses on pre-modern world history, traditional East Asian history, and the history of Buddhism because I enjoy helping students understand the events, beliefs, and practices that enable them to appreciate the complexity of human culture of the world in which we live." We are extremely fortunate to have a faculty member of Dr. McBride's stature and quality join us here in the History Department this coming Fall.

Switching HIST485 and HIST490!

The History department has proposed a curriculum change affecting two prominent History classes. HIST485 (Junior Tutorial in History) was previously offered during Fall semester but will now be taught each Winter semester. Likewise, HIST490 (Historical Research and Writing) will be offered the following Fall semester instead of Winter semester. This change will "give students more time to do their research, " says History professor Isaiah Walker, "because they will have Spring and Summer to work on their papers". The change, the brainchild of Dr. Walker himself, has proven quite popular among history faculty for it offers a number of advantages to students. Walker goes on to add, "writing their [490] papers in the Fall also allows more participation in our Annual History Conference and will open an opportunity for senior papers to be used and submitted to graduate schools as part of the application process."  This change is expected to help students sharpen their research skills, produce papers of higher quality, and take full advantage for their fine work.