Award-winning scholar to discuss digital history of the Civil War via live-video feed at UND April 9

Amy Halvorson

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

4-2-2014

Campus Unit

College of Arts & Sciences

Abstract

Award-winning Civil War historian and digital pioneer Edward Ayers, president of the University of Richmond, will look back on "20 Years in Digital History" On Wednesday, April 9, during a virtual visit to UND via live video feed from the Richmond campus.

In his virtual lecture, set for 4 p.m. in the UND Gorecki Alumni Center, Ayers will present a sweeping overview of developments in digital history.

Ayers' lecture coincides with the ongoing commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

"Ayers is one of the premier scholars on the Civil War Era," UND Professor of History Eric Burin, UND's own Civil War expert and historical database expert.

His "Valley of the Shadow" project revolutionized research on the Civil War, Burin said. It not only made available countless historical documents; it allowed researchers to navigate those documents in an almost infinite number of ways. Burin said that, thanks to Ayers' path-breaking work, every researcher can offer "alternative readings" of the war."

About the Speaker

Ayers' work in digital history has received national accolades, including the 2013 National Medal for the Humanities awarded by President Obama, the Bancroft Prize, Beveridge Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

As a teacher, he has been recognized as the National Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and his digital history projects have been used in classrooms around the world. He is also the co-host of BackStory, a nationally syndicated radio show that ties history to the present day.

The lecture is sponsored by the Working Group in Digital and New Media and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Who: Dr. Edward Ayers, Historian and President, University of Richmond

What: 20 Years in Digital History

When: April 9th, 4 PM

Where: Gorecki Alumni Center

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