Department of History becomes a star on Historians TV

Click on the image to watch the video.

Imagine it’s the last day of classes for the semester. Not much to worry about, really - just papers, projects, finals reviews, caps and gowns... oh yeah - and shooting an entire five-minute video about your department in one day.

That was the challenge and the opportunity for the folks in the Department of History at the end of fall semester, and the result is a look at a strong history program uniquely placed in an area full of historical value.

“Montgomery, Alabama, is a great place to study history because, for a city its size, a lot of history has happened here,” said Dr. Wyatt Wells, Professor in History, in the opening segment of the video.

A company called WebsEdge sent a crew to the AUM campus to produce the video for Historians TV, a Web TV channel dedicated to covering events and issues important to members of the American Historical Association, such as conferences, case studies, and more.

The video ran on screens throughout the AHA’s annual four-day meeting in New Orleans in January, as well as at two New Orleans hotels during the conference. In addition to its posting on Historians TV, the video is also available on YouTube and can be accessed through the History and International Studies page at liberalarts.aum.edu.

The department also has other plans for the video.

“We’re quite pleased with how it turned out and are hoping it will prove to be an effective recruiting tool,” said Dr. Timothy Henderson, Professor and Chair of the Department of History. The department is planning to produce DVD copies for potential students and has already posted the video to its Facebook page.

WebsEdge has been gracious enough to provide all of the footage they shot on campus to the Department of History, and Henderson said that other AUM departments are welcome to use it if they like. Henderson thanked the Provost and the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts for their help in making the video happen.

Feb. 4, 2013