Lindenwood Magazine - Fall 2021

20 FALL 2021 EDITION THE LINDENWOOD 21 FALL 2021 EDITION THE LINDENWOOD The Linden Gold i s a student-centered publication designed to offer exciting opportunities for real experience in one of the following career paths: writing and editing, content development, publishing, marketing, public relations, digital strategies, and/ or graphic design, and more. The students chosen to work on The Linden Gold are gold level students. Each semester, students identify, conceptualize, and draft original content pieces to tell these stories. LINDENWOOD STUDENTS UNCOVER BURIED HISTORY AT LOCAL CEMETERY By Gabby Buchholz This semester in Dr. Jeffrey Smith’s HIST 481 Senior Seminar, the students are working locally: at the Father Moses Dickson Cemetery in St. Louis. Along Sappington Road, the cemetery was first dedicated in 1904. The land was designated as a cemetery for people of color. Dr. Smith and his students are working on contributions to the cemetery’s National Register of Historic Places nomination. Requirements for this honor include an association with historically important events or persons, or be likely to yield important information about history. Benefits of becoming a Nationally Registered Historic Place includes protection by the federal government and occasional site inspections by the National Park Service. Beyond this, they are also working on creating a Geographic Information System (GIS) map. This type of map presents multiple units of data, allowing viewers to more easily interpret relationships and patterns. The project was inspired by a “desire to give senior seminar students a meaningful experience in researching and writing history while also being part of the community,” says Dr. Smith. THE LINDEN GOLD The Senior Seminar course allows those in the history major to show their proficiency in historical research and United States, European, and World history as a whole. The project is designed to give history students a chance at real-world research—they’ll develop skills to implement in future careers. This professional-level research and Plus, by keeping it local to the St. Charles and St. Louis region, it creates a connection for the students. They are able to go to the cemetery and see for themselves the impactful work they are doing. Being one of the first settlements west of the Mississippi River, St. Louis has a long and rich history; Dr. Smith hopes for students to get a “ greater understanding of the place of race in early-twentieth century St. Louis.” ONLINE MASTER’S IN ART HISTORY AND VISUAL CULTURE RANKED BEST IN ART AND ART HISTORY 2021 By Anna Ostmann Since its inception four years ago, Lindenwood’s Masters in Art History and Visual Culture has repeatedly been ranked as one of the top programs in the subject. Most recently, Best Value Schools included it in its “Best 8 Online Master’s in Art and Art History in 2021.” As the ranking explains, the 30-credit hour online program gives students a broad foundation in the visual art and culture of different eras, providing them with the opportunity to explore art and culture throughout history, as well as helping them develop strong research practices and knowledge of “how works of art were produced and how they were utilized through different eras.” Current events in the past year and a half resulted in a sudden and urgent need for engaging online education, and many programs had to rapidly shift from on-ground courses to online and hybrid set-ups, often to the detriment of student learning. However, Lindenwood’s Art History MA was designed from the outset as a fully online program, with in-person coursework being entirely optional. The program is tailored to accommodate non-traditional students, such as those who are returning to school while working and/or caring for children full-time, as well as students in different countries and time zones, providing them with an enriching education that does not sacrifice quality for convenience. According to Dr. James Hutson, department head of art history and visual culture at Lindenwood, the program has several key features that promote student engagement on digital platforms and enrich their education with technology: Students work directly with faculty to gain experience through research. Virtual reality allows faculty to expand classroom experiences to a global scale.