Mississippi College Hosts Phi Alpha Theta History Conference

Steven Patterson

Mississippi College will welcome history professors and students with Phi Alpha Theta for a regional conference on the Clinton campus March 2.

Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for history professors, undergraduates and graduate students, with more than 350,000 members.

Panel discussions that Saturday in Jennings Hall will include topics such as violence in the South, religious history, and author Herman Melville and Conservatism.

The conference will feature 16 presenters from Mississippi College, Mississippi University for Women, the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University. The first panel discussion begins at 9 a.m.

The guest speaker at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon at the B.C. Rogers Student Center will be Dr. Robert Frankle, professor emeritus at the University of Memphis.

“We’re delighted to be hosting the regional Phi Alpha Theta history conference for Mississippi,” said MC history and political science professor Steven Patterson. He sponsors the Phi Alpha Theta chapter on the Clinton campus.

Papers presented will include historical topics stretching from the Middle Ages to the 20^th Century. During the meetings, speakers will highlight some aspects of Mississippi history. MC graduate student Missy Jones of Clinton will present her research on the Clinton Riot of 1875. Mississippi College political science professor and author Glenn Antizzo will be among the commentators at the weekend event.

Phi Alpha Theta was established in March 1921 at the University of Arkansas. Today, there are about 9,500 members joining every year through its 860 local chapters on campuses across the USA. The honor society is now based at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Mississippi is home to eight Phi Alpha Theta chapters: Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Millsaps College, the University of Mississippi, MUW, Southern Miss, Jackson State, and Delta State University.

For more information, contact MC professor Steven Patterson at 601.925.3469 or spatters@mc.edu.