Robert H. Pruyn: An Albany Yankee in the Tycoon's Court

Robert H. Pruyn (1815-1882), a "good Dutchman" of Albany, served as the second American foreign minister to Japan, 1861-1865. This was a time of civil war in the States, and a time of great civil unrest in Japan. Pruyn prided himself both on his diplomacy and his appreciation of Japanese culture. This talk focuses on some of the lesser-known details of his experience as revealed in his many personal letters home, held by the Albany Institute of History and Art.

Are There Health Hazards Coming from the Rollout of 5G?

War and Rights: The Impact of War on Political and Civil Rights

How does warfare impact the political and civil liberties of men, women, and minorities? Hintze (1906) and Lasswell (1941) argue states facing a severe security threat are likely to reduce rights in order to minimize domestic opposition to the war and maximize mobilization potential. Downing (1992) and Klinkner and Smith (1999) argue that under certain circumstances mobilization for war can unintentionally lead to an expansion of rights. This presentation explores these arguments with finding from historical case studies (e.g., Imperial Russia, Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, African Americans in World War I and II, and Tirailleurs Senegalese in World War I).

Researching African American Lifeways in Nineteenth Century Albany: Findings of the Underground Railroad Archaeology Project

Air Pollution in New York State: Where Do We Stand?

Stuck in the Middle with You: Medieval Chinese Political Culture and the Odd Reigns of Tang Emperor Zhongzong 唐中宗

Personal Information Management on Common Ground

The Pursuit of Sustainability 

Medieval Maps and the Bayeux Embroidery: A Shared Historical Discourse of Place and Space

Finding Nature in Unexpected Places: What Cleaning Closets and Laundry Rooms Tell us About American Environmental History

Photography is Dead. Long Live Photography! Veracity in the Age of the Post-Photographic (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Google Image Search)
 

Photographic Contact Zones: The Mexican Travel Photographs of Fritz Neugass

Fritz Neugass (1899-1979) was a photographer and arts journalist who fled the Nazi regime in his native Germany to the United States in 1941. In her talk, Kressner explores Neugass’s travel photographs in the context of the multifaceted tradition of photography of the post-revolutionary Mexico by visitors hailing from the North.

The Supreme Court vs. the President: How the Court Decides the Constitutionality of Challenged Presidential Actions

In this presentation, Dr. Laura Wittern-Keller discusses the growth of presidential power through unilateral action—executive orders, proclamations, national security directives, and signing statements—and how the Supreme Court has determined the constitutionality of those actions. The precedent usually used by the Supreme Court stems from a 1952 case that found President Harry Truman’s executive order authorizing the seizure of some American steel mills to be an unconstitutional extension of presidential unilateral action. The case, Youngstown Sheet and Tube v. Sawyer, included a concurrence by Associate Justice Robert Jackson that created a three-part test of presidential orders. That test, modified in 2008, is still good law and will most likely be the test of any future executive orders challenged. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the Guantanamo detainee cases from the George W. Bush administration and a list of executive orders currently being challenged from the Barack Obama administration and the first nine months of the Donald Trump administration.

How the Standish Room and the Corning Towers Got Their Names: A Biographer's and Ghostwriter's Tale

Toward Mountains Without Snow and Ice: How Climate Change will Transform our Mountain Environments in the 21st Century

In this presentation, Prof. Mathias Vuille discusses the impacts of climate change in mountain environments, with a special focus on the South American Andes, where glacier retreat will affect water resources, natural hazards, ecosystem integrity, tourism and cultural belief systems of indigenous populations.

Criminalizing the LGBT Community and the Long Arm of the Religious State
 

In this presentation, Associate Professor Victor Asal explains his exploration of the factors that make states around the world more likely to legally discriminate against the LGBT community and why some countries are more likely to put people to death for consensual same-sex relations.

98 Acres in Albany: Telling the Social History of Urban Renewal

In this presentation, Prof. David Hochfelder discusses his project, 98 Acres in Albany, a social history of urban redevelopment that focuses on the demolition and construction history of the Empire State Plaza.

Minority Health Disparities: The Case of Native Americans

In this presentation, Dr. Lawrence Schell talks about how globally, aboriginal populations have been in great decline, demographically and culturally. American Indians continue to be the poorest and the least healthy population within the borders of the United States. They are the most severe victims of health disparities in the US. Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.

The Supreme Court's 2016 Term: Interesting Times

Election 2016: An Historical Perspective

In this presentation, Prof. Carl J. Bon Tempo places the 2016 American presidential election in historical perspective. In particular, he examines where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump fit in the longer history of their respective political parties.

Smokes, Chews and Brew: The Dangers and Crackdown on Legal Plant Highs

Your Brain: Unconscious Decision-making and How it Affects Your Life and Learning
 

What Can 1916 Tell Us About 2016? Europe, Islam, and the Middle East

The 2016 Elections: What Happens When New Money Converges with New Media Technology
 

NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth