Volume 1, Number 1 (Spring 2003)

Editorial Board:

Editor-in-chief: Michael Hood
Associate editors and staff: Tim Gernand; Ken Howell, Ph.D. Candidate TAMU; Hanna Muldowney; Crystal Klopsteck; Andy Prihoda; Cassie Patterson; Jessica Peters; Johnny Havens
Webmaster: Adam Mikeal
Faculty advisor: Dr. Anthony N. Stranges

Articles

The Stem Cell Divide: Stem Cells in American Politics
by Logan Boatman
When Dolly bounded into the public light in 1997, she became, besides an instant celebrity, the reification of a long and increasingly complex discussion involving science, technology, religion, and politics. Dolly made public the culmination of what genomicists had been striving towards for years. In fact, Ian Wilmut, co-developer of Dolly with Keith Campbell, notes that Megan and Morag, developed in 1995, should receive more importance because they "were the ones who first showed that cloning from cultured cells is possible." Why then does the public know of Dolly and not Megan or Morag? Dolly's importance comes from the fact that she was the first animal cloned from the DNA of a living adult. It did not require much effort to fancy that scientists, given time and money, could apply the same process to humans... (more)

"The Soldier's Friend": The Seventeenth Earl of Derby and the British Army During the First World War
by J. P. Duhon
Edward George Villiers Stanley, Seventeenth Earl of Derby (1865 - 1948), throughout his long life had two great passions: the turf and the army. He was well-known, indeed famous, for his fine stable and racing successes. While he devoted a great deal of time and money to horses, it was not on the racetrack that he made his lasting mark; it was his relationship with the army as an institution and with soldiers of all ranks, from field marshals to privates, that earned Derby notoriety with the government, with all segments of British society, and the sobriquet "the soldier's friend"... (more)

Stephen F. Austin's Contradictions
by Hanna Muldowney
As the Texas Revolution drew near, both Mexicans and Texans created excuses and scapegoats for the actions of fellow citizens. Stephen F. Austin, a seemingly respectable empresario of Texas, behaved no differently. In an address Austin gave at a dinner party in his honor in 1835, he gives his support of independence from Mexico and suggests peaceful means necessary to accomplish this. Many of Austin's comments in his address are contrary to his values in previous years and raise some interesting questions. His inconsistencies, however, are not without justification on his behalf... (more)

Scientific Racism: The Justification of Slavery and Segregated Education in America
by Amanda Thompson
Society has long idealized science as an indisputable vehicle of objective truth. This image has given scientists significant power, including the power to shape public opinion and even to affect the formulation of public policy. Throughout history, it cannot be said that science determines politics or that politics determined science, but often the two have been intertwined (Barkan, 5). But wherever there is power, there is a possibility to abuse that power to pursue self interest. While scientists are expected to avoid bias, racist scientists have exploited the opportunity, by seeking to use erroneous data to produce results favorable to their social agenda. It is this intentional adulteration of science that racists have used in the last few centuries to dissemble their studies of racial inferiority as fact... (more)

Book Reviews

A Critique: Wide as the Waters by Benson Bobrick
by Tim Gernand
Modern democracy did not evolve by chance. It was the culmination of millennia of political developments, social agitation, and great thinkers. The message of Jesus Christ, arguably the most influential person in history, and his disciples progressed from a loose collection of sayings and letters into the biblical canon which we know of today. This Bible influenced the privileged for centuries, but its full effect was not seen until its translation into the vernacular of several different languages. Benson Bobrick argues convincingly in his book Wide as the Waters that it was the English translation, specifically the King James Version, which was instrumental in the formation of today's modern democracy... (more)

Notes on Contributors

Logan Boatman is a senior History major at Texas A&M University. He can be emailed at loganboatman@tamu.edu.

Tim Gernand is a junior history major at Texas A&M. His specialty is military history; however, this article was written for an English history class that he thoroughly enjoyed. He may be reached by e-mail at timg05@tamu.edu.

Hanna Muldowney is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History. She is currently in graduate school at Texas A&M to get her teacher certification and Master of Education.

Amanda Thompson graduated in May of 2003 with a B.S. in industrial engineering.

Notes

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These were the PAT officers for the 2003-2004 school year:

President: Michael Hood
Vice-president: Tim Gernand
Secretary: Hanna Muldowney
Treasurer: Tim Gernand
Historian: Crystal Klopsteck
Webmaster: Adam Mikeal
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Anthony N. Stranges