UROP Project
The Civil War Movie and the Shaping of Historical Memory
Civil War, Motion Picture, Memory and History
Research Mentor: Prof. G. Kurt Piehler, Prof.
Department, College, Affiliation: History, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: kpiehler@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Lt. Colonel Joel Barnes
Faculty Collaborators Email: Joel.Barnes@afacademy.af.edu
Department, College, Affiliation: History, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: kpiehler@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Lt. Colonel Joel Barnes
Faculty Collaborators Email: Joel.Barnes@afacademy.af.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: History, but open open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-8 hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: History, but open open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-8 hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
This project led by Joel Barnes (Lt. Colonel, USAF) of the Department of History, U.S. Air Force Academy will examine the making and impact on popular culture of Hollywood motions pictures depicting the American Civil War. It will consider how historians shape Hollywood’s conceptions of the Civil War and in turn how they are influenced by celluloid depictions. G. Kurt Piehler of the History Department at FSU and former visiting professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy (2024-25) will be co-investigator for this project.Research Tasks: Drawing on the resources of the FSU libraries, research assistants will collect from printed and digital primary sources documents and images related to the Civil War motion pictures with an emphasis on material since 2000. They will also develop a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources related to the battle (including visual sources).
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Ability to write effectively and think critically about evidence are absolutely essential to this role. Experience working with archival sources is plus. A willingness to learn how to read and transcribe cursive documents is important. All majors are welcome, including history majors.
Mentoring Philosophy
The ideal research assistant is able to take broad direction and work independently. During the semester, research assistants will meet with Dr. Piehler in-person weekly and virtually with Lt,Col. Barnes bi-weekly. Both will offer guidance of how to conduct primary source research and oversee their research. These meeting will also offer assistants insights of how historians make sense of a range of primary sources to write history. As a mentor, Dr. Piehler envisions a research assistantship as laying the groundwork for future internship and graduate school and/or employment. Dr. Piehler’s past research assistants have gone on to secure internships at the Smithsonian Institution, the Grove Museum, and the Florida state government. As an active-duty air force officer, Barnes brings to his scholarship the insights gained from serving in a war zone and engaging in ground combat. He can offer guidance to career paths in the U.S. Air Force, especially related to intelligence.T