Public Session Thursday, March 22

(COLUMBIA, Tenn., March 20, 2012) - - - So what would we be talking about now if people were busy blogging during the Civil War or the War of 1812 or even World War I? On March 22 at 6 p.m. in Room 140 of the Waymon L. Hickman Building at Columbia State Community College, Civil War re-enactor Steve Hamrick and history professor, James Senefeld, Ph.D., will explore the value of the blog to re-animate the events of the past.

Senefeld and Hamrick, who lives in Hopkinsville, Ky., are active writers for blogs on the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Both have submitted blogs for a soon-to-launch site focusing on World War I. The sites (www.19thcenturynow.com; www.thecivilwarnow.com; and www.thegreatwarnow.com) provide readers with carefully researched creatively written discussions that produce history through original source material.

"History comes alive with this style of investigation. We create identities for ourselves as journalists of the eras and through technology and research are able to make the past contemporary," said Senefeld.

The work that Senefeld and Hamrick share in the blogs describe three significant wars that all have anniversary dates of 200, 150 and 100 years ago. The articles examine what happened on the anniversary dates of these three wars.

The upcoming public session will discuss a variety of topics related to the research, writing and publishing of blogs. Hosted in Socratic Discussion format, the audience will be invited to participate in the discussions.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

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