Historians on campus and across the country have high praise for Professor of History Stephen Morillo's new book, Frameworks of World History.
Professor Rick Warner is proud of his colleague's achievement and announced he'd be using Morillo's textbook for his own world history classes.
Morillo thanks well-wishers and the students present who 'represent 23 years of Wabash students who have seriously contributed to the development of this book.'
Professor Lynne Miles-Morillo and Professor Peter Mikek enjoy Morillo's remarks.
Morillo invites guests to consume 'this world of cultural history and hierarchy and networks.'
President Greg Hess enjoys the reception.
A page from Frameworks of World History using triangles to show hierarchies and lines to show networks…
…and hierarchies and networks represented in food!
Professor Morillo talks with Associate Dean of Students Will Oprisko
Dean Oprisko reads the book.
Professor Rick Warner talks with President Hess.
Professor Lynne Miles-Morillo talks with Professor Emeritus of Classics Leslie Day.
Associate Professor of Chemistry Lon Porter
Associate Professor of Classics Jeremy Hartnett
Professor of Philosophy Glen Helman scans the book.
Professor Warner explains the idea of hierarchies and networks to President Hess.
Wabash History Professor Stephen Morillo is rarely at a loss for words, but the History Channel contributor and chair of the College’s social sciences division was speechless Thursday when his colleague Rick Warner announced his decision to switch textbooks next year—to Morillo’s new book, Frameworks of World History.
“This book is going to have a big impact because it is completely different than the other narratives in world history,” Warner told faculty, staff, and students packed into Rogge Lounge to celebrate the volume’s publication. “It will teach in a way that other books don’t, and it’s more proof that Wabash College offers quintessential liberal arts teaching in world history.”
Warner won’t be the only professor switching to Morillo’s text. The book frames the study of world history around a model that shows students how to do world history. Professors across the country are taking notice.
“Morillo is more than a professor or a scholar; he is a teacher-author,” writes Brigham Young University Professor Evan Ward. “He not only uses a tight methodology and model for examining world civilizations, but offers students a running lesson in historical method.”
"Frameworks is impressive,” writes University of West Georgia Professor Nadejda Popov. “The author's dedication to involve a global approach in every single chapter of the book is humbling—I honestly did not think that this could be done! I love that it is truly interdisciplinary and that each chapter is global in scope."
As part of the package, Oxford is also publishing in January 2014 Sources for Frameworks of World History, a new sourcebook co-authored by Lynne Miles-Morillo and Morillo, and the online Instructor Resource Manual for the textbook was also written by Miles-Morillo.
Morillo thanked students present at the reception as “representatives for 23 years of Wabash students who have seriously contributed to the development of this book by taking world history from me and making suggestions and thinking along with me about world history.”
He also thanked colleagues in the history department, particularly Warner and Professor Michelle Rhoades, noting how conversations over the years with both of them had shaped the text. He also reminded guests that Warner had just been chosen president-elect of the World History Association.
Warner, a former professional cook, prepared the food for the reception, shaping it as triangles and connecting each plate with string to represent the hierarchies and networks Morillo describes in his book.
Morillo also thanked his wife, Professor Lynne Miles-Morillo, who chose more than half the photographs in the book, co-authored the sourcebook, and created the online instructor resource manual.
“I no longer refer to this as my book, but as our book, because she has been there in every step and the finished product reflects a lot of her influence,” Morillo said. “I can tell you I tell you that I’ve been teaching world history for 25 years and I’m teaching it differently this year because of that online resource manual—it’s a real good one.”
Concluding his remarks, Morillo turned to the table of food Warner had prepared in his honor and announced that “this world of cultural history and hierarchy and networks is ready to be consumed.”
Frameworks of World History is published by the Oxford University Press.