Dr. Scott Giltner was featured in the podcast titled 鈥淏lack Codes, Segregation and the Ugly Legacy of White Supremacy and Jim Crow.” He discussed the immediate impact of the 13th Amendment and how Southern leaders attempted to maintain power and economic control. The discussion included the philosophy that formed the basis for white supremacy and how it was used to justify repression of the black population.

Giltner explained the origins of the term 鈥淛im Crow鈥� and offered examples of segregation laws and their impact on black citizens in the 1880s to the 1960s. He talked about early opposition to Jim Crow, including the Plessy v. Ferguson case that established the concept of 鈥渟eparate but equal,鈥� and its political impact in the form of the 鈥済randfather clause,鈥� poll taxes and literacy tests.

Dr. Patrick Hotle was featured in the podcast titled 鈥淚stanbul, Not Constantinople: History of the Byzantine Empire and the Ancient City of Constantinople.鈥� He discussed the history of the Byzantine Empire and the ancient city of Constantinople. He explained the division of the Roman Empire under Diocletian and establishment of the city of Constantinople by Constantine, then emphasized the geographic and economic importance of the location of the Byzantine capital.

Hotle emphasized the concept of 鈥淣ova Roma鈥� and the difference between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. He details the reign of Justinian, his territorial ambitions and the establishment of the Justinian Code. He tells of General Belisarius’s military conquests and his role in defeating the Nika Rebellion. The history of Empress Theodora and her importance to Justinian are the focus of the second half of the discussion. Hotle completes the conversation with a description of the Hagia Sophia, the rise of Islam in the region and the eventual fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Both hour-long podcasts can be found at聽.

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The topic of Hotle鈥檚 lecture is 鈥淭he American Civil War in a Global Context.鈥�

Hotle has taught at Culver-Stockton since 1993. Before coming to C-SC, he taught at American-Nicaraguan School in Managua, Nicaragua; Cairo American College in Ma鈥檃di, Cairo, Egypt; St. John鈥檚 International School in Waterloo, Belgium; University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England; and the American School of the Hague in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. He earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1992.

John A. Sperry Jr. was a distinguished professor of humanities throughout his 35-year career at Culver-Stockton. He was honored at the college’s 129th annual Founder’s Day Convocation and was the first recipient of the Fred Helsabeck Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1980. Sperry served with the U.S. Army in World War II. He graduated from three universities and also received several honorary degrees. Jean Sperry established the Sperry Chair and Lecture in 1992 to commemorate her husband’s time at Culver-Stockton.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The date of the establishment of the Sperry Chair and Lecture was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.