Rhodes College Department of History

08/31/2026

Come cheer on the Lynx!

Rhodes Athletics is back! The Lynx will open their seasons at home throughout September. Wear your red and black, and bring your family and friends. Bring the noise and support the Lynx all season long!

08/31/2026

Join us November 13 - 14. Regardless of your class year, there’s a place for you at Homecoming/Reunion Weekend.
Registration is officially OPEN! We can’t wait to see you all back on campus. Whether it's your first time back in years or a weekend you never miss, register today and start counting down to your return to Rhodes!

08/31/2026

Thank you to Dr. Laura Kelly for leading a new series on issues in education that impact us all! The first class in this monthly series will explore state takeovers of local districts. It will meet on Thursday, September 24, 5:30-7:00. Join us in-person at Rhodes College or over Zoom. For additional details and registration, visit Rhodes.edu/meeman Feel free to message us with any questions.

08/24/2026

What happens when Memphis becomes the classroom? 🔎📚

This summer, 17 Rhodes students spent eight weeks exploring Memphis and the Mid-South through the Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies (RIRS).

With support from six faculty mentors, students conducted original research on topics ranging from immigrant activism and literacy to environmental policy and xAI—building skills and scholarship they’ll carry into senior capstones, graduate and law school, fellowships, and beyond.

This is community-engaged learning at Rhodes: learning from Memphis, with Memphis, and through Memphis. 💡

Read more about this summer’s RIRS fellows and their research at the link in our bio!

07/29/2026

Internship Opportunity! -- 7/31 APPLICATION DEADLINE

Labor South: Center for Working Class Studies

Young Workers Collective Apprenticeship
September 2026 - April 2027
Applications due July 31 - Fill out the registration form to apply today! https://www.givepulse.com/event/894817-Labor-South-Young-Workers-Collective-Apprenticeship

The Apprenticeship is for young workers, organizers, and students who want to be a part of building the labor movement in your community. Through this parttime, eight-month apprenticeship, young workers will partner with a local union or worker center in your community to:
- Build relationships with each other and movement elders so
that you can have a peer network and mentor support
- Understand how you can utilize organizing stories from the
past to strengthen current movements
- Gain organizing skills
- Learn about the network of organizations supporting workers

Groups of 2-3 apprentices will work together on one campaign in the same geographic area. Apprentice placements will be in Memphis, TN; Chester County, SC; and the NC Triangle. Apprentices will work with their partner union, federation or worker center to conduct:
- Oral Histories of workers, organizers, and elders in their
community
- Direct action organizing, such as planning a public march,
rally, or other public action
- Language Justice organizing, integrating the strength and
leadership of immigrants and other nondominant language
users into local campaigns
- Participatory Action Research projects such as community
assessments

Apprentices will work approximately 20 hours per month for eight months and will receive a total stipend of $5,000, as well as room and board at 2-3 overnight Action Schools. Apprentices will have a chance to support each other through a monthly virtual peer call and training. They will also receive one-on-one mentorship from Labor South staff, elders and other volunteers.

Note: The apprenticeship will begin with an overnight two-day Action School during Labor Day weekend. Apprentices will be joined by other young workers on the first two days of the training but will participate in an additional day focused on the apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship program is a competitive process. Once your application has been received and reviewed, finalists will be interviewed. Final selections will be made by August 7.

07/17/2026

Fun news to share from History alum Wells Kamerschen '25 - Starting about a month after graduation I started working at the Atlanta History Center on “More Perfect Union”, which is a new Civil War exhibit. I conducted research, wrote, and helped with installation, and it is finally about to open. I want to thank you because your classes definitely helped improve my writing, research, and historical analysis skills that I used when working on this project. I think you would find it interesting- it takes a deeper dive into slavery, reconstruction, and the experience of Black soldiers and refugees during the war than most exhibits.

It's great to hear from our alumni. Feel free to share with us what you're up to! [email protected]

07/15/2026

07/13/2026

Great article by Rhodes College History Major alum Brooks Lamb -