Updated 8 Dec. 2016





Bayeux Tapestry: Battle of Hastings, Death of King Harold

From Michigan Today (June 1996):

"Undergraduates are not the only members of the U-M's academic community who take advantage of small groups to bounce ideas off one another. History Professor Emeritus John Shy created the Military Studies Group [now, Michigan War Studies Group] in 1969 as an outlet for graduate students studying military history to keep in touch with him throughout the year. The Department of History's U-M History Newsletter (1995) called the Group 'probably the oldest floating (i.e. unfunded) seminar' in the department.... After three decades of 'interdepartmental, interuniversity, multicultural, irreverent, disorganized and free-floating discussions,' ... the group has evolved into an informal seminar every Friday afternoon for about twenty professors, graduate and undergraduate students, and staff. Sessions often begin with one of the members reading a research paper, book chapter or dissertation on which [he or she is] working. Then comes the feedback."


Today, the Michigan War Studies Group continues to provide, as one longtime member puts it, "the seminar I never had" during the Fall and Winter semesters. The sessions often feature presentations by regulars, visiting associate members, and graduate students, as well as others invited to speak because of particular experiences and expertise. The present regular membership is comprised mainly of current and emeritus faculty at the University of Michigan, where the meetings take place, Eastern Michigan University, Wayne State University, Washtenaw Community College, Henry Ford Community College, and other local institutions. Associate members work mostly in academic, governmental, and military positions around the U.S. and abroad.

The Group also publishes the Michigan War Studies Review.