Laudations
Laudations
HISTORY
Dr. Karen Dunak, with Dr. Camilla Townsend, participated in a webinar entitled “Making History Matter: Engaging Students in the Story of American Democracy,” hosted by Oxford University Press on April 10, 2026.
Dr. Dunak contributed to the sixth edition of the co-authored textbook Of the People: A History of the United States, Volume II, 1865 to the Present (Sixth edition; New York: Oxford University Press, 2026).
Dr. Dunak gave two presentations presented by the National First Ladies Library: “A Widow’s Work” (Invited Talk, Third Thursday, National First Ladies Library and Museum, Canton, Ohio, November 2025) and “From Grief to Grace—Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reclaims Her Story” (Invited Talk, Legacy Lecture, National First Ladies Library and Museum, Virtual Presentation, December 2025)
Dr. Dunak was interviewed for the podcast Explain It to Me for an episode entitled "How Weddings Got (Even More) Expensive," which aired May 3, 2026.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Dr. Richard Arnold continued his work on Russia's emerging paramilitary and civil-defense organization known as the Cossacks with an article published by the German think-tank the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS). The article deals with the Russian occupying forces' use of the Cossack image- popular as an icon of Ukrainian nationalism, but also an identity movement in Russia- and how it is entrenching Russian rule.
Dr. Arnold writes frequently on developments in the Cossack movement for the Jamestown Foundation, including an article on Cossack Resilience in Face of Ukrainian Gains - Jamestown. He is working on a book on Russia's contemporary Cossack movement and was in Latvia in May as part of a Canadian research project to find best practices in civil-defense organizations.
In Dr. Arnold's article, Kremlin Rhetoric Hints at Escalation, he examines signs that Russia may be preparing to escalate its war against Ukraine, including a shift in Kremlin rhetoric and efforts to expand its military reserves. It highlights the growing role of Cossack organizations while acknowledging that Russia’s next steps remain uncertain.
And in the article, Potential for Russia Escalating War Continues, Dr. Arnold examines the possibility of further Russian escalation after the September Duma elections, including a new mobilization or expanded hybrid operations in Europe. It points to recent incidents in Germany and Poland while emphasizing that the form any escalation might take remains uncertain.
