The History Department had a History Movie Night screening of “Bridge of Spies” in Jobe Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 6 to 9. “Bridge of Spies” was nominated for six academy awards this year.

“I chose ‘Bridge of Spies,’ a Cold War-era drama, because it was a recent, highly acclaimed film relevant to many history courses taught this semester including U.S. History from 1877 and the Contemporary World, 1945 to the Present,” Michelle Johansen, an adjunct instructor of History and Quality Enhancement Plan coordinator, said. “Also, with Delta State’s recent partnerships with universities in Russia and Poland, I thought students would be interested in learning about prior U.S.-Russian relations.”

“’Bridge of Spies’ was sponsored by Delta State University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which promotes intercultural competency and communication on campus,” Johansen added. “‘Bridge of Spies” was also sponsored by DSU’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. Special thanks also goes to Dr. James Robinson for all of his efforts to make Jobe Hall and Jobe Auditorium great venues for campus events.”

Johansen said History Movie Night has been a collaborative effort among the history faculty for many years and films have been shown each semester based on a particular theme.

Over 30 students showed up to watch the film and Johansen hopes that they learned more about the Cold War and discusses it with family and friends.

Johansen said that History Movie Night is a way to bring students and faculty together without lectures and grades. She said by showing movies, it allows for greater flexibility and many of these movies will not make it to the theater in Greenville, Miss. By showing these movies on campus, students get to watch them for free and enjoy pizza with their friends and professors to learn about history.

“’Bridge of Spies’ is an example of how students can learn about history in a way that’s entertaining and thought provoking,” Johansen said. “Not all of the movies chosen are strictly ‘historical.’ Some films like ‘The Candidate’ or ‘Bamboozled’ are meant to provoke discussions that may not come up in history classes.”

“Films have run the entire spectrum from comedies like ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou’ to documentaries like ‘Prom Night in Mississippi’ to the satirical ‘Dr. Strangelove’ or ‘How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,'” Johansen said.

One more History Movie Night will be held this semester in March or April. Johansen encourages students to be on the lookout for that and show up to enjoy a movie where you could learn something.