James I. Matray
Professor of History

U.S. Foreign Relations

History Department
Trinity Hall, Room 204
California State University, Chico
Chico, California, 95929-0735
Telephone: 530-898-6475 (office)
530-321-5872 (home)

e-mail: jmatray@csuchico.edu

                        
                         
     

 

            

International Columnist
2003-2004

Donga Ilbo (East Asia Daily)
Republic of Korea

      

 

February 2003 Column
May 2003 Column
August 2003 Column
November 2003 Column
February 2004 Column

            

alternate reality:
Emeritus Professor of History

History Department
Breland Hall, Room 239
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003
Telephone: 505-646-4601 (office)
505-522-2892 (home)


e-mail: jmatray@nmsu.edu

   
 


       
    The resemblance is UNCANNY,
though not as much gray, YET!
(Courtesy of the irreverent L. Douglas Nelson, M.A. 1999)
 

Institutions Attended:

Lake Forest College, B.A. 1970
University of Virginia, M.A. 1973
University of Virginia, Ph.D. 1977

Research Topics/Interests:

U.S. Foreign Relations
Recent U.S.-East Asian Relations
The Korean War
Modern Japan
All Chicago Professional Sports Teams (EXCEPT the Cubs)

Office Hours:

Monday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
and by appointment at any reasonable time

Course Schedule Fall 2008:.

History 130: United States History
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.
Click for Syllabus

History 490: Historical Research and Writing
Monday: 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Click for Syllabus

 
 
                             

Student Evaluation Comments (random sample from Chico State):

*Dr. Matray---

    • “made it an enjoyable class to attend with a friendly and comfortable learning environment.”
    • “made discussing fun and entertaining.”
    • “increased my writing ability tenfold.”
    • “is an amazing professor. This class has taught me a lifetime worth of understanding of U.S. diplomatic ties.”
    • “truly cares how we do in his course and goes the extra mile in making himself available.”
    • “doesn’t put a limit on the amount of progress one can make.”
    • “made me feel like my voice was worth being heard.”

*“I loved the feedback he gave on our assignments. Great teacher!”
*“The teacher is brilliant in getting his students to realize different realms of historical thought and strengthens the student’s view of the world.”
*“Very personable and approachable."
*“He definitely shows his care and concern for his students.”
*“Excellent learning experience.”
*“This class is phat!”
*“You can’t get any better than Matray.”

Student Evaluation Comments (random sample from NMSU):

*Matray is "funny, interesting, dramatic."
*"He has to be the BEST lecturer on this campus. I would probably pass up sex to come to his lecture. He is enthusiastic, dramatic, and very, very clear and organized."
*"Wonderful! Most knowledgeable professor I've ever had."
*"It's tough, but fair and worth it."
*"Dr. Matray is a fabulous discussion leader, and is always very prepared to lecture--intimidating as hell, but I think he may actually be a nice guy-you learn more in his classes than most others."
*Matray is "fast talking, crazy, wako, BUT informative."
*"He kind of gets rowdy, which grabs your attention."
*"One of the best yet hardest teachers I have ever had."
*"Very energetic. Cares about students."
*"Matray is a mean old ogre who comes out from under his bridge every morning to growl at students. But the man knows history and I am learning."
*"Matray is a professional historian of the highest standard. His lectures are concise and thought provoking. He leads the discussions with skill."
*"MATRAY RULES!!"
*"The best lecturer I've experienced. His classes by far are the most informative and thought provoking in the history department."
*"Easily the best instructor I've had here at NMSU. Very energetic, wise, knowledgable, and his personality rocks!"
*"Matray is the BEST lecturer I have ever had in 4 years of college."
*"We would be better off with more professors of your caliber. It is a rare thing when a professor can challenge a student to the point that he/she becomes not only captivated by the subject, but also gripped by the peripheral lessons that a subject like History implies."
*He is "everything a professor at this level should be but usually is not."
*"Dr. Matray kicks ass!"		    
 
                             

Published Material:

Books:

The Reluctant Crusade: American Foreign Policy in Korea, 1941-1950, University of Hawaii Press, 1985. Published in the Korean Language, Eul Yoo Press, 1989.

Historical Dictionary of the Korean War, Greenwood Press, 1991.

Korea and the Cold War: Division, Destruction, and Disarmament, Regina Books, 1993. Published in the Korean Language, Pyung Minsa Publishers, 1991.

Japan's Emergence as a Global Power, Greenwood Press, 2000.

East Asia and the United States: An Encyclopedia of Relations Since 1784, 2 Vols., Greenwood Press, 2002.

Korea Divided: The 38th Parallel and the Demilitarized Zone, Chelsea House, 2005.

Major Articles:

"Progress and Paralysis: The Korean Truce Talks, July 1951 to May 1952," in The Korean War at Fifty: International Perspectives, ed. Mark F. Wilkinson, Virginia Military Institute, 2004.
"Imperialist Invasion?: Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, and the U.S. Decision to Cross the Thirty-Eighth Parallel," in New England Journal of History, 60, 1-3 (Fall 2003-Spring 2004).
"The Korean War: A Historiographical Essay," in Companion to American Foreign Relations, ed. Robert D. Schulzinger, 2003.
Korea Revisited: Exposing Myths of the Forgotten War," Prologue, Summer 2002.
"Bunce and Jacobs: U.S. Military Advisors and Military Government in Korea, 1945-1947," in Korea Under the American Military Government, edited by Bonnie C. Oh, 2002.
"Dean Acheson's Press Club Speech Reexamined," Journal of Conflict Studies, Spring 2002.
"Good Day, Sunshine: Our Meeting with President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea," with William Stueck and Chen Jian, SHAFR Newsletter, XXXI, 3 (September 2000).
"Korea's Partition: Soviet-American Pursuit of Reunification, 1945-1948," Parameters, XXVIII, 1 (Spring 1998).
"Hodge Podge: U.S. Occupation Policy in Korea, 1945-1950," Korean Studies, XIX (1995).
"The Korean War," in Safeguarding the Republic: Essays and Documents in American Foreign Relations, 1890-1991, ed. Howard Jones, 1992.
"Spoils of War: The Korean War as an American Case Study," Prologue, XX, 1 (Spring 1990).
"Calculated Risk: The U.S. Commitment to Korea, 1941-1950," in A Reexamination of the Period of National Disruption Prior to and After the Korean War, ed. Kim Chull Baum, 1987. (Published in Korea)
"Korea: Test Case of Containment in Asia," in Child of Conflict: The Korean-American Relationship, 1945-1953, ed. Bruce Cumings, 1983.
"Captive of the Cold War: The Decision to Divide Korea at the 38th Parallel," Pacific Historical Review, L, 2 (May 1981).
"Truman's Plan for Victory: National Self-Determination and the Thirty-Eighth Parallel Decision in Korea," Journal of American History, LXVI, 2 (September 1979).
"An End to Indifference: America's Korean Policy During World War II," Diplomatic History, II, 2 (Spring 1978).

Works in Progress:

Korea: The Uncivil War,1945-1953, M.E. Sharpe, under contract.

The Price of Intervention: U.S. Foreign Policy in Korea, 1950-1953.		      

Teaching Fields:

United States History
Twentieth Century American History
United States Foreign Relations
United States Military History
History Research Methodology
Technology for Historians

Courses Taught:

Introduction to Early U.S. History (HIST 201G)
Introduction to Recent U.S. History (HIST 202G)
Technology for Historians (HIST 295)
Vietnam: America's Longest War (HONORS 392G)
Historians and History (HIST 398)
The Era of Roosevelt, 1920-1960 (HIST 406/506)
Recent United States, 1960-Present (HIST 407/507)
U.S. Foreign Relations to 1914 (HIST 421/521)
U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1914 (422/522)
The Korean War (HIST 424/524)
The Vietnam War (HIST 425/525)
Undergraduate Seminar, Interpreting History (HIST 490)
Graduate Reading Seminar, U.S. Foreign Relations (HIST 590)
Graduate Research Seminar, U.S. Foreign Relations (HIST 594)

              
                             

Honors and Awards:

Bautzer Faculty Advancement Award, CSU Chancellor's Office, 2002
Outstanding Teacher, Academic-Athletic Awards Banquet, 1994
Golden Key student society honorary membership for outstanding teaching, 1990
"Donald C. Roush Award for Teaching Excellence," 1988
"Best Reference Book Award," Library Journal, 1992
"Best Book Prize," Phi Alpha Theta, 1986
"Stuart L. Bernath Article Award, Co-Recipient, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, 1980

  

Recent Theses Directed:

Kathryn J. Brack, "Frankly, My Dear, I Do Give a Damn: U.S. Cultural Diplomacy and the French Film Industry, 1945-1950," New Mexico State University, 2002.
John C. Padilla, "Revolucion Aceptada: U.S. Relations With Bolivian Revolutionaries During the Eisenhower Era," New Mexico State University, 2002.
Randy H. Roberts, "Illusion of Independence: U.S. Foreign Policy in Cuba after the Platt Amendment, 1934-1958," 2002.
Stephen E. McCullough, "Black Was Beautiful: African-American Diplomats and Haiti, 1877-1891," 2001. Recipient of the Monroe L. Billington Outstanding Thesis Award, 2001-2002.
Sonja K. Anderson, "A Second Look: The Student Protest Movement and New Mexico State University," 2001. Recipient of the Monroe L. Billington Outstanding Thesis Award, 2000-2001.
Nelson Boyle, "Santuary: An Investigation of Religious Grassroots Social Movements in the 1980s," 2000.
Annessa Babic, "Homespun Glory: The American Flag, Civil Religion, and Social Politics," 2000.
Nasser Larkem, "Coercion for Cooperation: The Failure of Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy in Mexico, 1938-1942," 1999.
Justin L. Miller, "Isolationism and Internationalism: Theodore Roosevelt and the Gentlemen's Agreement, 1904-1908," 1998. Recipient of the Monroe L. Billington Outstanding Thesis Award, 1998-1999.
Shawn D. McAvoy, "Liberate Tuteme: The United States and Philo-Semitic Reorientation in Postwar Germany, 1944-1949," 1998.
Jeffrey C. Gardner, "Collision Course: Monetary Policy and Vietnam, 1958-1963," 1997.
                             

Favorite Quotations:

"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them."

Malcolm Forbes

"It's very difficult to be a hero and stay heroic. . . . Because at some point you always betray the image you want to have of yourself."

Ramin Jahanbegloo

"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity."

George Orwell

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

Albert Einstein

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"Doing the right thing is most important when it's most difficult."

Leonard Pitts Jr.

"Power blinds before it corrupts."

William Sloane Coffin

"Perfection is not what I espouse to be. I espouse to be me, and I espouse to be the best me I can be."

Mike Ditka

"True heroism . . . is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost."

Arthur Ashe

"I sat through many history classes and didn't learn anything."

Michael Eisner, Disney Corporation

"Facts are stubborn things."

Vladimir Lenin

"I am not intimidating. The truth is intimidating."

M. Karin Matray


"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke

"The Bible. That is what fools have written, what imbeciles command, what rogues teach, and young children are made to learn by heart."

Voltaire

"He who shows power does not deserve to have it."

Kishi Nobusuke

"I would rather be ashes than dust; I would rather my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled in dry rot."

Jack London

Click for Dr. Matray's vita