Seminars & Events
September 23rd, 4-6 pm
Alumni Lodge
Tour Spotlight
A Greece Study Tour will take place May 14 to June 12, 2008 with Professors Linda Hall and Michael Taber.
SMP Spotlight
Bridget McVae, "Lost but not Forgotten: An Analysis of Shipwrecks in the Chesapeake Bay," 2006.
Bridget built on her work for the Maryland Archives and wrote not only a 60-page descriptive paper but compiled a 750 page database. She is in graduate school studying maritime archaeology.
History Study Abroad Programs
D-Day Tour (Christine Adams, Charles Holden, GAil Savage)
From 27 May-5 June 2008, history professors Christine Adams, Charles Holden, and Gail Savage will lead an exciting and informative tour for alumni (and friends) of key sites from the allied invasion of Normandy in June, 1944. The tour will include locations in London and Portsmouth, England, as well as the beaches on France's Normandy coast.
Peru Study Tour (Adriana Brodsky, Cristin Cash)
Every other summer, a team of teachers travels with a group of students to Peru and Bolivia to explore the ancient culture of the Incan civilization and learn how the Incans impact the region today. Students have the opportunity to earn 4-credit hours towards either the history, Spanish, or art majors. Excursions include a brief homestay with a Peruvian family, a trip to the famed Lake Titicaca, and treks to historic Inca sites.
Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Oxford
The College offers students the opportunity to study abroad in Oxford, England, for a summer, semester, or academic year. Students enroll in two private tutorials, taught by Oxford professors, one seminar class, and one sightseeing tour. Students will have the opportunity to experience Oxford from the eyes of some of its most famous graduates, studying in Boyden Library and frequenting nearby pubs as did JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The Centre primarily focuses on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in England, and also offers tutorial courses in archaeology, art history, studio art, history, languages, literature, law, philosophy, theology, women's studies, and writing.
Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Greece Study Tour (Linda Hall, Micheal Taber)
Every other summer, students have the opportunity to travel to Greece to explore one of the most fascinating civilizations in antiquity. Students will have the opportunity to explore museums, ancient ruins, and to see the land that inspired the birthplace of philosophy, Homer, and the Greek language.
Spring Break Trip to St. Petersburg
HIST 362/ENGL 380, St. Petersburg: History, Myth, and Memory (Tom Barrett)
Taught every other spring.
As the Russian poet Aleksandr Kushner has written, all cities have their own mythology, but St. Petersburg's has been created not by folklore, but by literature "before our very eyes." The goal of this class is to plumb the depths of the history, and especially cultural history, which has made St. Petersburg one of the most enigmatic, celebrated, lamented, and mythologized cities in the world.
St. Petersburg has been the locus of much of Russian cultural, social, economic, and political change over the last three centuries. Russia's ambivalent westernization; the golden and silver ages of Russian literature; revolutionary movements; the February and October revolutions; totalitarianism; World War II; cultural resistance in a Communist state -- all of these vital topics of history and culture are arguably best studied from the perspective of St. Petersburg.
The myths of St. Petersburg derive from such events, but also transcend historical period. Historian Orlando Figes has identified four main myths of St. Petersburg, all of which we explore: the unreal city of fantasies and ghosts; the city of apocalyptic portent; the city of universal beauty and classical design that reflects the lasting achievements of humanity; and the city of spiritual endurance.
The highlight of the class is an 11-day trip to St. Petersburg during spring break in March.
For other St. Mary's study abroad programs of interst to history majors see the Office of International Education webpage
