Seminars & Events
On Thursday, January 24th, 4:15-5:15, Information Session for Study Tour to Peru! Kent Hall 213.
On Monday, February 18, 4:45 pm, Natasha Zaretsky, Ph.D. from Rutgers University, will speak on the "Legacies of Repression: Testimony, Citizenship, and Survival in Jewish Buenos Aires." Location TBA.
See the History Department Calendar for more information!
SMP Spotlight
"My St. Mary's Project was truly the culminating experience for my undergraduate years. The process brought me full circle; I was able to take a piece of literature I had read in my very first semester and keep discussing and applying theory to it in my last. My SMP proved to me that I could sustain great ideas and discipline myself, even when I was discouraged. Working so closely with my SMP mentor, Christine Adams, was really valuable, offering a one-on-one environment that I had never had with my regular classes. I came away from my project knowing more about my topic than I thought I ever would -- and I still love it!"
History Study Abroad Programs
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 Bodleian 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 interest to history majors see the Office of International Education webpage
