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August, 2009:

Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program

Aug 20th, 2009
by kmoon.
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Applications are now being accepted for the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, a semester long program based in Mystic, Connecticut that looks at the world’s oceans.  Students explore beyond the classroom in an interdisciplinary, academically-rigorous fashion.  Our semester is packed with travel, learning about our own country as well as the global ocean and coastal environment.  We read Moby-Dick at Mystic Seaport, with a historic whaleship nearly identical to Melville’s Acushnet.  We read Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind beside the Mystic River estuary.  We read, among others: Hemingway, Dana, Kipling, Steinbeck, Twain, Chopin, Langston Hughes, and Sarah Orne Jewett.  We go to sea on a tall ship for more than a week out of sight of land.  We travel in vans along the coasts of central California, the Pacific Northwest, and southern Louisiana.  Our home is Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea, where students in addition to their four courses (Literature of the Sea, Maritime History, Marine Policy, and Oceanography or Marine Ecology), also take a skills course, such as blacksmithing, small boat sailing, or sea music.

As a Williams College program, students receive a Williams transcript and our curriculum is approved by and is consistent with courses taught at Williams.

Applications for the spring 2010 are due by November 15; for fall 2010 by May 1, 2010.

For more information, go to http://www.williams.edu/williamsmystic/.

Fall Internships with the National Postal Museum

Aug 14th, 2009
by Susan F..
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Two internships are available this fall at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.  See below for details and application info…

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History 485 Fall Syllabus Now Available

Aug 11th, 2009
by Susan F..
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Our department’s syllabus for students enrolled in History 485 this coming fall 2009 is now available. See our “Course Sites” page here (listed above) for a link.

Remember, students enrolled in History 485 are required to attend a mandatory meeting on Monday, August 24th from 5-6 pm in ANXA 114 (the old bookstore trailer, now the location of several classrooms amidst the renovation of Monroe Hall.) If you have any questions, please contact Dr. McClurken.

Internship with Fredericksburg Registrar

Aug 3rd, 2009
by jmcclurken.
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FALL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

FREDERICKSBURG VOTER REGISTRAR

LOCAL HISTORY OF VOTING RIGHTS

OVERVIEW:

The Fredericksburg Voter Registrar seeks a volunteer intern for research of City’s history vis a vis voting rights from the Jim Crow era to present, which may serve as the basis for a “bailout” petition under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  The intern will research existing local histories, local official records, and conduct oral interviews of local residents.  The goal of the research is to be able to tell the story of voting rights in Fredericksburg.  What obstacles, if any, did the City raise to minority voting, and when and how were they overcome?

The intern will work under the direct supervision of Fredericksburg Voter Registrar Juanita Pitchford and City historian Erik Nelson.

HOURS PER WEEK:

The intern must be able to schedule at least ___ hours per week for ten weeks for this project.  The hours will be during regular business hours of the Voter Registrar, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Work during evening hours may also be necessary for the group or individual interviews.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The intern must have an interest in American 20th Century local history and civil rights.  The person must be have the knowledge, skills and ability to access paper records from storage rooms and storage boxes, to read the existing records and to record their content in an organized, clear, and coherent format.  The intern must be able to conduct individual and group interviews, to record the interviews, and to transcribe the recordings.  The intern must be able to report his or her findings in writing. The intern must be able to perform the work on-site at the Voter Registrar’s office and at City Hall in downtown Fredericksburg.

BENEFITS

The intern will gain invaluable insight into the voting rights history of a small Southern city and the legal requirements for a Voting Rights Act bail out.  The intern will be a participant in a public process for determining whether to file the bail out petition.

Contact Dr. McClurken if you have any questions.

Fredericksburg Area Museum Internship

Aug 3rd, 2009
by jmcclurken.
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Interested in an internship this fall working on the Civil War in Fredericksburg with a prominent local museum?  The Fredericksburg Area Museum is looking for a student researcher to work on materials related to the Civil War.  Contact Dr. McClurken or Sara Poore at the Fredericksburg Area Museum for more information.