Native American Cultural Celebration events

Native American Cultural Celebration 2018

Indigenous Peoples: An Ongoing Tradition

For the past few centuries, indigenous people and their traditions have been inaccurately depicted due to numerous stereotypes permeating throughout history. In recent years, they have fought to showcase the diversity of indigenous cultures from the Americas. As their traditions continue to extend to new generations, they are enhancing the definition of what it means to be an indigenous person. Join the Native American Student Association and the James Farmer Multicultural Center for educational presentations and entertaining cultural performances.

Internship Diary: Claire Goode (2017)

This semester (Fall 2017), I interned with the The Papers of James Monroe, creating an online exhibit for James Monroe’s 1818 tour of the Chesapeake. Having taken the class “The World of James Monroe” offered by the UMW History Department a couple years ago, I had a fairly thorough grounding in the history surrounding Monroe’s presidency. During Monroe’s first term in office, beginning in 1817, he undertook a series of tours to scope out new sites for military fortifications and strengthen America’s system of defense in the wake of the War of 1812. These tours, originally designed for the sole purpose of assessing military potential, took on another role as citizens desired to meet the president, exhibit their patriotism, and celebrate the potential of their cities. With this in mind, I began researching the shortest of his tours, which lasted a little under three weeks, and encompassed the Chesapeake Bay area.

Claire at the Roman Forum

Claire at the Roman Forum

For this research, I used transcriptions of primary sources collected in the James Monroe Papers. From these documents, including letters, memoirs, diary entries, and newspaper articles, I had to recreate a spotty timeline of events. Having determined Monroe’s exact agenda as nearly as possible, I began searching for pictures that were relevant to the information I had gathered. I found this one of the more difficult processes. I spent almost a month tracking down images that could be in anyway related to the topics, people, or places I was discussing. While I often found this process very frustrating, I profited massively from the help and instruction of my supervisors. Some of the things I learned included the acceptability of substituting the image you want to find for the image you can get, especially when the former isn’t forthcoming, and the necessity of using digitized local archives. I was able to use my general knowledge of a subject or place, as well as my researching capabilities, to my advantage. While this process was the most foreign to me, it was also the most exciting, especially when I finally found the exact image I wanted.

When I had completed my search for images, I began crafting my tour. This was another aspect I found difficult. As a history major, I am used to using sources and facts to support and explain my projects or papers. But in creating an exhibit, I had to be very aware of what images I could use to craft an acceptable narrative. It was very difficult for me to adjust to this style where every statement doesn’t have to be justified and every subject researched doesn’t have to be included. When I finished crafting the text, pairing relevant images with significant points, I used TimelineJS to display the exhibit. While the system is difficult to adapt to specific needs, it fit my project well and I found it easy to figure out after an initial explanation. Overall, this process has been incredibly informative, allowing me to expand my knowledge of both digital history and museum studies. I’ve enjoyed learning a new set of skills, and adapting my capabilities to a new way of presenting history.

Fall Job and Internship Fair, and Health and Law Professions Graduate School Fair

UMW’s Center for Career and Professional Development will be hosting several events in the next few weeks. Students looking for internships and full-time jobs will find a wide range of employers and graduate schools at these events.

Job & Internship Fair

Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

University Center, Chandler Ballroom

Fair Information and Registration: https://adobe.ly/2yz4ruF

Promotional Video: https://adobe.ly/2yTIxDv

 

Health & Law Professions Graduate School Fair

Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

University Center, Chandler Ballroom

Fair Information and Fair Registration:  https://adobe.ly/2yy0RRl

Promotional Video: https://adobe.ly/2l2nmsO

 

Prepare for the Fair Student Resources:

History lecture series at the public library

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library is hosting several lecture series this fall that may be of interest to History and American Studies majors. Click on the fliers below for more information on “World War I and America,” or Reconstruction in “Remember in November.”

*Please note that several of these events have passed, and not all will be held at the downtown branch. See http://www.librarypoint.org/classes_events for location information.

reconstruction-screenshot wwi-screenshot

Internship Diary: Kelsey Brey (’17)

During the spring 2017 semester, I interned at the Fredericksburg Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. Over the course of the semester, I worked hands-on with several attorneys helping them to prepare for high-profile cases in the City of Fredericksburg. I used analytical and research skills that I learned over my history career at UMW to write jury instructions, research jurors, draft plea agreements, and more. I was given the opportunity to sit in on attorney meetings, disbreycuss ideas for how to move forward with certain cases, and communicate with witnesses and victims. The skills and experiences I gained from this internship and UMW have guided me into pursuing a career in law.

In fall 2017, I will be attending Elon Law School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Working closely with the attorneys has solidified my desire to pursue criminal prosecution. Criminal prosecution isn’t strictly about “putting the bad guys away”; it is about giving justice to the people that don’t have a voice – the victims who rely on the police officers, sheriffs, and the Commonwealth Attorney to do what is right by the community it defends. On the other side, defense attorneys don’t just “defend the bad guys”; they are integral in providing a face to the crime. Over the course of my internship, I learned two important lessons. The first is that the defendants are people and have a story. They aren’t just case numbers and it is important to remember that. Second, I was speaking with one of the attorneys and he told me what his law school professor told him. “At the end of the day, no one is a winner. The victims carry the crime with them the rest of their lives and have to suffer through the emotional, mental, and sometimes physical harm forever. The defendants don’t win either. They may have to endure prison sentences and their families are effected by the crimes they committed.” There is no winner in the law and I am grateful to have had this experience to see this firsthand.

Volunteer at George Washington’s Ferry Farm

George Washington’s Ferry Farm is always looking for volunteers (and sometimes interns), but at the moment is especially interested in finding help for its 4th of July events. If you’re interested, please contact Susan Sherman, Sherman@gwffoundation.org or 540.370.0732 ext. 22. Click to get the Ferry Farm volunteer flyer

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Upcoming career event: Mon., April 11, 3-4pm

 Come meet Zac Cunningham,

Manager of Educational Programs

The George Washington Foundation

Monday, April 11 from 3-4 p.m.

Monroe 210

 

Zac will be discussing his path to museum education and his experiences as an educator and public historian at Ferry Farm

Questions? Contact Jason Sellers, jseller4@umw.edu