History and American Studies

Summer Internship (Paid) — Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative

February 14, 2020 by Susan Fernsebner

Application Deadline: March 15, 2020 or when 350 applications are received (please see details below)

This summer, be a part of a transformational experience that goes beyond just another internship. Through hands-on activities and original research, you will contribute to a national effort to share a diversity of women’s voices from the past and present. You will learn to use unique tools for civic engagement and representation in museum and other community spaces. You will develop familiarity and experience with museum practice and American women’s history.

Who? Undergraduate and recent graduates with a commitment to women’s history

What? Eight-week long cohort internship experience, with paid group housing, reimbursable travel to and from Washington D.C., and a weekly $382.50 stipend. The total value of this internship, including the weekly stipend and the paid group housing, is $6300 (not including travel reimbursement).

Where? Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.

When? June 14 – August 8, 2020

Why? Opportunity to explore various career paths, networks, leadership and mentorship experiences, and build practical professional skills.

Application deadline: Be advised that this application will close on will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time or (B) The date that 350 applications are received; whichever occurs first. If the announcement closes on the date that 350 applications are received, all applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time that day will be given consideration, including those in excess of 350.

See this link for full info and application instructions: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/02/paid-summer-internship-application-now-open

Talk: “Mexican Muralism Abroad” – Davida Fernandez-Barkan (2/20)

February 6, 2020 by Susan Fernsebner

Mexican Muralism Abroad:

The Diplomacy of Arte Popular, 1920–1940

Davida Fernandez-Barkan

PhD Candidate Harvard University

Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Thursday February 20

Melchers 207

5pm

For more information contact Dr. Allyson Poska aposka@umw.edu

Image:Alfonso Xavier Peña, Rural Education, 1937. Oil on Canvas. Embassy of Mexico in France, Paris

Notes and Updates – Paige Hildebrand (’19) Receives Outstanding Leader Award

February 3, 2020 by Susan Fernsebner

A celebratory note from last spring, as we look ahead to another graduation season. History major Paige Hildebrand received the 2019 Prince Woodard Outstanding Leader Award. This award is given to a graduating senior who has made a substantial impact on campus and beyond, while exemplifying honor, leadership, and service.

A critical member of the Students Helping Honduras Executive Board, Hildebrand served as treasurer for the organization. She was noted for reorganizing all the club’s funds and also planning the For the Kids 5K event.

Hildebrand also completed her senior thesis, “The Empress Matilda: Sex, Gender, and Leadership in Twelfth Century England,” in fall 2019 with Dr. Bruce O’Brien.

Original award image and story from UMW News (4/19/2019).

George C. Marshall International Center Internships

January 4, 2020 by Susan Fernsebner

The George C. Marshall International Center, a non-profit historic house museum in Leesburg, VA, is seeking student interns for summer 2020.

A Museum Collections Intern and an Education Intern position are both offered. For full internship descriptions, including required education and experience, start dates, and related duties, as well as application requirements and materials, see attached files below.

Collections Intern

Education Intern

Mount Vernon Historic Trades Summer Internship

January 4, 2020 by Susan Fernsebner

George Washington’s Mount Vernon is now accepting applications for its Historic Trades Summer Internship. This internship provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to become immersed in 18th-century history, agriculture, and industry. Deadline: Applications due by February 14, 2020

Eligibility: This program is open to undergraduate students who have completed at least one year of college as of May 31, 2020 and will not have graduated as of May 31, 2020.

Benefits: This is a paid internship, and interns receive reimbursement for travel expenses to and from Mount Vernon. The Historic Trades department generally takes interns on two field trips to historic sites in the region.

Requirements: Applicants must be able to –

Work the entire 10-week internship period of May 31 through August 8, 2020.
Greet and talk with numerous guests of all ages.
Work outdoors in hot and humid weather.
Perform rigorous physical activity, including demonstrating 18th-century farming methods, field work, and milling/distilling.
Work in a dusty environment.
Lift and carry 50 pounds.
Work with 18th-century tools and implements.
Conduct hands-on activities.

Application Site / More Information: See this link

Winter Celebration–And Best Wishes for Finals Week!

December 9, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

The Department enjoyed a Winter Celebration party with History and American Studies majors on Friday afternoon, after a great day of senior thesis presentations at our department’s research symposium.

Cheers to all who came to celebrate with snacks, games, and prizes, as well as good conversation. We’ll be celebrating again next spring, so stay tuned!

We’re on now to Finals Week. Stop by the the department hallway for coffee if you need a break between exams. We’ll have some brewing. Best of luck with finals, papers, and projects, and have a great winter break!

History and American Studies Symposium–December 6, 2019

November 25, 2019 by Susan Fernsebner

History and American Studies Symposium

University of Mary Washington – Friday, December 6, 2019
9:00 am – 1:00 pm

SESSION ONE. 9 AM. Monroe 210 – Writing, Texts, and History
Moderator: Dr. Krystyn Moon

Carolyn Stough. “Gender and Perspective in Eighteenth-Century Women’s Travel Writing”

Justin Curtis. “Performing Imperialism: Dime Novel Representations of Wild West Folk Heroes”

Kyle Moore. “Shanghai as a Representation of China in 1930s Chinese Fiction”

SESSION TWO. 9 AM. Monroe 111 – Infernos and Fevers in United States History
Moderator: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken

Connor Carmichael. “The Great Conflagration of 1871: A Social History of the Great Fire’s Aftermath in Chicago”

Nicole Stell. “Presidential Illnesses of the Twentieth Century and the Role of the White House Physician”

SESSION THREE. 10 AM. Monroe 210 – Selected Papers in American Studies and U.S. History
Moderator: Dr. Erin Devlin

Cassiel Haynes. “Migrant Labor through the Eyes of Braceros”

Courtlyn Plunkett. “Americanization at Hull House”

Rebecca A. Akers. “Dolley Madison: The Real First Lady”

SESSION FOUR. 10 AM. Monroe 111 – Military History and World War II
Moderator: Dr. Susan Fernsebner

Jack Hagn. “Early United States Military Aviation: How American Aviation Stalled Out”

Devin Wright. “Moral Courage: German Resistance against Hitler and the Nazis during World War II”

SESSION FIVE. 11 AM. Monroe 210 – Religious History: Of Mothers, Converts, and the Messiah
Moderator: Dr. Allyson Poska

Samantha Hampton. “Khadija: The Mother of the Believers”

Jacob Spencer. “Conversos and the Spanish Inquisition”

Alec Cameron. “Sabbatai Sevi: Kabbalah and the Messiah”

SESSION SIX. 11 AM. Monroe 111 – New Perspectives in American Studies
Moderator: Dr. Steven Harris

Ellora Larsen. “‘Only a Footnote in History’: Native Americans in Decline of the Western and the Rise of Red Power, 1950-1970”

Ginny Bixby. “The Complicated Legacy of a Segregationist: The Renaming of Mills E. Godwin Middle School”

Sherronda Robinson. African American Involvement in the ‘Just Say No’ Campaign.

SESSION SEVEN. 1 PM. MONROE 210 – Environment and U.S. History
Moderator: Dr. Porter Blakemore

Cole Hogan. “History of the Rappahannock River”

William Roszell. “Urbanna Oyster Festival: A History of Celebration through the Festival”

Nick Skibinski. “Secessions in Succession: Contrasting South Carolina and Virginia in the Secession Crisis”

SESSION EIGHT. 1 PM. MONORE 111 – Famine, War, and Labor
Moderator: Dr. Nabil Al-Tikriti

Erica Piper. “Ukranian Resentment: The Famine of 1932-33 Recounted by Ukranian Peasants” [S. Harris]

Timothy Shinkle. “Soviet-Afghan War: Understanding the Complexity Surrounding the War through the Soviet Perspective”

Will Everett. “A Long and Bitter Fight: The Interplay of Socialism, Organized Labor, and Nationalism during the Irish Revolution, 1912-1923”