The Department of History's Summer Institutes bring to life the history that you study in the classroom. Through the Institutes you can examine a theme or time period in depth and visit the scenes of pivotal historical events, Civil War battlefields, Ellis Island, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To learn more about these summer programs, and for information about registering, contact the Department of History. loye@american.edu.

Civil War Summer Institute 2001
The Civil War is the single most significant event in American history and no community contains as many remnants and remembrances of the crisis as our nation's capital. Participants in the institute will explore the causes and consequences of the conflict through examining the mission of many of the era's most salient personalities as in Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Frederick Douglass and others.

The Ethnic Experience in New York City
(NOT OFFERED SUMMER 2001)
The United States is a nation of immigrants. Whether they came of their own will or were packed into slave ships, immigrants have shaped American society and culture. Through lectures and walking tours in NYC, institutes participants will explore the urban ethnic experience of European newcomers on Manhattan's Lower East Side, African-Americans in Harlem, and Latinos in Spanish Harlem.

The Nuclear Studies Institute
Recent events in India, Pakistan, North Korea, Iraq, the U.S., and the former Soviet Union remind Americans that, although the Cold War has ended, the threat posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction continues. The institute offers Americans the opportunity to study nuclear history and culture with students form Japan, the Marshall Islands, and other nations on a study abroad trip to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kyoto, Japan. Courses are also offered on the campus of American University. By exploring the history of nuclear weapons policy and the myriad ways people have dealt with and understood the threat of devastation, participants are prepared to take leadership roles in building a more just and peaceful post-Cold War world.

Students in history have opportunities for paid and voluntary internships and summer or part-time employment with local organizations such as the National Park Service, National Archives, Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Students regularly work in the Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, District of Columbia Historical Society, Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Smithsonian Institution. Such activities enrich the educational experience and may develop into career positions.

Information on specific internship opportunities can be obtained through your academic advisor in the Department of History. Your internship will be carefully monitored to provide both practical experience and academic content.

Photo: Eleanor Roosevelt visits with female students on campus during World War II in Feb, 1945.