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.

Civil War Summer Institute
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 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.

To learn more about these summer programs, and for information about registering, contact the Department of History. history@american.edu.

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