HTY 394: Topics in History (3 credits)

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL COURSE

Travel dates: March 14-21, 2025

This spring break travel course will expose students to the complicated past (and present) of the Deep South, from the era of slavery to the modern era of mass incarceration.  Students will travel from Portland, Maine, to Atlanta, Georgia; and then to Montgomery, Tuskegee, Selma, and Birmingham, Alabama; before returning to Atlanta to travel home to Portland.  While in Georgia and Alabama, students will visit a variety of historical sites, monuments, and museums, including:  The King Center and the Center for Human and Civil Rights in Atlanta, as well as Stone Mountain Park in Georgia; The Legacy Museum and Memorial (to lynching victims), the Rosa Parks Museum, the first Confederate White House, the Freedom Rides Museum, the Alabama State Capitol, and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery; the Lowdnes County National Park Interpretive Center, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the Voting Rights Museum in Selma; the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, as well as a walking tour of the downtown in Birmingham (including Ingram Park, and the 16th Street Baptist Church).

This hands-on, site based travel course will take students through the living history and memory of slavery, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and modern day mass incarceration.  Students will be expected to read course texts, engage with films, and meet with course faculty and guest speakers both before departure and during the trip itself.  While on the trip, students will keep a reflective journal and write up site visits reports. A larger paper/project will be due two weeks after returning to Maine.

Faculty

Professor Leroy Rowe is an Associate Professor of African American History and Politics at USM where he teaches courses on the Civil Rights Movement, Mass Incarceration, and African American History.

Professor Libby Bischof is a Professor of History and Executive Director of the Osher Map Library at USM.  As a public historian, she is very interested in intersections of history and memory and site based work with students.

Tuition and Fees

The approximate program fee is estimated to be between $2,325-$2,450, not including tuition. The cost of tuition and fees at the in-state rate are in addition to the program fee. All participants on USM travel programs receive the in-state tuition rate regardless of residency.

The program fee includes: accommodation, airfare, ground transportation, some breakfasts and dinners, academic site visits and entrance fees

Not included in the program fee: cost of tuition, fees, books, academic supplies, some meals, and other personal expenses.

Application

The application deadline is January 21, 2025. (Though the earlier you apply, the better, in case the course reaches capacity!) Students should have completed a minimum of 30 credits and have a minimum 2.5 GPA.

A complete application includes all of the following:

  1. Submit the program application form
    • We recommend looking over the application before completing it so you have all parts ready, as unfortunately you cannot save as you go.
  2. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or academic advisor
  3. Copy of academic transcript
    • Information regarding requesting a transcript can be found here (It’s probably easiest to either follow the steps for “Electronic Delivery” or “Unofficial Transcript via Classic MaineStreet” and either way, send to Kimberly Sinclair (ksinc@maine.edu)

Once the application committee has reviewed applications, you will be notified of acceptance via email. At that time, all students accepted to the program will be asked to submit a $500 nonrefundable deposit and will be enrolled in the course in MaineStreet by Kaoru Phillips in the Office of International Programs.