HTY 394: Topics in History (3 credits)

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL COURSE

Travel dates: March 14-21, 2026

Planned travel destinations include: Gettysburg, PA; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA and Harper’s Ferry WV

There is no doubt that the Civil War continues to loom large in the national imagination. From the vast array of scholarship on the time period to contemporary debates about whether and how the Confederacy should be commemorated, the Civil War continues to define the country. Four bloody years of civil war resulted in the emancipation of four million people, the (temporary) establishment of the nation’s first biracial democracy, the expansion of democracy and federal power, and the restructuring of Southern society. 

This course presents a unique, place-based opportunity to explore these themes, as well as the causes of the Civil War, the wartime experience of white and Black men and women, and the consequences and continued legacy of the war. We will travel to sites in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Virginia relevant to this history with experts in the fields of Civil War history, public history, and history education. Through direct engagement with a variety of historic sites, including roadside markers, national battlefields, cemeteries, and museums, participants will develop and deepen their understanding of the ways in which geography, history, and memory intersect. They will also strengthen their skills through firsthand experience learning how to analyze historical landscapes, contend with contradictory interpretations of the past, and examine how and why historical narratives change over time.

Faculty

Dr. Ashley Towle is an Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Her research and teaching focus on the Civil War era, with a focus on the transition from slavery to freedom in the South. Dr Towle attended Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and lived in the metro Washington, DC area while attending graduate school.

Dr. Adam Schmitt is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education. His research focuses on history education, specifically how teachers and students make sense of themselves and the past through their engagement with school curriculum and public sites of history. He also teaches classes related to the history of public schooling in the United States and the relationship between collective memory and history for the History Department. 

Dr. Towle and Dr. Schmitt have visited all of the proposed sites that the class will attend and have academic expertise related to the fields of Civil War and Reconstruction history, public history, public pedagogy and social studies education.


Tuition and Fees

The approximate program fee is estimated to be $2000. In addition to the program fee students will be charged $1215 for 3 credits of in state undergraduate tuition. All participants on USM travel programs receive the in-state tuition rate regardless of residency. That bring the total estimated cost for both the program fee and tuition to approximately $3167.

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 deadline to apply is Monday, November 24, 2025.

A complete application is expected to include 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 $300 nonrefundable deposit by December 1st, 2026 and will be enrolled in the course in MaineStreet by the Office of International Programs.