HISTORY
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HISTORY
HISTORY
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WASHINGTON AND LEE
UNIVERSITY
Department Overview and Mission
Washington and Lee University's
History Department encourages students to learn about the past (peoples,
institutions and ideas), to think critically, and to write and speak clearly.
By limiting lecture courses to 20-25 students and seminars to 12-15 we
facilitate close interaction between faculty and students, insure that
the faculty give detailed attention to extensive student writing, and encourage
optimal participation within the classroom.
The Department offers freshmen
survey courses in American, Latin American, European, African and Asian
history. The curriculum proceeds to advanced courses in all of these areas.
Students who have scored 5 on Advance Placement tests receive college credit
and qualify to enroll in upper level courses as freshmen.
The History major prepares graduates
to attend law, business and other professional schools, to undertake graduate
study, to work in commerce, industry, government and the foreign service,
and to manage the complexities and ambiguities of the contemporary world.
Dr. Holt Merchant
Mission of the Washington and Lee History Department
Studying history nurtures our capacity
to deal critically and creatively with the past and its ambiguities. The
study of past human behavior helps us to learn about ourselves and to understand
our values. The study of past societies gives us insight into those of
the present and helps us to develop an appreciation for cultural differences
and comparative analysis.
Students who major in history
study many of the classics of historical literature. They become acquainted
with schools of interpretation and read both primary and secondary material.
They develop skills in historical research and in written and oral communication.
The members of the Department believe
that history is a humanistic discipline, but we encourage students to use
research methods from both the social and natural sciences as well as the
humanities. The earliest scholars treated history as a literary genre;
the Department agrees and works to develop in its students the ability
to write effectively. Two annual awards, the Vann Prize and the Cincinnati
Award, go to students who submit superior historical essays. The Department
also provides support for students who conduct research and travel to research
centers and professional conventions. The Department offers opportunities
for independent study and for honors work culminating in honors theses.
Many of our students take advantage of the rich opportunities for study
abroad.
The History Department, as its
first priority, attempts to instill in its students an interest in and
appreciation for history. It also seeks to prepare a few of its majors
to pursue graduate study in history. The History curriculum offers students
a rich array of courses in the history of the Americas, Europe and Russia,
Africa and Asia, as well as courses in the history of India, Australia
and New Zealand. The Department also offers topical courses in diplomatic,
intellectual, military, business and social history.
The William A. Jenks award supports
alumni during their first year of graduate study in European history. The
Warren M. Wilson Award rewards a graduate who concentrated in African history.
The Elizabeth B. Garrett Scholarship, Martin Baldwin Whitaker Memorial
Merit Scholarship and Washington Family Descendants Scholarship, awarded
on the basis of grade-point average, provide tuition assistance for seniors.
In the classroom, members of the
Department employ a variety of teaching methods. We promote the students'
acquisition of knowledge, and we develop their ability to think critically
and constructively about peoples, ideas, institutions and cultures. We
work to maintain an environment in and out of the classroom that promotes
close relationships between faculty and students. To attain that goal we
have established limits on the number of students in any class. Outside
the classroom, we encourage the informal discussions among faculty and
students that have long been a hallmark of Washington and Lee. We believe
that learning often occurs during discussions with students in our offices,
but also at lectures, concerts and athletic events.
Libraries are as important to
history as laboratories are to science. Members of the Department have
worked for many years to build the University's library collection of primary
and secondary materials. The extensive holdings in American history, for
example, allow the Department to require students who concentrate in that
field to work extensively with primary materials and develop their powers
of historical synthesis.
The members of the Department
stay abreast of the latest developments in historical study. We engage
in many activities such as attending professional conventions, summer institutes
and seminars, and individual study and reading. Departmental funds help
to support faculty visits to the historic sites about which we teach.
Members believe that the Department's
first responsibility is undergraduate teaching, but we also affirm the
importance of discovering new knowledge and new ways of understanding old
knowledge. We support, encourage and reward faculty research and publication.
Departmental funds underwrite faculty travel to research centers and preparation
of manuscripts for publication. Recommendations regarding salaries, tenure,
and promotion make effective teaching the first criterion. Research and
publication are also important, as are other kinds of intellectual activity
and service.
For the academic profession, members
of the History Department referee and consult on manuscripts in preparation,
organize professional conferences, and deliver papers at professional conventions
and organize and serve on panels. We participate in peer reviews for tenure
and promotion in other departments and at other institutions. For the local
community, we consult with historical institutions such as the Stonewall
Jackson House, the Rockbridge Historical Society and the Historic Lexington
Foundation. We also write the history of local institutions including the
University itself, and speak to audiences of all ages and vocations including
primary and secondary students, alumni, senior citizens, and members of
professional and social organizations.
The members of the History Department
serve the University, the academic profession and the community. Through
our curriculum, we support the University's degree requirements in general
education. We participate with other University faculty in teaching interdisciplinary
courses. Our courses also contribute to University programs in Journalism,
modern and ancient languages and literature, Medieval and Renaissance Studies,
Russian and East Asian Studies, and the Commerce School. Individual members
serve the University on committees and, when called upon, in positions
of leadership.
The History Faculty
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