Hello and welcome to the ASMS history department!

The past two years have been exciting ones for the history faculty as we have revamped and strengthened our history curriculum with an eye to the years ahead. The course offerings by necessity have to fit state guidelines but we have tailored the curriculum to meet the needs and interests of our particular student body. All members of the history faculty want the history classroom to be as exciting as the science laboratories on campus.

Please take time to visit individual faculty pages as well as the links to the Course Catalog, Special Projects Week, Student Research Projects and selected Weblinks to great history sites. In 2002, the Special Project in History was the Civil Rights Pilgrimage with students re-tracing the steps from Selma to Montgomery, visiting the Rosa Parks museum, the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. In 2004, Dr. Gerard and Ms. Striplin will embark on a trip along the Gulf Coast for a special look at Women of the South. New Orleans and the River Road plantations will play host as we explore the lives of Southern women from Louisiana back to Mobile

2003 has also been the year when Dr. Gerard initiated the Hands-On-History component in selected Advanced American Studies classes. In the future these student research projects, which encompass fieldwork as well as archival research, will be linked to this site so you can learn firsthand what makes history at ASMS a wonderful learning experience. Having project-based history classes is a new and exciting addition to the familiar seminar and lecture format. Student response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Remember to check the ASMS calendar for scheduled guest speakers, movie nights, and the afternoon teas on Wednesdays. Have a great year and be sure to check in to see what’s new. We are on the 3rd floor of the Administration building in A301. The door is always open to parents and student alike.

Parents and Visitors to ASMS are welcome to sit in on a history class throughout the year. Please call any of the history faculty to arrange a visit.