Chestertown,
the Chesapeake Bay region, and Washington College offer unique opportunities
for students who love American history. History comes alive here along the
roads and waterways once traveled by colonists and Civil War soldiers, Native
American hunters and fugitive slaves. Yet this area is only a short trip
from the world-famous cultural sites and vibrant urban life of Washington,
D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other classic American cities.
In addition to its many public lectures and special events, the C.V. Starr Center offers an array of opportunities specially geared toward students at Washington College. Special events and free weekend “road trips” to historic sites around the region draw participants from many different academic departments, and bolster the College’s traditional strengths in history, American studies, art, political science, and related fields. Competitive fellowship programs have awarded students thousands of dollars in grant money for independent research, travel, and writing on topics from the writings of H.L. Mencken, to a vanished 18th-century settlement, to an oral history of racial integration in the local public schools.
The Senatorial Colloquy on American History and Politics, first taught by Senator Birch Bayh in spring 2006, returns for the fall 2007 semester. The new-and-improved Colloquy will feature four special guests; US Senators Gary Hart, Dale Bumpers, Paul Laxalt, and Richard Lugar will join Senator Bayh for extended conversations on the impact of the nation's founding ideals upon the political realities of the present day.
The Starr Center also serves as a portal to a world of opportunities beyond Washington College – from voyages aboard Chestertown’s 1768 Schooner Sultana to internships and fellowships at places like the Smithsonian Institution, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and elsewhere.
