History

Departmental Honors represents the highest level of work in history offered at Bowdoin. Honors offers students a semester- or year-long experience in intensive research and writing. Honors projects give students the opportunity to work extensively on a project of their own design in close consultation with faculty advisors. Just as importantly, the honors seminar allows students to participate actively in a growing community of scholars.

Interview with Teona Williams '12
My current research looks at the history of African Americans in Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks. When I was first started this project I was interested to see why so few African Americans travelled to national parks? I was also curious as to why in the 1930s,  the head of the Bureau of Negro Affairs decided to fight to end segregation in national parks, given so few African Americans actually visited these sites?

Interview With Hannah Deblois '12
My honors project focuses on demonic possession in Europe in the Middle Ages. Of particular interest are the factors – theological, scientific, and social – that caused women to be considered especially vulnerable to spirit possession by both evil and divine entities.

Interview with Amy Collier '12
My research focuses on the establishment of Acadia National Park, the first of its kind east of the Mississippi River and the only one created entirely from donations of private land. Because of its unique beginning, I believe that Acadia sheds light on the convergence of two movements in the early twentieth century, the conservation movement and private philanthropy. At the same time, I want to examine how the issues of class and access, which permeated contemporary discussions of national parks and charity, may have complicated Acadia’s creation.

Interview with Valerie Wirtschafter '12
As a history major focused on 20th century America, I will be looking into the role of religious rhetoric in politics during the Cold War, particularly through the lens of Jimmy Carter, the first evangelical president to take office.

Interview with Annabel Boeke '12
I study the fight against tuberculosis in turn-of-the-century Buenos Aires.  Specifically, I am examining how the growing power and changing role of doctors in Argentine society affected TB treatment.  I am also interested in how the disease was linked to ideas about immigration and urban life.

Previous Honors projects >

Further information about requirements for Honors in History >