Civil War History Residency

Join us in Spring 2022
Sharpsburg, Md. and Gettysburg, Pa.

During the spring term, a Civil War History Residency is offered, under the direction of Gregory Edwards, Ph.D. and Paul Miller, Ph.D. Students may register for one or more of the courses listed below. As part of the courses, students participate in a three-day field trip to Gettysburg and Antietam April 22-24. During the trip, students will tour the battlefields experiencing history first-hand and participate in evening discussions on the factors leading to the Northern victory in the war. Students will be responsible for giving an oral presentation about one of the stations on the battlefield tour. Before and after the trip, students will engage with their instructor independently or online using Moodle.

When students enroll for one of the Civil War Residency courses, a residency fee of $480 will automatically be attached to each student's tuition bill to cover lodging, bus transportation from NY to Gettysburg, lunches, breakfasts, and park fees.

Due to the nature of this trip, all students and guests will be required to provide proof of full Covid-19 vaccination. No religious or medical exemptions will be granted. This trip involves a significant amount of walking and standing while touring the battlefields. Guests and alumni are welcome and encouraged to register the trip.

Fast Facts

  • 4-credit courses, some fulfill American history general education requirement
  • A three-day field trip to Civil War battlefields April 22-24
  • Discussions on factors leading to the Northern victory
  • $480 for lodging, tour bus travel and dining (nonrefundable)
  • tuition, college fees and textbooks are additional

Spring term dates: Jan. 18 - April 29, 2022
Onsite meeting/field trip: April 22-24, 2022
Onsite location: Gettysburg and Antietam

photo of cannons at Antietam National Battlefiled Park, Sharpsburg, Md
The final attack at Antietam National Battlefield Park, Sharpsburg, Md.
Space is limited and available only to those students who have paid in full by the registration deadline.

Residency Courses

HIST 1030/CRN 14356, introductory, liberal, 4 credits
HIST 3090/CRN 14355, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

HIST 1030: This course explores important events in American Military history from the pre-colonial era through the 21st century. While every aspect of American history will not be discussed in depth, students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this study, some in great detail. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
yes, American history

HIST 3090: This course will investigate in depth the military history of the United States from the colonial period through the 20th century.

Prerequisites: Prior advanced level coursework on the American Civil War, era of Reconstruction, and/or American military history.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
yes, American history

HIST 3242/CRN 14394, introductory, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

Through this course the student shall explore the relationship between religion; and politics, economics, society, and culture in the formation of American history from the Civil War to the present. In other words, the student will investigate how religion has influenced American political, cultural, social, and economic history, and how in turn cultural, social, political, and economic factors have shaped American religion. Topics covered will include, countervailing trends in American religious history, religion and the Confederacy's defeat, The Social Gospel movement, Protestant Progressivism, Church State relations, the Culture Wars, and the new Religious pluralism.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
no

HIST 2137/CRN 14353, introductory, liberal, 4 credits
HIST 3650/CRN 14358, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

This course gives students the opportunity to survey the history of Antebellum slavery, the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, and introduce them to the major historical problems of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. These include the causes of the war; the character of Antebellum American slavery; the causes behind the Confederacy’s defeat; the Lincoln enigma; and the character and legacy of Reconstruction, within the context of the broad sweep of American history from the Colonial period through the Reconstruction era. Offered at the introductory or advanced level.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
yes, American history

HIST 3215/CRN 14351, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

This course will investigate in depth the generalship of some of the more important Generals during the American Civil War, and the impact of Northern and Southern generalship on the Confederacy's defeat. As a highly advanced independent reading and research study, it can serve as a capstone study for students who are interested in designing a concentration in Military History or American History.

Prerequisites: Prior advanced level coursework on the American Civil War, era of Reconstruction, and/or American military history.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
no

HIST 3237/CRN 14352, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

This course will examine the development of the American Presidency from its creation until the present. Topics covered will include; the ideological and experiential roots of the Presidency; the creation of the Presidency; Federalist, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian conceptions of the Presidency; the President at war; the President in the industrial age; Watergate as a Constitutional crisis; the role of the executive bureaucracy; and the President and Foreign Policy.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
no

HIST 3500/CRN 14357, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.

In this course, students will survey the history of warfare in Western Civilization, beginning with the origins of organized warfare in the Ancient Middle East through the recent Gulf Wars. They will examine in depth the military operations of the Civil War as the prototype of modern wars in the West.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
no

HIST 3267/CRN 14354, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Paul Miller, Ph.D.

This course will cover the historical narrative of the era, as well as the causes leading up to the Civil War and the longer term effects of Reconstruction.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
no

Tentative Itinerary (subject to change)

Students will be provided with the detailed itinerary once registered.

TimeActivity
8 a.m. pick up in Jamestown, N.Y.
11 a.m. pick up in Corning, N.Y.
1:30 p.m. break in Lewisburg, Pa.
3 p.m. pick up in Dauphin PA
4:30 p.m. check in for hotel lodging in Hagerstown, Md.
5 p.m. dinner at Cracker Barrel
6:30-8:30 p.m. group discussion at hotel

TimeActivity
6-7 a.m. continental breakfast at hotel
8 a.m. Antietam National Battlefield Park, Sharpsburg, Md.
noon lunch delivered to visitor center
4 p.m. depart battlefield
4:30 p.m. return to hotel lodging in Hagerstown, Md.
5 p.m. dinner at Cracker Barrel
6:30-8:30 p.m. group discussion at hotel

TimeActivity
6-7 a.m. continental breakfast at hotel and hotel check out
8 a.m. Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, Gettysburg, Pa.
noon lunch delivered to bus picnic area
3 p.m. depart battlefield
4 p.m. drop off in Dauphin PA
5:30 p.m. break in Lewisburg, Pa.
8:30 p.m. drop off in Corning, N.Y.
11:30 p.m. drop off in Jamestown, N.Y.

Want more information?

Alumni and guests are welcome to join (discounts for shared rooms). Contact Lori McCaffrey to register as a guest.

Gregory Edwards, Ph.D.
716-708-1798, ext. 3797

Lori McCaffrey
518-587-2100, ext. 5944