17th Annual Civil War History Residency

Please Note: the Spring 2021 Residency will now be held in Fall 2021. Students who need courses this spring, may take them as independent studies.

The spring 2021 courses listed on this page are found in the term guide as independent studies under Dr. Gregory Miller and Dr. Paul Miller.

Join us in Fall 2021
Sharpsburg, Md. and Gettysburg, Pa.

Each spring, a Civil War History Residency is offered, under the direction of Gregory Edwards, Ph.D. at SUNY Empire State College at Lakewood. The residency is open to all students collegewide.

Students participate in a three-day field trip to Gettysburg and Antietam. During this trip, they will tour the battlefields and participate with other students in evening discussions on the factors leading to the Northern victory in the war. Students also will be responsible for giving an oral presentation about one of the stations on the battlefield tour.

Fast Facts

  • A three-day field trip to Civil War battlefields
  • Discussions on factors leading to the Northern victory
  • Learning activity done in conjunction with a four-credit course
  • Fulfills American history general education requirement
  • $480 for lodging, tour bus travel and dining (nonrefundable)
  • tuition, college fees and textbooks are additional
photo of cannons at Antietam National Battlefiled Park, Sharpsburg, Md
The final attack at Antietam National Battlefield Park, Sharpsburg, Md.

Students may enroll in the course, attend the residency, and then, complete the other learning activities (required reading and written assignments) in various ways depending on the students' location – such as through a study group, as a one-to-one independent study or through an at-a-distance independent study.

Space is limited and available only to those students who have paid in full by the registration deadline.

Residency Courses

HIST 1030/CRN 11112, introductory, liberal, 4 credits
HIST 3090/CRN 11113, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

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 3100/CRN 11021, introductory, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

This course explores American Religious History from pre-colonial times to the present. Students will evaluate some facet of Native American, colonial, early republican, antebellum, regional and contemporary religion, alternative religions and other topics from a wide variety of perspectives. Students will also evaluate the impact of religious institutions upon Americans of various ethnic backgrounds, races and social classes.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
yes, American History

HIST 2317/CRN 11020 introductory, liberal, 4 credits
HIST 3650/CRN 11109, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

Sections of this course will focus on the United States Civil War. Although each section might take into account a different perspective or use a different conceptual frame, each course will cover the basic historical narrative of the Civil War, including factors that led to the war and results of the war.

Meets SUNY General Education requirements?
yes, American History

HIST 3215/CRN 11111, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

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?
yes, American History

HIST 3237/CRN 15196, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

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?
yes, American History

HIST 3500/CRN 11110, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Edwards

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?
yes, American History

HIST 3267/CRN 15204, advanced, liberal, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. Paul Miller

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?
yes, American History

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 us. $480 guest residency trip fee. Guest registration and payment deadline is March 19, 2021. Contact Lori McCaffrey to register for the residency trip as a guest.

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

Lori McCaffrey
518-783-6203 ext. 5944