Field Trip to New York City
Field Trip to New York City
Academic Year:
2015 - 2016 (June 1, 2015 through May 31, 2016)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
Overview of the Project:
For Hist 497: Wastes of War: A Century of Destruction, I seek to take my 10 students to New York City during the week we discuss the War on Terror with the goal to visit the Museum at Ground Zero, Freshkills Landfill from which many of the artifacts displayed have been retrieved, and environmental consultants and representatives from the city government and the United Nations to discuss disaster prevention and clean-up both. We would document and share our experiences through a course blog, tweets, photos, videos and the like and potentially produce a collaborative essay report. I would like to get it published in either the Chronicle of Higher Education, History Teacher, History Today, the Michigan Daily or in any event in an internal publications like the history department's newsletter or college or university equivalent. This might be great publicity not just for history but for our institution in general. Most importantly, this active learning initiative connects pertinently with the University's focus on sustainability and shows that questions of sustainability have deep and complicated histories that are not always visible. Moreover, I think, such undertakings take seriously our institution's emphasis on innovative, experience-based, active learning. Lastly, it also shows that history is of public, contemporary relevance. It would take students out of the classroom but deeper into the issues we study.