Off-Campus Study

The History Department encourages students to gain historical knowledge, question how history is represented over time, and develop a global perspective beyond classroom discourse. To this end, we offer two three-week mini terms led by department faculty for History credit – one in South Africa and the other in Poland. Both mini terms focus on public history -- how history is remembered and memorialized.

Based in Cape Town, the South Africa three-week mini term during the winter break examines the history and legacies of the colonial, apartheid, and post-apartheid eras. Students interact with activists, community leaders, and historians to understand how the nation’s history affects society today and how that history is told in the public arena. The mini term includes visits to museums and memorials, townships, and environmental and wildlife reserves.

The Holocaust History mini term offers students the opportunity to examine how the histories of the Second World War and the Holocaust have been memorialized and represented in Poland in the decades since the mid-twentieth century. This three-week mini term during the summer break introduces students to Warsaw and Krakow, where they learn about cultural events and customs, tour memorials and museums, and assist with historical preservation. Students visit historical Holocaust locations in Poland including Auschwitz.