Every year, the American Antiquarian Society presents a seminar for students from Worcester-area colleges and universities. The annual seminar is a unique, but rare opportunity to research and study in the library and museum(s) of the Society. Ten students are selected to participate in the seminar, where they work on individually proposed and group research topics.
The 1998 seminar "Seeing America First" was attended by WPI students Brian Whitman and Chris Lawson. This seminar was given by Professor Gregory Nobles of Georgia Tech. For his individual project, Chris researched illustrations, lithographs and texts of James Fenmore Cooper, and the search for American literary identity. Part of his research included the opportunity to work with historical materials, including a book dating back as the 1600's. When asked about his experience, Chris replied "I'd recommend it to anyone. " He also noted that the seminar can become a worthwhile part of any of the WPI projects, or a great resume builder.
Brian Whitman's research focused on his interests in music and culture. He concentrated on studying the folk songs of the westward expansion in the nineteenth century. Brian worked with lithographed sheet music covers, and other historically significant sources. "The AAS itself is a beautiful place, I'm definitely going to use my three-year 'license to study' to the fullest. The reading room is massive and the staff and fellow scholars go to no end to make you feel welcome... I soon got used to the fact that I was co-existing with some larger piece of history and that in itself became sort of relaxing. The entire AAS experience allowed this dyed-in-the-wool postmodernist to gain a larger scope on things happening around me, whether they two minutes or two hundred years ago. Easily one of the most satisfying events of my undergraduate stay here at WPI."
The 1999 seminar will explore the theme of "Shaping History". Students interested in applying for the seminar should contact Professor Kent Ljungquist at kpl@wpi.edu or Laura Menides at lmenides@wpi.edu. Applications are handled through the department of Humanities and Arts.