HIST 496F Thesis: Histories of Migrants and Migration
Since the arrival of the first humans to the Americas some 13,000 years ago, migration has continuously shaped and re-shaped human society in the Western hemisphere. In this senior thesis seminar, students will develop a historical research project on any aspect of the history of migrants and migration in the Americas. Historical periods of interest span from indigenous migration and settlement to the post-1492 era of European conquest, the Atlantic slave trade, industrial migrations of the 19th century, and transnational migration after 1940. While many students may choose to work on projects related to U.S. immigration history, they may develop thesis projects on any location and time period in the Americas. Students are invited - but not required - to investigate a historical migration that shaped their own family history, using family documents or genealogical records as well as primary and secondary sources available online, at the consortium libraries or the Library of Congress.