About the Program
Each year, the Wyatt Exploration Program will provide a unique and exciting opportunity for students and faculty to join together in the intellectual exploration of the human past. Organized by the Department of History with financial support from the Wyatt Endowment, the program focuses on the history and culture of a specific place or on a particular historical topic. This theme will change on an annual basis, allowing our explorations to span the history of our country and the world beyond. The department’s Wyatt Fellow, a faculty member who is an expert in the filed under exploration, will plan and organize the program. Featuring affiliated course offerings, special extra-curricular events on campus, and a competition to participate in a university-funded student travel expedition, the Wyatt Exploration Program will enrich and deepen our understand of the world and its history.
The Department of History is thrilled with the unique opportunity for learning and enrichment that the Wyatt Exploration Program will provide at the University of Michigan-Flint. The department’s faculty look forward to sharing these incredible experiences with our students and hopes that all of you will share in our excitement as we explore the history of the world around us.
Wyatt Travel Expedition
The culmination of each year’s exploration will take place in either the spring or summer semester with a student ravel expedition led by our Wyatt Fellow. Selected from our history majors (including TCP and Honors), a group of students will be invited by the History Department to participate in the this trip. Most students travel expenses will be fully funded by the Department of History. Selection will be based on several factors, including the student’s academic record and coursework in the field under study. However, the primary factor to be considered will be active participation in that year’s on-campus Wyatt Exploration events. You don’t need to have the highest GPA or to have taken courses in the subject under exploration to be selected.
Rather, we are looking to assemble a diverse team of students who have demonstrated their enthusiasm and engagement with the on-campus exploration activities, who are most likely to benefit from the travel experience and who will work together most effectively as a group. Every history major is truly a potential candidate for selection and we encourage all of our students to participate and apply. Students will complete and submit an application form to be considered for the selection process in winter semester. Students must be a currently enrolled history major at the University of Michigan-Flint during the winter semester.
Guest Lecture Series
A central part of the Wyatt Exploration Program is our guest lecture series. During the course of the fall and winter semesters, the program will bring celebrated scholars from around the nation and world to our campus to speak on that year’s theme. This is a great opportunity to meet and learn from acknowledged experts in their field while developing a sense of history as an intellectual community, endeavor, and discipline. For history majors, participation in the guest lecture series is expected of all potential candidates for the travel expedition. Although we understand that students may not be able to attend all of these sessions, please try to attend as many of these events as possible to maximize your potential as a travel expedition participant.
Coursework and Extra-Curricular Activities
A list of affiliated courses will match the subject of exploration for that year. Although primarily history courses, this list may also include courses in other disciplines that complement the theme. Students will have the opportunity to take some of these courses during the academic year. If students have already taken any of these courses in previous year, this will also be recognized int he selection process for the Wyatt Travel Expedition.
The exploration program provides a wonderful opportunity for additional depth of instruction and experience for those students who are taking or have taken one or more of these courses. However, history majors are still viable candidates for the travel expedition even if they have not taken any of these affiliated courses and they are encouraged to participate in other on-campus exploration activities instead. In addition to the guest lecture series and formal coursework, the Wyatt Fellow may organize co-curricular activities and discussion sessions devoted to the year’s theme. All students are invited to these activities and participation will be considered in the selection process for the travel expedition.
Wyatt Exploration Passports:
To chart student participation in Wyatt events, history majors will receive a Wyatt Exploration Program Passport. Bring this passport to any Wyatt Exploration Program event or activity, and you will receive a stamp that verifies your attendance. Students will then submit this passport along with their travel application, and the number of stamps they have collect will be considered int he selection process for the travel expedition. Be sure to retrieve your passport each year from the history department after the competition is over, as you can continue to use it for the following year. Stamps collected in previous years will be considered in the travel expedition selection process. So, start collection stamps!
For more information on the Wyatt Exploration Program visit us online at: www.umflint.edu/history/wyatt.htm