School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan

Early American and Atlantic World History
Research Training Symposium, University of Virginia and Monticello, April 2016

Over the last decade academic staff, postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate research students in early modern American and Atlantic World history from the University of Glasgow have participated in regular video seminars with staff and students at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Virginia. This spring, with support from the Chancellor’s Fund of the University of Glasgow and the Embassy of the United States, the Glasgow participants joined their Edinburgh and Virginia partners in a week-long research symposium at the University of Virginia.

We were hosted by Prof. Max Edelson and Prof. Alan Taylor of the History Department at the University of Virginia, and by Dr. Andrew O’Shaughnessy of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. Prof. Simon Newman, Dr. Felicity Donohoe, Dr. Stephen Mullen, Ms. Debra Burnett, Ms. Marenka Thompson-Odlum and Mr. Nelson Mundell from Glasgow participated in this event.

Over the course of the week we took part in training events in Special Collections at the University of Virginia library; a celebration of Jefferson’s birthday at Monticello, together with a bespoke academic tour of the building; a publishing symposium with Dr. Dick Holway of the University of Virginia Press, and a jobs application symposium with American and British academics. The postgraduate students were guest participants in an American postgraduate readings seminar taught by Prof. Edelson, while Prof. Taylor, Prof. Newman and Prof. Cogliano (University of Edinburgh) held a workshop with the early career researchers in turning dissertations into monographs. A substantive research seminar, and then a workshop offering all participants the chance to present and receive feedback on their own research, were particularly useful.

This was an intellectually invigorating week, and it has inspired the participants while giving them practical help in taking their research forward. It has strengthened the combined and collaborative research community of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Virginia postgraduates, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff, and we will build on this in forthcoming video seminars. Finally, participants were able to add on research trips in Washington, Princeton, Massachusetts and elsewhere, taking advantage of this trip to the United States taking place during the Easter break.

We are very grateful to the Chancellor’s Fund, and to the Cultural Office of the Embassy of the United States for their support of this research training symposium.

Prof. Simon Newman
History

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First published: 30 April 2016