About the Seminar

The American Civil War: Origins and Consequences

UPDATE: The American history seminar has been rescheduled for August 1–5, 2021, in Charlottesville, VA.

CIC is pleased to announce a multidisciplinary seminar for full-time faculty members in history and related fields on “The American Civil War: Origins and Consequences.” Cosponsored by CIC and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the seminar will be directed by Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus at the University of Virginia. The seminar is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with supplemental funding from the .

In many ways, the issues that divided the nation during the Civil War era continue to resonate today. This seminar will focus on the drama and tragedy of this tumultuous period, particularly the central role of slavery in precipitating sectional tensions and secession, the ways in which military and civilian affairs intersected and influenced one another, the question of what the war left unresolved, and how Americans have remembered the conflict.

Faculty Seminar Report

CIC's Faculty Seminars: Promoting Professional Growth

By Thomas Falkner
February 2019

CIC recently asked Thomas Falkner, an experienced evaluator of CIC’s programs and the former provost of McDaniel College, to take an in-depth look at one seminar, “The Civil War in American Memory,” that took place at Yale University in June 2018 and was led by David Blight, Class of 1954 Professor of American History and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale. Falkner’s report demonstrates that a relatively small amount of money can significantly strengthen faculty development and enhance teaching, especially when faculty members’ dedication both to their students and to their fields of expertise is unwavering.

Download the report on CIC’s Faculty Seminars: Promoting Professional Growth.

Seminar Leader

Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus at the University of Virginia where he also is director of the John L. Nau Center for Civil War History. He is the author of numerous volumes on the Civil War including Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty; The Union War, which received the Tom Watson Brown Book Award, the Dan and Marilyn Laney Prize, and the Eugene Feit Award in Civil War Studies; Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War; Lee and His Army in Confederate History; The American Civil War: The War in the East 1861–May 1863; Lee and His Generals in War and Memory, winner of the Fletcher Pratt Award; The Confederate War, which received the Laney Prize and Lincoln Prize; and Stephen Dodson Ramseur: Lee’s Gallant General. Gallagher was founder and first president of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites and has served on the board of directors of the Civil War Trust.

‭(Hidden)‬ Current Status

A total of 25 participants were selected by competitive nomination.

A faculty member who wishes to participate must be nominated by the chief academic officer of the nominee’s institution. Each institution may nominate more than one individual, and faculty members of any academic rank may be nominated. The nomination form is available online. Each nomination package should consist of the following:

Nomination letter from the chief academic officer explaining why it is of value to the institution and the nominee to participate in the seminar;
Completed nomination form;
Nominee’s curriculum vitae; and
Nominee’s statement of reasons for wishing to participate in the seminar and of anticipated impact on the nominee’s teaching, research, curricular development, or other benefits for the campus and local community (no more than one page).

Please submit the completed nomination online by Friday, February 7, 2020.

Selection of participants will be announced by March 6, 2020.

Participants, Location, and Expenses

UPDATE: The American history seminar has been rescheduled for June 20–25, 2021, in Charlottesville, VA.

Up to 25 participants will be selected for the program by competitive nomination. All full-time faculty members in history and related fields at CIC member institutions are eligible. The seminar will take place June 28–July 1, 2020, at the University of Virginia; housing will be provided on campus. Room, board, and books will be covered by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Participants or their institutions will be expected to provide transportation to and from Charlottesville, although CIC will provide participants with a stipend of up to $300 to be used toward travel-related expenses.

Contact Information

Questions regarding the seminar on American history should be directed to Stephen Gibson, CIC director of programs, at sgibson@cic.nche.edu or (202) 466-7230.