Welcome to the Department of History at Sweet Briar College. We’re located in the middle of a great deal of history, with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to the north; his summer home, Poplar Forest, to the south; and the spot where the Civil War ended, Appomattox, to the east. Many other important historical sites are within easy driving distance. We’re putting in place an emphasis on local and public history that will feature courses, internships, and cooperative endeavors with the Center for the History and Culture of Central Virginia. Our students have had internships in the recent past at the National Trust for Historical Preservation in Washington, D.C., and the National Archives in Suitland, Maryland, as well as ones nearby in Poplar Forest and at the Amherst County Historical Museum. One of our courses, “Doing Sweet Briar History,” makes use of the college’s extensive archives. Students in that course not only have the chance to do original research but may also participate in work on a new history of the college.

The history program begins with the “Introduction to History” courses, which focus on special themes and provide students with a sense of what historians do. These include “Intoxication and Addiction in American History” and “Modern Law and Its Medieval Past.” We’re particularly strong in the area of social history, with courses on such topics as women, slavery (in the South and elsewhere), illness and medicine, revolutions and rebellions, war and society, crime and punishment, and law and society. We cooperate closely with the Law and Society minor and the International Relations major, but students majoring in anthropology, art history, English, government, modern languages, and religion, among other disciplines, also take our courses. Our emphasis is on the use of primary sources, which not only include documents having to do with politics and diplomacy but also less conventional sources such as autobiographies, films, paintings, and literature. If you have questions about the department and the history major, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at 434/381-6234 or email me at llaufenberg@sbc.edu. If you’re ever on campus, drop by the department’s offices on the third floor of Benedict Hall and meet us or arrange to sit in on a class or two.

Best wishes,
Lynn Marie Laufenberg
Associate Professor of History and Chair