Applications for Summer 2024 are now open! Please click here to access the application. Applications will remain open until May 1, 2024. Priority will be given to students who apply by April 15, 2024. 

Please contact Professor Claire Arcenas at claire.arcenas@umontana.edu with any questions!

What?

University of Montana Summer History Institute

U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Sources and Perspectives

When?

One Week: June 24th - June 28th, 2024

All day (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM)

Where?

University of Montana Campus (with walkable field trips)

Who?

Students (Freshmen-Seniors) currently enrolled in Missoula-area high schools who love history, social studies, and the humanities!

No background in U.S. or Latin American history or politics is expected!

The institute will be led by UM History Department Professors Dr. Jody Pavilack and Dr. Claire Arcenas and a UM History Graduate Teaching Assistant.

How Much?

No cost! Thanks to the generous support of UM History Donors, this institute is entirely free for participants. Lunch, snacks, and all required course materials will be provided. 

How to Apply

Apply today! Applications for Summer 2024 are now open! Please click here to access the application. Applications will be open until May 1, 2024. Priority will be given to students who apply by April 15, 2024.

Please contact Professor Claire Arcenas at claire.arcenas@umontana.edu with any questions!

Additional Details

The University of Montana (UM) History Department is hosting our third annual week-long summer institute that introduces high school students from the Missoula area to the study of history and collegiate life at UM. The 2024 Summer institute will inspire students to pursue their passion for history and the humanities and help prepare them for successful college applications. It is directed by two faculty members in the UM History Department with help from a graduate teaching assistant.

The theme of this year’s institute is U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Sources and Perspectives. Over the course of the week, students will explore U.S. relations with various Latin American countries in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on how different kinds of sources generate different interpretations and understandings. Students will gain an overview of U.S.- Latin American relations through a combination of in-class lectures, films, and discussions, and we will work as a class to produce a timeline of key events and developments. Students will then work in teams to carry out a hands-on research project about a specific episode in U.S.-Latin American relations, drawing on diverse digitized sources, including government documents, newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters, photographs, oral histories, and more. At the end of the week, students will share their research findings in a short presentation to faculty and family.

The 2024 institute will also feature guest speakers, informal Q&A sessions with current college students, walking tours, and visits to area libraries, archives, and museums!

Along the way, students will get a taste of college life at UM. Tours of the dormitories, University Center, Mansfield Library, Art Museum, Recreation Center, and other facilities will allow students to experience what it means to become a UM Grizzly.