History students study hands-on this summer
Wayne State history students are experiencing the subject far more inclusively than from a textbook this summer. From Detroit to Maryland and from Paris to Bucharest, three students share their amazing research and internship experiences.
Benjamin Thomason went to the National Archives at College Park in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., to research American involvement, reactions and lessons from the Dawes and Young war reparation plans with Germany. While there, he studied documents including minutes and arbitration records from the conferences and committees that created these plans as well as records of their implementation.
"I gained some deep insight into American foreign policy motives and lessons from the readings." Thomason says he chose to major in history because it allows people to understand where they came from, why things are the way they are, and how the future can be improved.
Daniel Weed interned at the Detroit Historical Society, transcribing histories gathered for the Detroit 67 Oral History Project. Weed says he is interested in learning how history can be preserved and presented digitally to a wider audience. "History, especially social and economic history, gives an understanding of how we as humans interact in the world," says Weed. He says his internship experience was excellent thanks to the inviting staff and interesting project.
Ali Kahil went to Paris and Bucharest, Romania, to research the French military intervention in Romania during World War I. Kahil focused on the intervention led by General Henri Mathias Berthelot, its impact on the outcome of the war, and as the impact into the Romanian modern state.
"My experience taught me a lot about archival research in my field." Kahil was born in Bucharest and speaks French, Romanian, English and Spanish, so the research not only relates to his double majors in history and political science, but also to his life.
Written by Alexandra Leroux, Marketing and Communications Associate
