CWI Student Programs

The Civil War Institute (CWI) at Gettysburg College brings together teaching, research, and hands-on learning to help students explore one of the most important periods in American history. Located on the doorstep of Gettysburg National Military Park, CWI gives students opportunities to study the Civil War Era from many perspectives while gaining practical experience in museums, archives, historic sites, and community partnerships.

Whether you pursue the Civil War Era Studies or Public History minor, conduct original research with faculty, or complete a funded internship, you'll connect classroom learning with real-world experiences. Through interdisciplinary coursework, experiential learning, and professional development, CWI prepares students to understand the Civil War's lasting impact and apply historical thinking in meaningful careers and communities.

Gettysburg College’s distinctive Civil War Era Studies (CWES) minor draws on the college’s unique historical location and the diverse lenses provided by literature, anthropology, visual art, political science, and history to provide students an interdisciplinary understanding of the Civil War Era. Minors are provided access to a wide range of courses, fellowship experiences, and internship opportunities that enhance their understanding of the Civil War era and its continued resonance in contemporary American society.

The Public History minor serves students with an interest in museums, historic sites, archives and library work, historic preservation, archaeology, and digital history. Drawing on perspectives and frames of reference from across academic divisions, it provides an innovative approach to the study and practice of applied history and cultural heritage, integrating classroom study with hands-on projects and field experiences in museums, archives, historical agencies, etc.

CWI works collaboratively with partners across campus to provide meaningful experiences for students both inside and outside the classroom, including by providing specially-tailored battlefield programming for courses in a wide range of departments. The long-term partnership between CWI and Musselman Library’s Special Collections & College Archives not only supports internships but has also enhanced the collections available for both student and outside research, particularly in important but less well documented aspects of Civil War history. Partnerships with Schmucker Art Gallery have helped to support a range of gallery talks and student opportunities for curatorial work, and collaboration with the Eisenhower Institute and the Center for Public Service enhances historically themed place-based learning opportunities for students across campus.

Scholarship produced within CWI is broad-based and innovative. Jill Ogline Titus’s work centers around civil rights history and historical commemoration, including books on the Cold War Civil Rights context of the Gettysburg Centennial and massive resistance to school desegregation. Ashley Whitehead Luskey’s scholarly work applies the lenses of cultural history and gender history to the Civil War Era, examining elite women’s attempts to maintain their social & political authority amidst the chaos of civil war. Ian Isherwood's scholarship focuses on the experience of war and representation in era of the two world wars, but also explores the connections between the Civil War and broader concepts of historical memory in America.

Experiential and Professional Development Programs

CWI’s experiential learning programs are closely aligned with Gettysburg College’s Guided Pathways program. The First Year Experience Program serves students who are interested in the experience & legacies of war, as well as history more broadly. Participants in this minimal-commitment program meet professionals in the field and learn about an array of career opportunities in fields related to history, public history, and the Civil War Era. Most sessions take the form of interactive explorations of the Gettysburg battlefield. The CWI Fellows Program for returning students provides participants a range of opportunities to put history into action. The program focuses on supporting students in developing new professional skills and exploring a range of career possibilities in history and public history/museum studies.

The Funded Internship Program provides 10-week opportunities to work on the frontlines of history at a wide range of historical sites, archives, and museums, including some of the nation’s best-known Civil War sites. Interns give public tours of iconic historic sites, gain hands-on experience with original artifacts and documents, lead educational programs, support public programming, assist with the preservation and management of historic landscapes, do policy and marketing work, and contribute to ongoing digital history initiatives. Students selected to participate in this internship program receive a $2,750 stipend from the CWI (at minimum) and free on-site housing at their respective sites. The internship program is open to all matriculated Gettysburg College students.