MSI Courses

MSI Courses

MSI 2023 course listings coming soon!

Session I : May 23 - June 17 // 10:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

ARH 4500/AAS 4559 - Morven’s Enslaved & Descendant Communities, Scot French and Lenora McQueen

This course invites students to explore the complex, multi-layered history and evolving interpretation of UVA’s Morven Farm, with a focus on the site’s 19th century enslaved and descendant communities. Located in southwestern Albemarle County, not far from Monticello, the site has attracted new interest from researchers since its acquisition by UVA in 2001. The course will combine on-site lectures and seminar-style discussions with day trips to area archives and historic sites. Students will maintain research journals, report new findings, and produce a multimedia or poster-style project.

MSI Professors

Paul Freedman, Politics

“The Morven Summer Institute has definitely been one of the most exciting opportunities of my teaching career. To be able to come out to a place away from Grounds, a place that is situated in such a beautiful landscape, and have the chance to talk about, read about and connect with ideas about food, the environment, and sustainability, just makes sense.”

Paul Freedman (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. Freedman teaches courses in public opinion, media and politics, voting behavior, research methods and the politics of food. 

Phoebe Crisman, Architecture

“I look forward to teaching and learning with a fantastic group of engaged students at Morven this summer. We’ll spend much of our day outside—moving our discussions to a different garden or grove each day. What a wonderful place to explore and reflect on more sustainable ways of living on our shared planet.”

Phoebe Crisman AIA is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, where she teaches design studios and lectures on architectural theory, urbanism and sustainability. Crisman is Director of the Environments + Sustainability track of the Interdisciplinary Major in Global Studies.

Lenora McQueen, History / Geneaology

“My hope for the outcome of this course is the building of new memories, and the creation of a new narrative for Morven, constructed on historical truth, based on the forensic evidence. The goal will be to include all of Morven’s former inhabitants, as no one should be left behind, or forgotten. They were all important.”

Lenora McQueen is an educator, researcher, and advocate for the preservation and interpretation of African American historic sites in Virginia. A descendant of Kitty Cary and others enslaved at Morven, she will share insights from her family and community research and introduce students to relevant archival collections.

Scot French, History / African American Studies

"I’m excited to introduce U.Va. students to Morven as a cultural landscape with a complex, multi-layered history spanning hundreds of years. This is a great opportunity to explore the history of Morven’s enslaved and descendant communities while learning about digital research tools and methods."

Scot French (Ph.D., University of Virginia) is a digital public historian specializing in the study of cultural landscapes associated with 19th and 20th century African American history. He will share his collaborative research on Morven and other Central Virginia communities/neighborhoods, such as Albemarle County's Ivy Creek and Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill, and introduce students to digital tools for research, data visualization, and exhibit curation. He has co-taught two previous courses at Morven and published a peer-reviewed article based on his research into Thomas Jefferson's and William Short's correspondence about the site.