Henry Hudson’s world subject of two-day, international symposium

NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz will host an international symposium, “Henry Hudson, New Netherland and Atlantic History,” on September 25 and 26, 2009.

The event is sponsored by the college’s Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) in partnership with Ulster BOCES and with financial support secured by Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, a 1977 graduate of New Paltz. It coincides with this year’s quadricentennial celebration of Henry Hudson’s exploration of the river that now bears his name.

The symposium will be led by Lou Roper, professor of history at New Paltz, and Dennis Maika, a professional historian and teacher at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y. They will be joined by scholars from the Netherlands, Germany and France, as well as the United States.

The symposium’s agenda includes panel discussions, teaching workshops and two luncheon addresses where presenters will give talks on topics closely related to the character and effects of the European exploration and colonization of the Hudson Valley, which arose from Hudson’s voyage.

After each day’s symposia, Maika will lead a workshop with the presenters and the audience to discuss strategies for incorporating a transatlantic perspective on this history into secondary and elementary school classrooms.

“We are very excited about this event,” said Roper. “It will be a unique opportunity for teachers and anyone interested in the voyages of Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain and the history of the European colonization of our region to interact with leading historians for an intensive discussion of early 17th-century North America.”

The sessions will be of particular interest to history professionals in the region, including elementary school, secondary school, Advanced Placement World History, and Advanced Placement United States History teachers (in-service credit will be available through Ulster BOCES). The program will also appeal to regional undergraduate and graduate students in history and social studies, as well as others with an interest in history.

The cost of registering for this conference will be $20 per day and $15 per luncheon session. Interested participants should register through the Center for Regional Research, Education and Outreach at New Paltz by calling (845) 257-2901 or e-mailing crreo@newpaltz.edu.

For more information about the symposium visit www.newpaltz.edu/crreo/henryhudson.html or contact Roper at  roperl@newpaltz.edu.