In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark off to find a water route to the west. Their mission was to map the unchartered territory from St. Louis to Oregon. In 2002, Hamilton College Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty David Paris sent History Professor Maurice Isserman and Associate Professor of Geology Todd Rayne off to retrace Lewis and Clark's journey. Isserman and Rayne will be teaching a interdisciplinary sophomore seminar on Lewis and Clark in spring 2004.
When asked why he chose the topic of Lewis and Clark for the sophomore seminar Isserman explained, "Lewis and Clark were undaunted in their interdisciplinarity. Their endeavors included the study of botany, zoology, ethnography, geology and geography, as well as practical considerations of diplomacy, trade, cartography, medicine, and wilderness survival." Both men were relatively uneducated but they used critical thinking skills to survive. "We don't simply want to teach about Lewis and Clark; we want to teach students to become Lewis and Clark," said Isserman.
Rayne explained the river and landscape Lewis and Clark are famous for cataloging has changed dramatically during that past 200 years. During the expedition the Hamilton students will take as part of the seminar, Rayne will show them how much has changed, due not only to the passage of time, but largely to human interventions.
