Professor Mentors Students in Archival Research in London

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LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. A Lincoln University English professor will serve as a faculty mentor for two weeks this summer for intensive on-site archival research in London.


Dr. Marilyn Button | Photo Courtesy of Josh Hankins

Dr. Marilyn Button, chair of the Department of Languages and Literature, will assist in mentoring 11 undergraduate students from the University of Central Oklahoma who have identified original topics for research in London’s public archives.

Their topics include 19th century British relations with King Ja-Ja of Opobo, the World Anti-Slavery Convention of 1840, and British activists for universal suffrage and women’s professional rights.

“On-site research gives students exciting opportunities to discover new materials for historical records,” said Button. “Studying abroad in England is doubly transformative, as students experience London as an international center for learning, political engagement, fashion, and cultural expression.”

As part of their research, students will visit Brixton, the site of the black cultural national archives, as well as the Museum of London’s Docklands’ exhibit on slavery in the colonies. “I am eager for students to understand that the bitter struggle for civil rights in London has resulted in a rich cultural identity for a thriving Afro-Caribbean community,” said Button.

This international faculty mentor experience is one example of how the University supports teaching innovations and recognizes that faculty need continued global engagement. Lincoln also continues to focus on embedding opportunities for students to develop skills across curricular and co-curricular experiences, such as studying abroad.

Lincoln students or faculty interested in participating in London and Rome study abroad in 2019 are encouraged to contact Button at mbutton@lincoln.edu for further information.

Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), educates and empowers students to lead their communities and change the world. Lincoln offers a rigorous liberal arts education to a diverse student body of approximately 2,200 men and women in more than 35 undergraduate and graduate programs.