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Among the topics they have tackled are education, race, equity, rideshares, abortion rights, monopolies and big tech, and the environment.

Block Island Wind Farm

COASTAL AND UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY The Applied History Lab also studies coastal and underwater archaeology, including cultural landscapes. A local example of applied history in action revolves around Block Island Wind Farm’s

Special Area Management Plan (SAMP), to which Mather and Jensen contributed archaeological and historical perspective. “People were concerned about extracting energy from that landscape,” Mather recalls. “So we said, if you look at the history, this area has always been

Both Mather and DeCesare teach undergraduate history classes and team-teach an applied history class and an applied history capstone based on domestic public policy topics. “The historical analogues we study and supporting documents we use in class are meaningful for

students and emphasize how historical research methods can help inform contemporary public policy decisions,” DeCesare says. “I think we raised awareness on several key issues, including stigma and mental illness, gender equity and plastics pollution.”

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