Pre-Departure

If there's one thing I've come to know about history it's that everything we read only presents a sample of a whole story. Whether it's a primary, secondary or even tertiary source, a single source can only provide a single perspective on a historical moment.

This blog will function similarly. It will be a primary source written by yours truly about my 5 short weeks in Scotland, but it will also notably only present one perspective on Scotland and its history: mine. Thus, the title of my source is a "Sampling of Scotland" to remind readers and myself that any information I detail or stories I tell will surely not be able to capture the whole picture of the amazing country of Scotland and my adventures in it.

My program is called Scotland: Identity, Culture, and Innovation. This is about all the information I know about what I will be doing across the pond. Along with this, I know I will be taking classes and completing assessments, going on both planned and unplanned trips, and soaking up all possible cultural experience. One of the largest emphases of the Fulbright program is being a diplomat between two nations upon one's return. The U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission is no different. Participants are tasked with gaining a cultural understanding of the United Kingdom and bringing a new perspective home to the United States. I feel particular purpose in this goal given my future as a high school history teacher and my duty to expose my students to more than one perspective of history. Scotland in particular offers an intriguing alternative perspective to history in the U.K. As American students, we are used to an English perspective on European history along with other powerful nations like France and Germany. Rarely are we exposed to perspectives of smaller nations like Scotland.

In order to attempt to gain a background knowledge on Scottish history from a Scottish perspective, I borrowed a book from the library called How the Scots Invented the Modern World: the true story of how western Europe's poorest nation created our world & everything in it. It's both a bold and rather long title which is partly the reason I chose it. Of course the author, Arthur Herman, introduces the book by admitting his title is a little exaggerated, but insists Scotland is crucial to central aspects of the modern world such as capitalism and democracy. This book and the arguments within it might explain the last part of the title of my program: Innovation. Herman argues that the Protestant Reformation under John Knox and the structure of the Scottish Church, also known as the Kirk, is the foundation of democracy along with other interesting connections like how the Scottish Enlightenment was more impactful than popularly understood due to its lack of limitations by state institutions and aristocracy. Although I was not able to complete Herman's book before leaving, I'm sure I will learn more about the centrality of Scotland to modern developments while in the country itself.

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Besides history, the program also features an emphasis on Scottish politics. It's an exciting moment to be in the United Kingdom learning about politics. With the Scottish referendum on independence failing on September 18th of last year, along with the upcoming referendum throughout the U.K. concerning EU membership, I will surely learn the advantages and disadvantages of independence and the complicated political issues involved with EU membership. Being privy to the primary sources of Scotsmen and Englishmen themselves at such a tumultuous time in politics will be invaluable to me as a political science minor and as a future teacher. The program also promises a trip to the Scottish Parliament itself, likely providing fascinating information and perspectives on both independence and devolution, which is the process of distributing the power of a unitary government to its regional governments.

Of course, many other topics of study, some academic, some less academic, will be explored throughout my trip and almost all will be detailed here. My adventure with the 9 other participants from across the United States begins when I fly out of O'Hare International Airport on the Fourth of July. Don't you worry, I certainly appreciate the irony of departing from my home country on its Independence Day to spend the rest of my summer in the United Kingdom, the reason we have an Independence Day. Luckily, a friend of mine provided me a small American Flag to keep with me so I don't feel too guilty ditching the U.S. for the U.K. on the Fourth of July.

Throughout the trip, I will be residing at the University of Dundee for the first two and a half weeks and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow for the other two and a half weeks. We hope to travel throughout the United Kingdom in our free time and all around Scotland.

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All in all, I know the next five weeks will be some of the most exciting, most academically captivating, and most eye-opening weeks of my life and I look forward to sharing my sampling of Scotland with all of you.

Until next time!