Welcome to Maine Studies
Maine Studies student Blair Baldwin works with the cows at the University’s Witter Farm.
In a recent lesson during MES 201, The Maine Coast, 3rd year UMaine student, Blair Baldwin, revealed that Ava Chadbourne (after whom the Maine Studies’ home, Chadbourne Hall, is named) is her great great aunt. Ava Chadbourne, born in 1875 in Mattawamkeag, Maine, received a BA and an MA from UMaine and a PhD from Columbia University in 1922. She taught in the UMaine College of Education until her retirement in 1942. Following in the footsteps of not only her great great aunt but also her grandfather, Blair decided to leave Massachusetts to attend the University of Maine. Like her grandfather who studied dairying at UMaine in the 1950s, Blair is also drawn to UMaine’s cows, housed on Witter Farm at the edge of campus. This semester she is taking Dairy Cattle Technology, which involves milking about 40 cows morning (3:45 AM!) and night. “It’s so fun!” Blair exclaimed, “they’re like big dogs!” At the same time, she and the other students are keenly aware of the huge responsibility to keep the milking and delivery system completely sanitized, from the milked cows to the Hood milk company. Blair is enjoying her experience with the university’s cows and hopes to work on a dairy farm in the future. Who knows, maybe she will follow her great great aunt Ava Chadbourne into the employ of UMaine and manage Witter Farm some day.
The Maine Studies program at University of Maine (UMaine) offers students the opportunity to pursue the study of Maine through courses in history, literature, women’s studies, art, political science, geology, geography, Franco-American studies, and Native-American studies. The program recognizes the value of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to understanding historical and contemporary issues such as developing Maine’s economy, protecting its environment, and appreciating the cultures of the state’s diverse population.
The Maine Studies program offers students three academic tracks: the 18 credit hour Minor in Maine Studies, the 18 credit hour Certificate in Maine Studies, and the 30 credit hours Maine Studies concentration in the MA in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Who should apply for the Maine Studies programs?
Students who plan to find a job in Maine in such fields as business, government, or social services will benefit from a multidisciplinary understanding of Maine. Education majors who expect to teach in Maine’s public schools will find the Maine Studies programs useful in preparing them to teach Maine Studies, a course mandated by the State of Maine through LD291. Students interested in Maine generally will enjoy a greater appreciation for the state’s cultural and physical landscapes.
All Maine Studies programs may be completed through distance technologies. Students in mid-coast Maine may also take Maine Studies courses at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast. Courses there are offered in a class room setting, online, or via video conferencing. The University of Maine System Centers also offer selected Maine Studies graduate seminars. Please contact the Maine Studies office for more information.