Dr. Andrew Canady, Assistant Professor of History and Director of the Honors Program, recently led a group of Averett Honors Program and History students on a Study Abroad trip to London.

Photo taken outside Westminster Abbey. Left to right: Davis Absher, Alex Argentieri, Jordan Francis, Lexus Khan and Dr. Andrew Canady.

For the students, the trip served as the culmination of a history course they took in the spring: “Topics in British History.” It also served as a continuation of a tradition established by the late Dr. Bill Trakas, the former Director of Averett’s Honors Program: giving Averett students the opportunity to learn history experientially by studying an historic “city as text.”

Canady and his students stayed in the heart of London (at Earl’s Court, not far from Kensington) which allowed them to pack many sights and sounds and fascinating history lessons into their days. Among the highlights of historic sites the group visited: The British Museum, the Victorian and Albert Museum, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and a day-trip to Windsor. Canady and the students also took in two plays, one at the Globe Theatre and another at the National Theatre.  

As an undergraduate at Wake Forest University, Canady spent a semester studying British History in London, so he knows the city well. Two professional guides – one a native Brit, the other an American living in London – also helped show Averett’s students the city’s many wonders.

“I wanted our students to experience the diversity of London, and to get a sense of the British perspective on politics, religion, and history versus the perspective that many Americans may have,” said Canady. “I also wanted them to see how people from other countries view Americans. And, of course, I wanted them to be able to drink in the rich history and culture of one of the world’s great cities.”

Mission accomplished.

Dr. Canady’s summer continues to be a busy one. He will be teaching a new course on the history of Danville this fall semester, so he is hard at work doing research and preparing for that. He is also putting the finishing touches on his first book, which is based on his doctoral dissertation. The title of the book: Outliving Jim Crow: Willis Duke Weatherford and the Limits of Southern Liberalism.

To read a profile of Dr. Andrew Canady, please go here.