3月5日, 2024 — A four-hour bike ride through picturesque hills and valleys will make anyone’s mind parallel the weaving roads, 从一个想法转到另一个想法.

“Out on your bike alone is a great time to think about any number of things,” said Dr. 尼古拉斯•马歇尔，历史学副教授.

他应该知道.

马歇尔一天要走两次这样的路程, journeying over eight hours round-trip between his home in western Massachusetts and Marist’s Poughkeepsie campus on two human-powered wheels. 

当然, 这种漫长的通勤并不是马歇尔每天的例行公事, 但他每年都会参加一次仪式, 通常在九月, 在过去的十年里.

“There’s always a moment when I’m like, 140 miles into this thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?他说:“我真的必须坚持下去。.

博士肖像. 马歇尔坐在朗维尤公园的哈德逊河边. 图片来源:Nelson Echeverria/bet亚洲365欢迎投注.

虽然最初是受到“骑车上班”挑战的启发, each year brings new reasons for pedaling the long distance, and one of those reasons connects bicycling with teaching Civil War history. 代替葛底斯堡的战场, 宾西法尼亚, 作为马歇尔旅程的背景, 地形意识具有历史意义, 提供一个受教的机会.

“在自行车上，任何山坡都很重要，”马歇尔说. “你并不总是注意到车里的这些东西, and riding through these historic areas gave me a much better sense of how people might’ve experienced the land at the time.”

马歇尔用这个作为他的背景 荣誉 内战历史课程, a class he teaches every two years that includes a trip to these very battlefields in Gettysburg and the surrounding areas.

Although the class explores the fields on foot as opposed to bike, he nonetheless helps students grasp the experiences of the people who fought in those places.

“Being able to recognize where we were standing and knowing specifically what occurred there was incredible,24岁的莫妮卡·杜根说, 一个参加旅行的历史系学生. “我们能够‘重现’皮克特的冲锋, 内战的转折点, 看到士兵们所忍受的一切真是令人惊讶.”

这场战役的地点之一是公墓岭, where the Union forces held their ground against the Confederate army.

“这只是陆地上的一个小浪, but it’s significant geographically and held meaning in terms of how the battle, 因此战争爆发了, 结果,马歇尔说.

Dr. Marshall (front-right) and the 2023 cohort of students who visited Gettysburg. 图片由博士提供. 罗宾·罗森，历史学教授.

马歇尔博士. 马克Morreale, 之前是bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学的英语教授, for much of the conceptualization of how the in-class experience and the trip to Gettysburg stitch together. The students familiarize themselves through historical reading and discussion in the classroom, which gives greater meaning to visiting the site in person.

“所有这些地方, 事件, 还有我们一遍又一遍地读到的人, 从书本中逃出来，几乎活过来了,24岁的威尔·多尔蒂说, 历史学和政治学双学位.

“There’s a diary we read of a soldier who loses his brother in battle,马歇尔说. “That would be moving even if we just read it in the classroom, and yet out there in that moment with the sun going down—it provides a different experience.”

These experiences help Marshall to not only teach the factual information about the Civil War, but to give students the opportunity to critically examine the way history is told and discussed.

“To get a sense of many opinions and approaches to the war, 然后建立我们自己的立场, 然后分析 国家公园的做法 to the content was crucial,” said Lorah Murphy '24, an English major. “这不仅帮助我记住了细节, but also really understand and apply that information in my research and coursework.”

Dr. Marshall teaches students on-site at the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg. 图片由博士提供. 罗宾·罗森，历史学教授.

The Civil War course is just one of many interesting classes Marshall teaches. 从美国历史上的阴谋论到性, 死亡, 和美国的疾病, 他所涉及的主题很广泛.

“我是一名社会历史学家，”他说. “我专注于 实际生活经验 内战前的美国人. We can understand the big things better if we understand what’s really important to common people.”

Marshall embraces the opportunity to bring students into the fold as he develops his scholarly ideas.

“有一次，医生. Marshall recorded our class discussion to use for an academic paper he was writing,21岁的劳拉·彭德加斯特说, who graduated with a history degree and took three courses with Marshall during her time at Marist. “Being included in his research really made us feel as though he valued our thoughts and contributions.”

Marshall’s collaborative nature and attention to social dynamics reflects back to his athletic pursuits as well.

Dr. Marshall (left) playing alongside other Marist 工作人员 in the basketball game that he organizes. 图片来源:Nelson Echeverria/bet亚洲365欢迎投注.

While the lengthy bike ride provides valuable moments of solace, Marshall also organizes a twice-weekly recreational basketball game in the McCann Center, 对所有教员开放, 工作人员, 或希望参与的学生. He coordinates an over-40 soccer league near where he lives too.

“It’s a great way to have little conversations about other parts of campus,他谈到篮球赛时说.

As for the 8-hour biking commute: “The problem is now I’m kind of stuck with it. I feel like I have to do it every year or else maybe, you know, I’m getting old.”

But he’d love to turn the long ride into a social opportunity as well, and invites students and colleagues to join for all or part of the journey.

有人表示有兴趣吗?? 马歇尔叹了口气. “没有人.”