US professor teaches American immigration history at the University of Debrecen
Master’s students at the Institute of English and American Studies at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Debrecen are exploring the history of American immigration this semester through courses taught by a visiting professor from the United States. Ashley Johnson Bavery, a professor at Eastern Michigan University, will spend six months teaching and conducting research at the University of Debrecen.
The professor’s relationship with the institute’s staff dates back to 2024, when the Institute of English and American Studies (IEAS) at the University of Debrecen organised an international conference marking the centenary of the implementation of the US Immigration Act of 1924. Participants travelled from almost every part of the world to attend the prestigious academic event. Ashley Johnson Bavery was invited to deliver one of the keynote speeches, although she ultimately gave her presentation online rather than attending in person.
Her relationship with the university and the institute continued through joint academic research. A successful grant application eventually enabled her to spend six months in Debrecen as a visiting professor under the Fulbright programme, specifically through the prestigious Országh Chair position. During her stay, she will also deliver lectures at several other Hungarian universities.
The László Országh Distinguished Chair in American Studies is a prestigious Fulbright scholarship that brings distinguished American university lecturers and researchers to Hungary to teach at Hungarian higher education institutions and contribute to the development of American Studies programmes.
“Our institute has maintained close ties with the Hungarian Fulbright Commission since its establishment. Our colleagues, including Professor Donald E. Morse and Professor Zoltán Abádi-Nagy, played important roles in launching the Hungarian programme and ensuring its success. The scholarship itself is considered a highly prestigious form of support internationally, and within the programme, a special category is named after Professor László Országh, who had deep and longstanding connections with the University of Debrecen,” Balázs Venkovits, director of the Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Debrecen, told the university’s news portal, hirek.unideb.hu.
Ashley Johnson Bavery’s primary research focus is migration history, particularly emigration to the United States from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The history of undocumented migration is another area of her expertise.
“It is a wonderful experience to enter the university’s beautiful Main Building every day to teach my classes. I have the opportunity to teach history in a historic setting, while also exploring the subject from an international perspective. Students from several countries within the university’s international student community attend my courses, creating a particularly unique atmosphere in the classroom,” Professor Bavery said, reflecting on her experiences so far.
According to the leadership of the Institute of English and American Studies, it is extremely important for students to learn from native English-speaking instructors and to receive reliable, sometimes entirely up-to-date information from distinguished American researchers in their respective fields. In addition to improving the quality of education, such opportunities also open doors to international prospects for students.
The visiting professor and the institute are planning to launch a joint course between the University of Debrecen and Eastern Michigan University. As a first step, Hungarian and American students would work together virtually, with an opportunity to meet in person at a student conference organised in Debrecen.
The initiative could lay the groundwork for long-term cooperation between the two institutions, potentially making student exchanges possible in the future.