This seminar will examine the creation of identity and a sense of place by inhabitants and visitors to the Great Plains throughout the history of the U.S. Discussions and lectures will focus on four books: author and historian Walter P. Webb's 1931 "The Great Plains"; author Willa Cather's 1918 "My Antonia"; author N. Scott Momaday's 1969 "The Way to Rainy Mountain"; and author, historian, and environmentalist Wallace Stegner's 1955 autobiography "Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier."

This workshop will offer "academic content about place-based western history and women’s suffrage on the western frontier, juxtaposed with myths of the West and contemporary women’s issues in the West, opportunities to engage in study and conversation with leading scholars, and introduction to four forms of primary historical sources—the built environment, artifacts, government records, and private papers—all of which have application in all history classrooms." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, readings, examination of primary teaching resources, and lesson plan creation.

This workshop will offer "academic content about place-based western history and women’s suffrage on the western frontier, juxtaposed with myths of the West and contemporary women’s issues in the West, opportunities to engage in study and conversation with leading scholars, and introduction to four forms of primary historical sources—the built environment, artifacts, government records, and private papers—all of which have application in all history classrooms." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, readings, examination of primary teaching resources, and lesson plan creation.

This workshop will "provide an interdisciplinary approach to the various dimensions of Franklin’s career as an inventor, which ranged over fields as diverse as science, civic institutions, diplomacy, citizenship, self-government, music, and mathematics." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, a performance of 18th-century music, visits to historic sites, examination of teaching resources, lesson plan creation, and readings.

This workshop will "provide an interdisciplinary approach to the various dimensions of Franklin’s career as an inventor, which ranged over fields as diverse as science, civic institutions, diplomacy, citizenship, self-government, music, and mathematics." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, a performance of 18th-century music, visits to historic sites, examination of teaching resources, lesson plan creation, and readings.

This workshop will "explore the clash of cultures and differing definitions of liberty that played out on the Missouri-Kansas border in the decade before the firing on Fort Sumter and throughout the Civil War. Workshop presenters and participants will consider the forces and events that precipitated “Bleeding Kansas” and led to the abandonment of the understandings reached in the Missouri Compromise, the rejection of popular sovereignty in the Kansas Territory, and the establishment of the shadow “Free State” government. They will also examine the nature and intensity of the struggles between the Kansas Jayhawkers and Missouri Bushwhackers during the Civil War and the general mayhem these vicious disputes and guerrilla activities engendered. Perspectives of gender, race, class and ideology will be examined and analyzed." The workshop will include examination of teaching resources, visits to historic sites, discussions, lectures, readings, and lesson planning; specific topics will include "Contested Visions of Freedom," "Fault Lines of Freedom: Slavery and Freedom on the Border," "Commerce at the Crossroads: The Conflict of Transition," "Conflicting Visions of Freedom: The Failure of Popular Sovereignty," "From Contention to Warfare: The Uncivil Society," and "The Border Wars in History and Memory."

This workshop will "explore the clash of cultures and differing definitions of liberty that played out on the Missouri-Kansas border in the decade before the firing on Fort Sumter and throughout the Civil War. Workshop presenters and participants will consider the forces and events that precipitated “Bleeding Kansas” and led to the abandonment of the understandings reached in the Missouri Compromise, the rejection of popular sovereignty in the Kansas Territory, and the establishment of the shadow “Free State” government. They will also examine the nature and intensity of the struggles between the Kansas Jayhawkers and Missouri Bushwhackers during the Civil War and the general mayhem these vicious disputes and guerrilla activities engendered. Perspectives of gender, race, class and ideology will be examined and analyzed." The workshop will include examination of teaching resources, visits to historic sites, discussions, lectures, readings, and lesson planning; specific topics will include "Contested Visions of Freedom," "Fault Lines of Freedom: Slavery and Freedom on the Border," "Commerce at the Crossroads: The Conflict of Transition," "Conflicting Visions of Freedom: The Failure of Popular Sovereignty," "From Contention to Warfare: The Uncivil Society," and "The Border Wars in History and Memory."

This workshop will "combine scholarly presentations with on-site investigations of the canals, mills, worker housing, and exhibits of Lowell National Historical Park and of other sites in Lowell's historic district. Sessions draw on scholarly monographs, primary sources, and works of literature and historical fiction. It will intersperse lecture-discussions, hands-on activities, and field investigations. In addition to Lowell’s landmark resources, it will take full advantage of Old Sturbridge Village exhibits and scholars to explore pre-industrial rural life and draw on the expertise of scholars and presenters at Walden Pond and the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, to explore how prominent authors addressed the question of industrialization’s effect on American life, values, and the environment." Specific topics will include "American Industrialization: Lowell, Massachusetts, in International Context," "Comparing Farm and Factory Life, and Cash and Market Economies," "Market Volatility, Competition, and Worker Responses to the New Industrial Order," "Industrialization and Nature: A Comparison of Lowell and Concord," and "Immigration and Industrialization: Poverty or Upward Mobility?."

This workshop will "combine scholarly presentations with on-site investigations of the canals, mills, worker housing, and exhibits of Lowell National Historical Park and of other sites in Lowell's historic district. Sessions draw on scholarly monographs, primary sources, and works of literature and historical fiction. It will intersperse lecture-discussions, hands-on activities, and field investigations. In addition to Lowell’s landmark resources, it will take full advantage of Old Sturbridge Village exhibits and scholars to explore pre-industrial rural life and draw on the expertise of scholars and presenters at Walden Pond and the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, to explore how prominent authors addressed the question of industrialization’s effect on American life, values, and the environment." Specific topics will include "American Industrialization: Lowell, Massachusetss, in International Context," "Comparing Farm and Factory Life, and Cash and Market Economies," "Market Volatility, Competition, and Worker Responses to the New Industrial Order," "Industrialization and Nature: A Comparison of Lowell and Concord," and "Immigration and Industrialization: Poverty or Upward Mobility?."

This workshop "will explore Abraham Lincoln’s life in Springfield, Illinois and the political and historical challenges he faced as President. Educators will hear from outstanding Lincoln scholars drawn from universities in the St. Louis area," visit local historical sites important to Lincoln's life, attend pedagogical sessions, complete readings, and create lesson plans. Major themes discussed will be "Lincoln and American Nationalism," "Lincoln and Power," "Lincoln and Freedom," and "Lincoln and Race."