From the time that the first Europeans arrived in America, religion has been an important part of American life. This course examines the various ways in which religion has played a role in American history, with particular emphasis on the role of religion in American politics.

This course will examine military aspects of the war, as well as political developments during it, including the political history of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural. The course also examines the post-war Amendments and the Reconstruction era.

This course examines the development of American political parties, focusing on the meaning of parties and historic moments in the rise and fall of political parties from the Founding era to the present. Topics may include realigning elections, changing coalitions within American parties, and the contemporary Democratic and Republican parties.

This course will examine military aspects of the war, as well as political developments during it, including the political history of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural. The course also examines the post-war Amendments and the Reconstruction era.

This institute explores the primary pictorial forms in American art from the British colonial settlement to the aftermath of the Civil War. The three units—portraiture, history painting, and landscape—will include a particular focus on works drawn from the National Endowment for the Humanities' new initiative "Picturing America." This NEH poster series, which has already been distributed to thousands of schools, captures 40 canonical works of American art that reflect the artistic and cultural history of the United States. Through the institute, participants will come to a deeper understanding of these works in their historical contexts and explore different methods of visual analysis. They will develop strategies and tools to use the "Picturing America" series in their classrooms.

This institute will provide educators the opportunity to engage in serious study and seminar-style discussion of basic issues of political theory and the values and principles of American constitutional democracy.

From the Facing History and Ourselves website:

"Facing History and Ourselves' newest online seminar, 'Choices in Little Rock,' is a rich and engaging exploration of the 1957 desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The seminar traces the legal and personal struggles of African Americans from Jim Crow America through the landmark supreme court decision on Brown v. Board of Education, and ultimately, to the courageous actions of nine young men and women determined to make desegregation a reality. Their efforts would lead to a crisis that historian Taylor Branch once described as 'the most severe test of the Constitution since the Civil War.'

This online seminar takes place over seven weeks. Each week, participants will engage in a variety of activities that will include reading materials, viewing video clips, creating journal entries, and participating in online facilitated discussion forums. Participants are expected to complete approximately four hours of work each week at their own pace.

Each participant will receive a copy of our teaching guide, Choices in Little Rock, as well as some additional resources, prior to the start of the seminar."

From the Facing History and Ourselves website:

"Using Facing History's principal resource book, Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as video, primary sources, and presentations by survivors and leading scholars of the Holocaust, participants will experience a rigorous encounter with this powerful history. During the Seminar, a wide range of innovative teaching strategies are used to help teachers confront the Holocaust. At the conclusion of the Seminar, participants leave with a thorough grounding on how to incorporate these teaching tools into their classrooms in ways that will help students connect the history of the Holocaust to the ethical choices they face today."