Participants will engage in a week of creating art and learning new teaching strategies for bringing enriching art experiences into the classroom. Using the uniquely beautiful photographs of Ansel Adams as a jumping off point, participants will use a combination of art techniques, poetry, and music to explore a sense of place through the lens of art, history, and culture. Artist studio visits and special events further enhance this learning experience.

This 2009 American Studies Summer Institute, presented with the University of Massachusetts Boston, will offer a critical and historical examination of the social and political impact of severe downturns in the U.S. economy.

This hands-on, interactive program puts teachers and their students in touch with local Cobb County historic resources while they learn about the cultural and folk traditions of their community. The "classroom" includes East Cobb's 1840s Hyde Farm and Power Cabin, Acworth's Rosenwald School and Bethel A.M.E. Church, Marietta's Root House Museum, and the Marietta Museum of History. The program brings the classroom to the streets of Marietta, with walking tours of the Church Street-Cherokee Street Historic District and the Marietta City Cemetery. In a more traditional classroom setting, the teachers attend sessions on oral history and architectural history.

The institute is an intensive, professional development program on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Participants take part in lectures and discussions on constitutional themes pertinent to the curriculum content, classroom strategies, and performance assessment. An essential component of the institute is teacher preparation and participation in a simulated congressional hearing as a culminating activity. The hearing is a model for student hearings to be held during the school year. Experienced teacher mentors assist participants in discussing the challenges of teaching civic education and preparing for the culminating hearing.

Participants in this course will explore American Indian history in North Carolina from the earliest evidence of human habitation in the state through first contact with Europeans, the Trail of Tears, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and into the present day.

Students often hold incorrect ideas about Native Americans and, in particular, know very little about the history and culture of American Indians right here in North Carolina. Archaeological finds, creation stories, the writings of early European explorers, government documents and treaties, stories handed down through oral tradition, indigenous crafts, newspaper articles, and more will enrich exploration of key issues in Native American history in North Carolina.

Moreover, thoughtful articles and lively discussions will allow participants to address modern issues such as the needs of American Indian students in North Carolina classrooms and present-day controversies such as the use of Indian-themed mascots in school athletic programs.