"Gordon Wood investigates George Washington's contributions to the creation of the American republic. The bicentennial of his death in 1999 sparked a reassessment of this extraordinary man and his times. He was commander in chief of the revolutionary army, a leader in the formation of the Constitution of 1787, and the first president of the new United States. Despite these great accomplishments, he remains strangely distant and inaccessible to us in the early twenty-first century. This brief but intensive course helps explain the sources and meaning of Washington’s greatness."

"This seminar will consider two different American Revolutions. One was the struggle for American self-determination. The second was the ongoing struggle for liberty and equality enunciated in the Declaration of Independence. The seminar will consider the ideological, economic, social and political causes of the War for Independence. It will also consider the war as a political, military, and social struggle. This course will discuss critical steps made during and after the war for liberty and equality: the abolition of slavery in the North, enhancement of women's role and enfranchisement of unpropertied white men. Since New York figured as a critical field of conflict in both American Revolutions, we will take advantage of our location in New York to visit some of the most important Revolutionary sites."

"This seminar will consider two different American Revolutions. One was the struggle for American self-determination. The second was the ongoing struggle for liberty and equality enunciated in the Declaration of Independence. We will consider the ideological, economic, social and political causes of the War for Independence. We will also consider the war as a political, military, and social struggle. This course will discuss critical steps made during and after the war for liberty and equality: the abolition of slavery in the North, enhancement of women's role and enfranchisement of unpropertied white men. Since New York figured as a critical field of conflict in both American Revolutions, we will take advantage of our location in New York to visit some of the most important Revolutionary sites."

"Professor Berkin and participants will examine colonial society in the decades before the Revolution, the events that led to the struggle for Independence and the experience of nation-building in the aftermath of the war. The seminar will take full advantage of the historic sites and educational facilities in Philadelphia, including Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center, and the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial."

This seminar will be "organized around ten commonly taught topics in American history, including: Native Peoples; The Colonial Period; The American Revolution; The Making of a Country; Slavery and Abolition; The Civil War; The Industrial Revolution; Immigration; and The Civil Rights Movement. Teachers will use maps, biographies of important figures, document and activities booklets, as well as multimedia materials such as contemporary music to develop classroom activities and lessons."

This institute will look at Jefferson from as many angles as possible to deepen understanding of his character and personality and thus to shed light on America’s founding and the social and cultural history of the early Republic. The Institute will take a topical approach, looking in depth at such subjects as education, intimate life, family, money, religion, science, and slavery. The seminar will including readings, lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, and lesson planning.

This seminar will "explore the separation of powers as it applies to the allocation of responsibility between Congress and the president concerning national security and foreign policy powers," "by examining the foundations of the Framers' thought" and "selected executive-congressional debates as they arose during later military conflicts." The seminar will including readings, lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, and lesson planning.

This seminar will focus on "close study of key scholarly readings and primary documents on the abolitionist movement, examining the evolution of the abolitionist movement from its beginnings during the Revolutionary era in Philadelphia through its radicalization in the years leading to the Civil War." The seminar will include examination of primary teaching resources, visits to historical sites, readings, discussion, journal writing, lesson planning, and lectures.

"Dr. Tera Hunter, professor of history at Princeton University, will speak on the impact of slavery on African-American marriages and the struggles of slaves and freedpeople to resist family separation and reunite family members."

This seminar will "enhance participants' knowledge of Africa, the Middle Passage, and the people who arrived here in North America in slavery. They will do so by developing projects of their own choosing involving early Atlantic history, literature, or culture up to and including the early nineteenth century." Topics, week by week, will include "Organization: African Understandings," "More African Meanings," "Embarkation, Exile," "Remembering Africa in America," and "Research Results and Teaching Applications."