This year's five-day institute will explore the Civil War from the perspectives of ordinary people—soldiers, slaves, and women—fighting, living, and dying in a nation embroiled in war. By examining the war through the eyes of those who lived it, participants will develop a greater understanding of the American Civil War's impact and complexity. Participants will join the staff of the Museum of the Confederacy and guest lecturers for special sessions, tours, and discussions, designed to aid teachers of all grade levels.

The Federalist is a complex political work comprised of arguments about war, economics, national unity, and liberty (among other things) based on appeals to human nature, history, reason, and prudence. In this course participants will examine and discuss the Federalist as fully and as deeply as possible, aiming to understand how (or whether) its parts fit together in a coherent whole and its enduring contribution to U.S. understanding of politics.

This course is an intensive study of the Constitutional Convention, the struggle over ratification of the Constitution, and the creation of the Bill of Rights. It will include a close examination of the Federalist Papers and the Antifederalist papers.

This course focuses on the legislative branch of the U.S. government. It examines topics such as the constitutional powers of Congress, the relations between Congress and the other branches of the federal government and the states, and the changing structure and internal politics of Congress.

Abraham Lincoln wove his words into the fabric of American history. In the 21st century, Lincoln's political language remains more contemporary than all but the most timeless of the political language of the American Founding. This course is a study of selected Lincoln speeches aiming to illuminate Lincoln's understanding of the relation of the principles of the American Founding to the most pressing issues of his day.

This course is an intensive study of the Constitutional Convention, the struggle over ratification of the Constitution, and the creation of the Bill of Rights. It will include a close examination of the Federalist Papers and the Antifederalist papers.

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) is the great American novel about race, perhaps even the great American novel. It considers and affirms the principle—that "mysterious binding force"—that holds the U.S. together as a people and that is tied to its own history. In doing so it raises all the important political questions about equality, freedom, rights and justice; the legacy of slavery and white supremacy; our "human and absurd diversity." The novel's deliberate attempt, in Ellison's words, "to return to the mood of personal moral responsibility for democracy" makes perfectly clear the connection between literature and politics. The seminar will also consider a few of Ellison's essays bearing directly on Invisible Man.

This course examines American strategy and operational art during the middle part of the 19th century. During the first part of the course, participants will look at the development of American grand strategy during the era of the early Republic, based on an understanding of America's place in the world, the genesis of the war with Mexico, the strategy and major campaigns of the Mexican War, and the way that Mexico prepared the generation of officers who led the armies of both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. During the second part, participants will examine the strategy and campaigns of the Civil War. Civil-military relations in a republic is a major thread that runs throughout the course.

One way citizens of large republics are educated in the principles of government is through novels. With this in mind, this course examines selections from the work of Mark Twain. Not only is Twain America's most enduringly popular author, but his novels depict important aspects of the American character and have much to say about such themes as equality, slavery, freedom, modern science, Christianity, and democratic leadership, all of which are crucial for understanding American history and politics. The main texts will be Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; if time permits, participants will also consider The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson.