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."
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.
This seminar will "focuses on learning as much as possible about the events of 1989, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the massacre in Tiananmen Square, and the conflicting interpretations of those events, and on developing learning activities that will make it possible for educators to bring these events to life for their students. In addition to learning a great deal about 1989 and its aftermath, the participants who join us for the seminar will create Primary Source Activities that they can take home, use in their classrooms, share with colleagues and potentially publish on the website 'Making the History of 1989: The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.'"
"In recognition of the rigor of this academic endeavor, teachers who complete the required work will qualify for three graduate credits in history at George Mason, which will offer the credit at a reduced rate of $550 per credit hour for in-state and $800 for out-of-state residents. For teachers who would like to receive continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development credit, the program will provide a full syllabus and at the end of the seminar, a general letter explaining the work they have completed that can be taken to district or county administrators in charge of awarding CEUs." Participants will also receive a certificate indicating participation.
"The seminar will explore several key works by the political theorist, Hannah Arendt: 'Eichmann in Jerusalem,' 'The Origins of Totalitarianism,' and 'The Human Condition.' These works shed light on the problem of evil and the use of terror in the contemporary age, and provide a philosophical perspective on current debates about the use of violence to settle political conflicts, about the conditions of democracy, and about the scope and importance of human rights."
"Optional certification of course credit equivalent to three units of graduate course work can be provided in the form of a letter from the program director, pending completion of a 10-15 page research paper." Participants will also receive a certificate indicating participation.
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."
"Those seminarians desiring to earn graduate credit or continuing education units will be enabled to do so – arrangements in progress." Participants will also receive a certificate indicating participation.
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.
"All participants will receive a certificate of participation and statements of participation suitable for requesting continuing education units. Graduate credit is available from the University of Wyoming for those requesting it. Three graduate credits from the UW College of Education are available at the cost of $164 per credit; additional work will be required. Three continuing education credits are also available for $40 per credit."
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.
"All participants will receive a certificate of participation and statements of participation suitable for requesting continuing education units. Graduate credit is available from the University of Wyoming for those requesting it. Three graduate credits from the UW College of Education are available at the cost of $164 per credit; additional work will be required. Three continuing education credits are also available for $40 per credit."
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.
"Teachers participating in the workshop will be eligible to receive continuing education units (CEUs). They will receive documentation to send to their state department of education upon conclusion of the workshop."