This forum, designed for secondary, pre-service, and community college educators, explores the content, methodologies, and rationales for teaching the history of the Holocaust; increases teachers' knowledge of the Holocaust; and examines contemporary issues associated with this history.
The Museum Teacher Fellowship is developing a national corps of skilled secondary school educators and community college faculty who serve as leaders in Holocaust education in their schools, their colleges, their communities, and their professional organizations. Beginning in 2009, up to 15 educators in grades 7 through 12 and community college faculty will be designated as Museum Teacher Fellows. These educators must show evidence of extensive knowledge of Holocaust history, successful teaching experience, and participation in community and professional organizations. They will participate in a five-day, all-expense paid summer institute at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC designed to immerse participants in advanced historical and pedagogical issues. Following the summer institute, Fellows are expected to create and implement an outreach project in their schools, colleges, communities, or professional organizations. In July of the following year, Fellows will attend a follow-up program at the Museum to assess their various efforts and to continue their study of the Holocaust with Museum staff and noted speakers.
Sponsoring Organization
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Eligibility Requirements
Community college faculty and middle- and high-school history, social studies, foreign language, English, and journalism teachers, as well as librarians and instructional media specialists, are encouraged to apply for Museum Teacher Fellowships. Other content areas will also be considered. It is expected that applicants will have taught the Holocaust for a minimum of five years. Applicants must teach in United States schools.
Application Deadline
Award Amount
Participation in a five-day, all-expense paid summer institute at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
Asian-American studies scholar Greg Robinson will speak about Mine Okubo: Following Her Own Road, a new book about the pioneering Nisei artist, co-edited with Elena Tajima Creef. Okubo's landmark Citizen 13660 (1946) is the first and perhaps best-known autobiography of the wartime confinement experience. The book is richly illustrated with Okubo's artwork and contains essays that illuminate the importance of her contributions to American arts and letters.
At this workshop, teachers may test curriculum produced by Densho, an award-winning leader in the field of oral history, while they gain expertise in working with oral histories in the classroom. The workshop will present innovative lessons that include primary sources drawn from Densho's Digital Archive of interviews, photos, and documents. The workshop will introduce new social studies units for elementary, middle, and high school that are aligned with Washington State Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs).
This workshop will consider the myths and realities of four themes central to the figure of Abraham Lincoln. First, participants will examine Lincoln and American Nationalism. To more fully understand this theme, they will examine how historians have portrayed Lincoln over time. A starting point for this examination will be reading from primary sources including Lincoln's Message to Congress in Special Session (July 4, 1861), followed by selected sections from secondary sources: James McPherson's Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, and Barry Schwartz's Lincoln at the Millennium. Central to this examination is the question of how Lincoln used history, especially the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers, to develop his rhetorical defense of the Union and justification for action. Second, participants will consider Lincoln and power. The examination of this theme centers on the dilemma of how to fight a civil war and preserve civil liberties. Lincoln scholars will provide participants with opportunities to discuss how Lincoln attempted to preserve the Union without sacrificing the Constitution. The investigation begins with required reading of selections from David Donald's Lincoln and David Potter's Jefferson Davis and the Political Factors in Confederate Defeat. Participants will probe critical issues such as suspension of habeas corpus, censorship of the press, and declaration of martial law through reading Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. Third, participants will consider Lincoln and freedom. It has been argued that Lincoln changed the meaning of the Constitution. Participants will investigate this theme by first reading the Gettysburg Address and selected letters in which Lincoln describes his vision of equality. Then, they will analyze selections from Garry Wills's 1992 The Words that Remade America, which suggests that the change went beyond the relationship between the federal government and the states to the relationship between the federal government and the individual. How might Lincoln's words, "a new birth of freedom" suggest change in the vision of equality? Finally, participants will consider Lincoln and race. They will examine the Emancipation Proclamation and the complex issue of race in America. Readings for this theme draw on selections from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the Emancipation Proclamation and selected Lincoln letters, and readings from Lerone Bennet's Was Abe Lincoln a White Supremacist? and Philip Shaw Paludan's Emancipating the Republic: Lincoln and the Means and Ends of Antislavery. Much of Lincoln's position of honor in American history rests upon his action to free the slaves. Yet, some view the proclamation as an empty gesture or even a conservative attempt to forestall more radical action. These discussions will provide participants with an opportunity to explore the evolution of Lincoln's attitude toward emancipation that culminated in his support for the 13th Amendment.
Participants who might want graduate credit (History or Education) will be provided with an SIUE graduate tuition waiver for up to three units of graduate course credit for this workshop. University fees will still apply. To receive course credit and a grade, an additional series of three lesson plans will be required to be submitted to the project director, following workshop participation. Registration for this tuition waiver will be processed on campus during the workshop.
This workshop explores the questions "In 1690, to what extent were the arts and material culture of the British Atlantic colonies 'American?,' "To what extent were they 'American' by 1789?," "What major factors defined the evolution in American arts and material culture in this period?," and "To what extent did this evolution reflect the changing self-image of Americans?"
This workshop explores the questions "By 1690, what factors and issues dominated European-Native American relationships throughout North America?," "How had these relationships changed by the end of the British imperial wars in 1763?, "How did these changes influence British America on the eve of the Revolution?," and "How did these changes influence Native American culture and politics?"
The Center's online resource workshops give high school teachers of U.S. history and American literature a deeper understanding of their subject matter. They introduce teachers to fresh texts and critical perspectives and help teachers integrate them into their lessons. Led by distinguished scholars and running 60 to 90 minutes, they are conducted through lecture and discussion using conferencing software. A resource workshop identifies central themes within a topic and explores ways to teach them through the close analysis of primary texts, including works of art, and the use of discussion questions. Texts are drawn from anthologies in the Center's Toolbox Library. To participate, all that is needed is a computer with an internet connection, a speaker, and a microphone.
This workshop examines the questions "How did the total mobilizations of the Civil War affect the northern and southern home fronts?," "What was life like for women on the northern and southern home fronts?," and "What was life like for African Americans on the northern and southern home fronts?"
The Center's online resource workshops give high school teachers of U.S. history and American literature a deeper understanding of their subject matter. They introduce teachers to fresh texts and critical perspectives and help teachers integrate them into their lessons. Led by distinguished scholars and running 60 to 90 minutes, they are conducted through lecture and discussion using conferencing software. A resource workshop identifies central themes within a topic and explores ways to teach them through the close analysis of primary texts, including works of art, and the use of discussion questions. Texts are drawn from anthologies in the Center's Toolbox Library. To participate, all that is needed is a computer with an internet connection, a speaker, and a microphone.