2010 SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR CALCASIEU PUBLIC SCHOOL AMERICAN HISTORY TEACHERS

Do you love to learn? Are you looking for new and engaging ways to teach American history? Do you need credit to meet the Highly Qualified 90 CLU (Continuing Learning Units) requirements? Participate in a Teaching American History Summer Institute and enrich your knowledge of the subject you teach, plus receive a $1,250 stipend, 3 college credits in history, and classroom materials. Teachers also will receive 45 CLUs.

Through a Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with Calcasieu Public Schools and McNeese State University, will provide advanced study opportunities for public school American history teachers in southwestern Louisiana. These institutes are designed to assist teachers and their students in meeting state and national standards, including the Grade Level Expectations, Graduation Exit Examination and LEAP tests.

These are graduate-school level institutes in which participants will immerse themselves in intellectually challenging seminars and readings led by respected university history professors and nationally prominent guest scholars. Teachers will explore key documents, debates, philosophies and personalities that shaped American and Louisiana history, as well as the origins and evolution of American democracy, the Constitution, civic rights and responsibilities. The Institutes will make use of the most current resources (both text and electronic), as well as introduce participants to local cultural resources and archives. Teachers should leave the Institutes armed with renewed proficiency in American history, and with new strategies, materials and technology to help students better understand the central issues that shaped our nation and its people.

Through classroom discussions, readings, field trips and writing essays, each teacher institute will provide elementary, middle and high school teachers with intellectual stimulation and advanced knowledge of American or Louisiana history. While the careful study of American history is the main focus, the Institutes also will focus on how original and primary documents may be integrated into your classroom lesson plan.

Term: Four weeks, Monday-Thursday, 3 classroom hours per day, institute syllabus may require fieldtrips on Fridays or days other than scheduled classroom hours.

Dates: 9 a.m. to Noon, Monday through Thursday, June 7 to July 1, 2010

Stipend: $1,250 stipend, institute books and teaching materials to take back to the classroom

Eligibility: Priority will be given to Calcasieu public school teachers who teach U.S. or Louisiana history at the elementary, middle, or high school levels. Public school U.S. and Louisiana history teachers in other parishes also will be considered if space is available. Also, applicants must be eligible to be admitted in good standing at McNeese State University.

Academic Credit: Teachers will receive 3 credit hours in history from McNeese State University.

Tuition & Other Benefits: Teachers will not pay tuition or fees. McNeese State has waived tuition for participating teachers. In addition, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities will pay for the remaining mandatory university fees and textbooks. Selected teachers will be eligible for consideration for an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. (A limited number will be selected)

Successful Completion: To receive the stipend, academic credit and CLUs, teachers must successfully complete the Institute, which means they must receive a passing grade from the university and complete all institute requirements.

Enrollment: Limited to 17 teachers per Institute

Where: McNeese State University

Registration: See application and requirements.
Download the Application Form PDF

Requirements: Completed application form, two references identified (one should be a principal and an assistant principal or department head).

Deadline: March 20, 2010

Contact: John R. Kemp
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, LA 70113
504-620-2481 • Fax: 504-529-2358
kemp@leh.org

From June 7 to July 1, 2010, four institutes will be offered. All Institutes will run Monday through Thursday (some Friday and afternoon field trips may be scheduled).

For Elementary & Middle School Teachers
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION TO 1812
Derek Blakeley, Ph.D. McNeese State University, Department of History

This institute will consider the formative years of the United States as the generation of the Founding Fathers not only made the decisive break from Britain, but wrote the Constitution, established the political institutions of the nation, and argued about the directions that the United States should take in the first 25 years of the nation’s existence. While the institute will focus on national policy as the new government debated issues such as individual rights, state sovereignty, slavery, trade and tariffs, and national expansion, regional perspectives on these issues also will be considered. The vivid personalities of the era (Hamilton, Jefferson, Burr, Madison, etc) make this an exciting era of history and the decisions taken (revolution, the Constitution, national expansion and the economic, diplomatic and political directions of the early Republic) provide a solid basis for those who teach American history from the colonial era to the Revolution and Civil War. Guest speakers will present diverse views and field trips to a colonial-era plantation and the Chalmette battlefield are planned. Participants will receive copies of historic documents to take back to their classrooms.

For Elementary, Middle & High School Teachers
A MULTI-CULTURAL JOURNEY THROUGH LOUISIANA HISTORY
Janet Allured, Ph.D., McNeese State University, Department of History

Louisiana history has been traditionally taught from the top down. This institute will look at that history from the perspective of ordinary people. Analyzing Louisiana history through the lens of gender, race, ethnicity and socio-economic class, we will discuss the ethnic history and contributions of the various Euro-American groups; the linguistic and ethnic background of African slaves; the creation of a free black society and a mixed-race Creole society; 19th century Irish, German, Czech and Italian immigration. A look at late 20th century immigration from East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will close out the seminar. Guest speaker Nick Spitzer (American Routes) will take teachers on an audio journey of Louisiana music. Other speakers will lecture on Native Americans, Cajuns, and modern Vietnamese immigrant communities. Field trips to Natchitoches, New Orleans, and local museums are planned.

For Middle School Teachers
THE AGE OF JACKSON: POLITICS, SOCIETY, CULTURE
John R. Keeling, Ph.D., McNeese State University, Department of History

This course will examine chronologically and topically American history from the post-War of 1812 “Era of Good Feelings” through the Mexican-American War. In this crucial period of its history, the United States embarked upon an unprecedented experiment in popular democracy and produced some of its most compelling political figures, like Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Though political and economic developments will be covered, this course will focus on social movements (like utopianism and reform), religious innovations (like the Second Great Awakening), and cultural expressions (like Transcendentalism). The art and music of the period will be examined as well. Guest lecturers will further illuminate the society and culture of the period. Assignments will include a paper and short evaluations of the assigned readings. Participation in an institute field trip is also planned. This seminar will provide participants with the knowledge, materials and resources necessary to teach America's antebellum era.

For Middle & High School Teachers
U.S. HISTORY FROM 1850 TO 1900
Michael T. Smith, Ph.D., McNeese State University, Department of History

During the second half of the 19th century the U.S. emerged as a world power, despite internal conflicts so severe that they nearly resulted in the dissolution of the Union. This course will focus on the road to the American Civil War and the way that the war shaped the nation's subsequent development. Attention will be given to the bitter struggles of Reconstruction in Louisiana and the rest of the South. Guest speaker Lorien Foote (Seeking the One Great Remedy) will lecture on her forthcoming book on discipline in the Civil War armies. Other guest speakers will lecture on other aspects of the era's military and social history. A field trip to New Orleans is planned. Activities will include discussion of how teachers can integrate the material into their classrooms in specific ways. Assignments will include reflective essays.