Organization of American Historians
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2008 Workshops Home

Indiana Workshop
Sessions and Schedule
Sessions and Schedule as PDF
Ivy Tech Community College
Visit Bloomington

Dallas Workshop
Sessions and Schedule
Sessions and Schedule as PDF
Mountain View College
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Procedures and Application

2008 Workshop Sponsor

The History Channel

Lodging Information
Hilton Garden Inn,
Duncanville, TX

2008 OAH Community College Workshop
Mountain View College
Mountain View College, Dallas, Texas
Thursday June 19- Saturday, June 21, 2008

Workshop Information

Our second annual workshop offers community college historians an excellent opportunity for funded professional development, networking, and an enjoyable break in the Dallas area. Stipends of $200 will be offered to 50 participants, along with two sponsored. The workshop is named in memory of Dr. Nadine Ishitani Hata, the pathbreaking leader in establishing community college historians as recognized members of our profession and valued contributors to the OAH.

This is the second year of workshops in a series aimed at providing professional enhancement opportunities and materials for community college professors teaching the U.S. History Survey. It will provide faculty with an opportunity to reflect actively on new scholarship, pedagogy, and regional resources, and to establish new collaborative networks with fellow historians at two- and four-year colleges and universities and at public history institutions. These OAH professional enhancement seminars will ultimately impact the quality of U.S. history education received by students attending community colleges.

The workshop series--funded by an OAH development campaign through the Second Century Initiative, with additional funding from the Ford Foundation, The History Channel--was created by a task force of community college historians along with OAH staff. Workshop presenters will be master teachers, community college professors, prominent research historians and local public history experts. Teaching sessions will also offer roundtable opportunities for you to contribute your own ideas and experiences, especially regarding online courses, using maps and primary materials, oral history projects, and working with underprepared students.

Our workshop will be held over a three-day period: Days 1 and 3 will include plenary-style panels and small group breakout sessions focused on seven core subjects related to teaching the U.S. History Survey and three regional issues, as well as hands-on curriculum development, while Day 2 will feature offsite sessions utilizing local history sites and resources. Information on reasonably priced area hotel lodging will be provided for those interested in staying over near the college.

By the conclusion of the workshop you will have gained an increased knowledge of historical content, pedagogical strategies, and local resources. Additionally, you will receive handouts and access to materials that will allow you to bring what you have learned back to your institutions. You will also be connected to new friends and colleagues in an ongoing history network. Session highlights and materials will be available on the OAH website for future reference and use by all historians.

If you are a community college faculty or part-time/adjunct instructor with a demonstrated commitment to teaching at community colleges for three years or more, apply today for one of the upcoming workshops. Successful applicants will receive a stipend for attending.

We encourage you to register as early as possible, as only 50 stipends are available. Review of applications will begin March 15, 2007. We look forward to your participation!

If you cannot attend, we hope that you will pass our information on to other colleagues and contact us to be on our mailing list for information on resources to be created from our workshop series.

Program Sessions

State of the Field
Historians and the Origins of the American Revolution,
Edward Countryman, Southern Methodist University

In State of the Field sessions, leading scholars will present discussions on current scholarship and ideas on how to integrate this scholarship into the U.S. History Survey. Reading lists and other materials for further study will be provided.

State of the Field
Teaching the History of Texas and the Southwest, Richard McCaslin, University of North Texas

U.S. History in a Global Context

The focus will be on current scholarship that places American history in its transnational context. As many community college students are new Americans, a study of U.S. history that includes the history of other nations may engage students more fully.

Using Online Primary Source Documents and Material Culture in the Survey: Meg Hacker, National Archives and Records Service, Fort Worth

The archivist will discuss appropriate documents and materials for use, resources, and strategies for inclusion in the broader survey, whether during class or in supplementary assignments. Primary documents can allow students to deepen their knowledge of a given issue or time period in a way that lecture cannot.

Strategies in Teaching Late Twentieth Century and Recent History: Michael Bernstein, Tulane University

The focus will be on strategies and resources to provide historical analysis particularly on the last 30 years of American history, including the integration and creation of supplementary texts and online materials. It will also address how faculty can cover the post-1970 period when many professors struggle to get past Vietnam or Watergate.

Incorporating Geography and Online Maps into the Survey, Jessica Overstreet, Tarrant County College

This session will examine the importance of place in understanding American history and how to integrate the use of maps into teaching history. Professor Graves from CSU Northridge Geography Department will also provide an overview of the latest online map technology and use of new and old maps to illustrate economic, demographic, political, and other changes over time.

Designing and Evaluating Online Survey Courses: Ken Alfers, Mountain View College

With growing pressure to offer these courses, professors need to be active in developing and monitoring these products to ensure online courses include rigorous scholarship, historiography, and encourage critical thinking skills. We especially encourage professors currently teaching online courses to participate in a roundtable section of this session.

Finding Financial and Other Resources to Build Local Partnerships, Programs, and Networks: Humanities Texas staff, Hal Berry, St. Charles Community College

This session will provide technical assistance in accessing/advocating for financial resources to build local partnerships and programs. Faculty often lack institutional support to apply for grants or to advocate for additional assistance for personal research or collaborative teaching efforts. Participants will engage in a nuts and bolts discussion of grant opportunities available to community college historians, both nationally and locally.

Working With Underprepared Students Planning to Transfer, Working With New Americans: Liz Nichols, Mountain View College

Many students do not come prepared to read, analyze, and produce the kind of writing commonly assigned in history courses. Workshop participants will discuss instructional strategies designed to develop the academic literacy of English learners and other low literacy students studying history. Participants will also examine the characteristics of new Americans and discuss the academic and cultural challenges these students may face in community college classes.

Interpreting History: Museums and Materials: 6th Floor Museum Staff

Instructors provide context for sites and encourage critical thinking skills, empowering students to consider the interpretive choices made by a particular historic site and contextualize this information with readings and classroom experience. Material artifacts provide history researchers and teachers with new ways of interpreting that complement the use of the documentary record and ultimately better engage students. The session will discuss how public history sites make interpretive decisions, pedagogical tools for utilizing such sites, and how historians are using material culture to sharpen our understanding of the past. This session will be followed by visits to historic sites and presentations by curators.

Site Visits

Curators at museum sites will offer presentations, followed by facility tours. Museum archival resources and research opportunities for community college historians will also be discussed. We currently plan site visits to the Old Red Museum and the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

Workshop Follow-up

Participants will be asked to complete a written evaluation at the conclusion of the workshop. In the year following, they will be asked to complete two follow-up surveys to determine utilization of workshop information and materials in actual course development.

Apply today!

02:49 PM, 03/19/08