TEACHER OF THE YEAR | SUMMER SEMINARS | HUMANITIES IN THE HALLWAYS

Teacher Seminars 2010

The following tuition-free six-day seminars will be offered by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities for teachers of the state. Activities at the seminars include lectures, discussions, field trips, films, writing workshops, curriculum planning, and opportunities to network with scholars and teaching colleagues.

Participants have the opportunity to earn

· 45 professional development credits
· with curriculum project, $250 stipend
· with research paper, 3 graduate credits*
  and $250 stipend
  *Credits are offered through The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey at a cost of $450

The NJCH Teacher Institute will take place on the campus of
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona,
in the heart of New Jersey's historic Pinelands
and minutes from the shore and Atlantic City.

Race in American History and Culture: New Perspectives

This seminar examines the centrality of race as an evolving concept and also as a tenacious challenge to the fulfillment of American democracy. Drawing upon recent scholarship in the humanities, including interrogation of the visual arts and popular culture, teachers will explore the complicated role that race has played as the organizing principle of the American Republic and the most formidable social construction of difference in our society.

Poverty, Affluence, and the American Dream

Beyond its obvious economic dimensions, poverty has displayed a wide variety of political and cultural meanings throughout American history. Through examination of works relating to poverty, wealth, and class from the 1860s to the early 2000s, this seminar investigates the historical, sociological, and literary ebbs and flows of the American Dream, as well as how poverty and poor people have been discussed and represented over the last 150 years.

America and the Politics of World Religions

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Chinese traditions—understanding the interactions among these global forces is crucial to understanding both the dynamics of global power and America’s place on the world stage. This seminar is devoted to exploring the religious roots of American politics as well as the politics of the world’s great religions, leading to a deeper appreciation of how these seminal forces relate to each other, and to a greater sense of the possibilities for understanding and cooperation.

Narratives of Immigration: Latino/a Lives

The United States, as a nation of immigrants, is increasingly defined by the narratives of its Latina/o population. This seminar takes up the novels, short stories, films and music that tell their stories of arrival and belonging. Teachers will examine how Latino conceptualizations of national, racial and ethnic communities are formed, and how the idea of “community” relates to issues of immigration, colonialism, exile, integration and assimilation, political presence, religion, criminality, and “back home” nationalism.  

Adolescent and Young Adult Literature

Adolescents are multi-literate beings with rich and diverse cultural worlds and identities. This seminar encourages participants to think and talk about how their own personal connections with literature inform their evolving personal theory of and professional approach to literature instruction. Participants will be invited to explore social and cultural issues around young adult and adolescent literature and consider the implications of these issues for their content-area classrooms.

An application for download is available here:

2010 Application Form for Website

2010 Application - PDF

Chris Scherer may be reached at
1-888-FYI-NJCH (394-6524) or by email at cscherer@njch.org

Some NJCH seminars are supported by the “We the People” initiative
of the National Endowment for the Humanities through a grant from the
New Jersey Council for the Humanities.  Any views, findings, conclusions or
recommendations in this program did not necessarily represent those of
the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. 

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities also received funding for
the Teacher Institute through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State.