Past Institutes

Founding a New Nation (2020 Online Institute)

From June 15–19, 2020, Humanities Texas held an online professional development institute for Texas teachers covering U.S. history during the founding period.

Curriculum

The institute curriculum aligned with TEKS standards for the state's middle school U.S. history curriculum, focusing on the challenges confronted by the government and its leaders in the early years of the republic.

Each faculty member led a two-hour session that included a lecture, Q&A, and a seminar on teaching with primary sources. Faculty addressed the following topics: George Washington: Defining the Presidency; Alexander Hamilton and the Development of the U.S. Economic System; Thomas Jefferson and the Rise of Political Parties; American Society During the Founding Period; and Establishing the Federal Judiciary.

Like all Humanities Texas programs, the institute was content-based and teacher-centered, with an emphasis on teaching with primary sources and developing effective pedagogical strategies.

Faculty

The program faculty included Zara Anishanslin (University of Delaware), Kate Elizabeth Brown (Western Kentucky University), Denver Brunsman (George Washington University), Lindsay M. Chervinsky (Institute for Thomas Paine Studies), and Joseph F. Kobylka (Southern Methodist University).

Schedule

The schedule for the "Founding a New Nation" online institute can be viewed here.

Sponsors

The institute was made possible with major funding from the State of Texas, with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.