Past Institutes

The Two World Wars


On June 13–16, 2017, Humanities Texas partnered with Texas A&M University and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research to hold a professional development institute for Texas teachers covering World Wars I and II.

Curriculum

The institute covered topics central to World Wars I and II, including the causes and effects of the wars, the reasons for U.S. involvement, major military operations, the literature of World War I, Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the Treaty of Versailles, isolationism and neutrality, the role of women during the wars, the Holocaust and post-war representations of the Holocaust in photography and film, mobilization and the atomic bomb, and the leadership of FDR and Truman during World War II.

Like all Humanities Texas teacher programs, the institute emphasized close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities.

Faculty

Ralph James Quincy Adams of Texas A&M University delivered the institute’s keynote lecture. The program faculty also included Michael Bess (Vanderbilt University), H. W. Brands (UT Austin), Charles Flanagan (National Archives and Records Administration), and from Texas A&M University Terry Anderson, Elizabeth Cobs, Marian Eide, Richard J. Golsan, Stefanie Harris, Arnold Krammer, Brian Linn, Jason Parker, and Adam Seipp.

Location and Schedule

The institute took place on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station from June 13–16, 2017. The schedule is available 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.

Questions about Teacher Institutes

Call 512.440.1991 (press 2) or email institutes@humanitiestexas.org.

Terry Anderson, professor of history and Cornerstone Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University, discusses primary sources with workshop participants in College Station.
Michael Bess, Chancellor’s Professor of History at Vanderbilt University, provides insight on primary documents in College Station.
H. W. Brands, Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at The University of Texas at Austin, provides tools on analyzing historical documents in College Station.
Stefanie Harris, associate professor of German and film at Texas A&M University, delivers a lecture on “Post-War Representation of the Holocaust” in College Station.