Past Institutes

Teaching the American Literary Tradition (2020 Online Institute)

From July 6–10, 2020, Humanities Texas held an online professional development institute for English language arts teachers focused on the American literary tradition.

Curriculum

The institute addressed topics and skills central to the state's high school ELA curriculum.

Each faculty member led a two-hour session that provided approaches to reading and understanding central authors, texts, and eras from our nation's diverse literary tradition. Faculty addressed the following topics: Teaching American Literature; Connecting Students to Nineteenth-Century Literature; American Literature of the 1920s; Teaching Texas Literature; and Teaching Mexican American Literature.

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

Faculty

The program faculty included James H. Cox (The University of Texas at Austin), Amy Earhart (Texas A&M University), Andres Lopez (Northside Independent School District), Sarah Ruffing Robbins (Texas Christian University), and Michael Soto and Claudia Stokes, both of Trinity University.

Schedule

The schedule for the "Teaching the American Literary Tradition" 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.