Oregon Humanities

Program Overview

Oregon Humanities Teacher Institutes spark teachers’ intellectual curiosity and satisfy their need for new information and ideas. Each year for the past fourteen years, twenty-five Oregon teachers have gathered on college campuses around the state to explore exciting and relevant topics in the humanities. Teachers come together with a team of college and university faculty to examine a topic through the lenses of the humanities, including but not limited to history, literature, philosophy, political science, economics, and geography. Daily activities include lectures, discussions, films, and readings.

• Register for the summer 2010 institute.

• Download the institute brochure.

The Way We Work: History Lessons for a New Economy
Oregon Humanities Summer Teacher Institute
Reed College, Portland
July 8-11, 2010

Registration deadline: April 23, 2010

At this year’s Teacher Institute, explore how the nature of work shapes us as citizens and examine the challenges and opportunities facing the workers of tomorrow. Throughout our history, Americans have debated the degree to which a democratic nation can survive economic inequality, and much of this debate has been grounded in the relationship between work and citizenship. Economic forces continue to shape American culture and identity in the global marketplace. As our economic lives have become more and more dependent on speculation and global capital, living-wage jobs for working people at all education levels have become harder to find. At the same time, the distribution of wealth is more skewed today than it has been at any time since before the Great Depression.

Join university faculty and peers as we explore these issues and their related questions: To what extent does the American historical experience help us contextualize the current economic crisis? How have patriarchy and racism structured the equation of work and citizenship? And to what extent have American political and economic development always been shaped by global forces?

Spaces are limited and preference is given to first-time participants and full-time Oregon secondary school teachers. If you are invited to participate in this institute, you will be asked to pay a $50 materials fee. All participants earn 30 hours of continuing education credit. For a fee, two optional graduate credits are available through Portland State University. If you have questions about the institute, please contact program coordinator Sarah Van Winkle: (800) 735-0543 ext. 112 or by email.

• Register now.

Past Summer Teacher Institutes

The Unfinished Nation: Immigration and American Life Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon. July 17-19, 2009

At this weekend institute, teachers explored the history of immigration nationally and in the northwest; the economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions of immigration; and the tough choices facing us in education policy and immigration reform.

Decoding Class: Money, mobility, and the American dream Oregon State University, Cascades Campus, Bend. July 18-20, 2008

This weekend institute was designed for Oregon secondary school teachers interested in exploring class in literature, history, and popular culture; social and economic mobility as the basis of the “American Dream”; the role of class in contemporary culture; and the intersections of class with religion, race, and gender.

Crossroads of Knowledge: Science and the Human Experience Eastern Oregon University, La Grande. August 6-10, 2007

At this week-long institute, teachers explored the intellectual, social, and cultural legacies of modern science, plus topics including the conflict between evolution and intelligent design and ethical questions raised by modern technology.

Twenty-first Century Citizen: the Transformation of American Public Life Reed College, Portland. June 29-July 1, 2007

This weekend institute was designed for teachers in the social sciences and language arts who were interested in exploring this rapid transformation of public life in the United States. Teachers explored how the political climate evolved over the last decade and the challenges and opportunities for engaging young people in civic life today.

Downloads

• Teacher Institute 2010 Brochure

17 September 2009 | Permalink | Comments? (2 so far)