Summer Institute: July 7-11, 2008

High school and middle school teachers came to the CCSU campus for a week of workshops and discussions about teaching American history, focused on our theme of "Social Movements, Social Change." The institute included a visit to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center as well as scholarly presentations on different social movements in U.S. history, and time to work on lesson plans. Participants could receive graduate credit or CEUs, a stipend, and books and other materials.

Learn more about previous summer institutes by clicking here.

Graduate Workshops

Our series of six workshops in 2007-08 included sessions on finding and using primary sources in the classroom, teaching history with music and art, war and memory, civil rights and schooling, and war and civil liberties. In 2009 we offered workshops on teaching immigration, the modern women's movement, and antiwar movements. All these workshops featured talks by professional historians as well as time to work with primary sources and share teaching ideas with colleagues.

Click here for lists of additional resources prepared for our previous workshops , as well as Powerpoint presentations.

Book Circles

Experienced teachers join with current CCSU teacher candidates for discussions about history and history teaching. Recent books have included Edward Ball, Slaves in the Family; Alexander Keyssar, The Right to Vote; Kevin Boyle, Arc of Justice; Eric Foner, The Story of American Freedom; John Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of WWII; Cecilia O'Leary, To Die For: The Paradox of American Patriotism; and William Chafe, Remembering Jim Crow.

Click here for additional resources related to our previous book circles.

Independent Study

Teachers have designed graduate independent study with a CCSU faculty member on topics of their choosing relating to U.S. history, such as U.S. foreign policy, the history of mental illness, Native American education.