Bringing Social History into the Classroom: A Catalyst for Change
November 14, 2008
Our inaugural seminar is designed to assist teachers in planning their semester or year-long American history and culture courses. We will present ASHP/CML teaching approaches and methods as well as new social history scholarship. Focusing on the experiences of working men and women, this seminar will help teachers identify overarching goals and appropriate resources, plan for performance assessment, and build critical thinking skills to help students prepare for standardized exams, such as the New York State Regents. Our collection of primary sources will draw from women’s history and its place in the historiography of American history.
Guest speakers: Dr. Joshua Brown, Executive Director, American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning and Dr. Barbara Winslow, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York
December 12, 2008
The Irish in America: Life and Labor in the Five Points
New York City’s Five Points was the first and most notorious slum in America, populated by thousands of extremely poor Irish immigrants who had fled the Irish Famine. To learn about this first major wave of immigrants, we must look beyond the sensational newspaper accounts about the neighborhood’s violence and vice and consult census records, Bowery Savings Bank accounts, and artifacts from an archaeological dig in the area. We’ll also examine the fear and loathing Irish immigrants encountered by looking at political cartoons and the responses of the native-born New Yorkers, which are captured in ASHP/CML’s documentary, Five Points: New York’s Irish Working Class.
Guest speaker: Dr. Carol Groneman, Professor Emeritus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York
February 13, 2009
The Civil War
The Civil War, America’s Second Revolution, spurred daunting questions about the nation’s future. This seminar explores the unraveling sectional crisis that led to southern secession and a war to reunite the Union. We will examine primary documents that discuss the secession debates, the Dred Scott Decision, and free labor platforms. We will also consider how the story of the Civil War was captured in fine art and photography, material culture, memorials, and other historic artifacts.
Guest speaker: Dr. Jeanie Attie, Long Island University of New York – C.W. Post
March 20, 2009
The War of 1898: Wars, Fairs, and Empire
In this seminar, participants will explore the relationship between culture and expansion in a workshop on the ASHP/CML documentary Savage Acts: Wars, Fairs, and Empire, which examines U.S. culture and foreign policy at the turn of the twentieth century. The producers of this documentary will join teachers to discuss its relevance and timeliness. Through participation in document-based activities teachers will be exposed to a range of active learning strategies. Participants will also explore the writings of Cuban Revolutionary leader José Marti and other exiled leaders living in New York City during this time.
Guest speakers: Dr. Pennee Bender and Andrea Ades Vásquez, American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
April 24, 2009
Making It in America: Migrations in U.S. History
The United States is largely a nation of immigrants. The settlement and expansion of the nation’s borders have relied on the relocation (both voluntary and involuntary) of people. In this seminar we will explore the question of “Why do people move?” Participants will learn about historical migrations to New York City. Through the use of primary and secondary sources we will gain a greater understanding of how economic, political, and social factors impact the movement of people.
Guest speaker: Dr. Carlos Sanabria, Hostos Community College
May 15, 2009
The Vietnam War
In our final seminar, we will explore the Vietnam War through multiple perspectives—the policymakers who escalated the conflict, the soldiers who were sacrificed for it, and the public who eventually came to oppose it. The seminar will be held at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan. Our group will view the Center’s series The Living Room War which looks at how the conflict in Vietnam played out in American newscasts, sitcoms, and documentaries.
Guest speaker: Dr. Christian Appy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
