Center
for Professional Studies
Summer
II 2009
Immigration
and the American Identity 1880-1950
7/1/09, 7/2/09, 7/6/09, 7/7/09, 7/8/09 & 7/9/09; 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Fitchburg State College
Course Description: This
course, like all courses in the Teaching American History program, has a dual
objective. As a graduate history course, it will examine transnational
immigration, with an emphasis on mass immigration in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. We will focus in particular on the impact of
immigration history on the lives of people – including our lives. Students will
learn the basics of genealogical research and research in-depth the history of
a particular immigrant group. Of equal importance is the TAH mission to help
teachers adapt the course content to their classrooms. You will develop
specific strategies for teaching students about the past, as well as about what
it means to “do history” – to research, think, and write like a historian.
The
course will be conducted primarily as an oversized research seminar. Much of
our time will be spent using a combination of assigned readings, audiovisual
presentations, Internet explorations, and independent research as the basis for
small- and large- group discussions. This course will also feature guest
speakers and a fieldtrip to Lowell National Historical Park. Those without
previous experience with the program should note that this is not a professional development course or
an education course. It is a graduate-level history course and will reflect the
high demands, expectations, and standards of scholarship associated with such a
course. However, it is a graduate-level history course tailored to teachers.
Its goal is to help you develop as an educator historian. That is, as a teacher
and scholar knowledgeable about history, skilled in the craft of historical
inquiry and writing, and proficient at teaching this knowledge and skills to
others.