Past Institutes

The West and the Shaping of America

In June 2007, seventy-nine Texas teachers attended two professional development institutes organized by Humanities Texas, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art examining the history and culture of the American west.

Curriculum

The Fort Worth and Lubbock institutes explored topics including indigenous peoples and cultures, western exploration and settlement, the frontier and manifest destiny, and the Civil War and the West. Content was aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), with particular emphasis on newly added or revised standards.

The institute emphasized close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. The programs were designed ultimately to enhance teachers' mastery of the subjects they teach and to improve students' performance on state assessments. Teachers received books and other instructional materials.

Faculty

The institute faculty featured some of the leading scholars in Texas and the nation, including Albert S. Broussard (Texas A&M University), Alwyn Barr (Texas Tech University), Richard W. Etulain (University of New Mexico), Robert Goldberg (University of Utah), H. Roger Grant (Clemson University), B. Byron Price (University of Oklahoma), Jo Ann Stiles (Lamar University), and Ron Tyler (Amon Carter Museum).

Educational specialists from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Southwest Collection also served on the institute faculty, providing participants with facsimiles of historic documents that support the teaching of U.S. history.

Locations and Schedules

 More infortmation can be found in the institutes' final report.

Sponsors

Program co-sponsors included Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, and the Amon Carter Museum.

The institute was made possible with major funding from a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.