News release Public Information Office  SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 5/3/05   TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY GRANT PROJECT SPONSORS SUMMER INSTITUTES        HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University is offering two summer institutes for teachers on Louisiana and American history.        The institutes are offered through the “Louisiana in Traditional American History Project,” funded by a three-year U.S. Department of Education grant, said William Robison, head of Southeastern’s Department of History and Political Science and academic coordinator for the project. The institutes will be conducted by Southeastern faculty, guest scholars from other Louisiana universities, and nationally recognized historians, Robison said.         “Louisiana to the Purchase: Pre-history to 1803” will be offered June 20-July 1, while “America to the Constitution: Pre-history to 1791” is scheduled July 11-July 22. Sessions will be conducted from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays on the Southeastern campus.        Ann Trappey, grant project director, said teachers may receive three hours of graduate credit, 45 Continuing Learning Units and a $600 stipend for each seminar.         The institutes are open to teachers in the grant’s 14 school districts: East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes, and the cities of Bogalusa, Baker, and Zachary.        Applications are available online at www.lpb.org/tah. For more information, contact Trappey at 985-748-2443 (phone), 985-748-2445 (fax), or Cynthia.trappey@tangischools.org; or Robison at 985-549-2109 or wrobison@selu.edu.        Robison said Charles Elliott of Southeastern’s Department of History and Political Science will coordinate both summer institutes. The institutes will include lectures and discussions by participating scholars; supervised hands-on experience in researching primary documents, secondary scholarly literature; and on-line sources in the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies and the Sims Memorial Library.        Teachers will also be offered demonstrations on daily life in colonial America and Louisiana; tutorials in the use of digital archives, documentaries, and movies in the classroom; tips on using art, culture, fiction, and music to supplement readings and lectures; field trips to historic locations; and group development of immediately usable lesson plans.        The Louisiana in Traditional American History Project grant was awarded to the Tangipahoa Parish School System and partners such as Southeastern and Louisiana Public Broadcasting to provide teachers with high quality American history content, improve student achievement in history, and help teachers meet certification standards.