PRES 503 Philadelphia Museums - Philadelphia History for Teachers

Division of Continuing Studies Professional Institute for Educators

3 credits 45.0 hours
600 level graduate course

In a continuing series of courses developed via partnerships with Philadelphia museums, this course is an immersion in Philadelphia history from the colonial era to the present and offers first-hand experiences in the craft of researching, writing and teaching history and civics with local connections. Through a series of lectures, discussions of primary sources, site visits and tours, participants become familiar with Philadelphia history and focus on models of civic engagement. Content is presented thematically rather than through a strict chronology, allowing teachers to envision new ways of presenting material that fits with Pennsylvania’s Standards Aligned System. Themes include Cradle of Liberty, Workshop of the World, City of Neighborhoods and more. Both the content and the skills enrich the abilities of teachers to provide engaging and authentic experiences in the classroom as they meet academic standards related to historical analysis and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Guided by archivists, museum educators and editors of The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, participants learn techniques for locating primary sources, synthesizing information for secondary sources and writing about history. Each participant will research and write an essay suitable for submission to The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and useful for teaching.

Open to graduate students from the Division of Continuing Studies.
This course is not repeatable for credit.
This course may not be audited.
This course cannot be taken pass/fail.