June 23 - 28, 2003: The Many Faces of Islam
A five-day workshop for Ohio teachers from grade seven through twelve, The Many Faces of Islam introduced school teachers to this important and often misrepresented and misunderstood world religion. The Institute highlighted the comparative religious and cultural values of Islam as reflected in history,religion and art. Participants also focused on the regional differences within Islamic civilization and practice. This workshop was co-sponsored by the Center for International Studies, the Ohio Humanities Council, and the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.
July 28 - August 2, 2002: Appalachian Literature
Co-sponsored by the Ohio Humanities Council, The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation,the Office of Lifelong Learning, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the department of English, this one-week workshop was designed to enrich teachers' understanding and appreciation of Appalachian literature. The workshop aimed at encouraging secondary teachers of humanities courses to incorporate Appalachian literature into their classes. The region's rich literary heritage, as well as music and film adaptations of Appalachian fiction, provided participants with provocative entries into their students' studies of Appalachia. Participants examined not only the cultural contexts of the literature, but also regional dialects and social issues that have affected the economy, health and welfare of the region, including the stereotyping of Appalachians.
July 13 - 22, 2002: Ancient Rome: The Growth of a City
Held in Rome, Italy, this nine-day workshop was designed to introduce 12 Ohio school teachers to the archeology of ancient Rome. Using physical remains, it traced the growth of the city from the 5th Century, B.C.,to the 4th Century, A.D. Two Oxford-trained classical archaeologists from Ohio University who have lived in Rome for extended periods led the program. Day trips to the excavated sites of Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome, and Pompeii, a city near Naples covered by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, served to illustrate elements of the city of Rome that are no longer visible.
July 29 - August 3, 2001: The Literatures of India and China
This summer institute workshop was designed to introduce teachers to two of the oldest and richest civilizations outside of Europe -- the civilizations of India and China. The workshop focused intensively on selected text, regarded as canonical within their respective traditions: The Ramayana, an Indian epic from the fifth century B.C.E.,and poems and stories from China's T'ang and Sung dynasties, roughly the seventh through the thirteenth centuries C.E. These texts allow us to enter the Indian and Chinese cultures at points these cultures themselves regard as crucial and representative.
Participants attended presentations with Leslie Abel Flemming, the dean of Ohio University's College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of linguistics; Julia Lin, professor emerita of English at Ohio University; Donald Jordan, a professor of history and the director of Asian studies at Ohio University; and Elizabeth Collins, the director of Southeast Asian Studies and associate professor of philosophy at Ohio University.
July 30 - August 4, 2000: The Nature of Greek Mythology
Co-sponsored with the Ohio Humanities Council, this five-day workshop provided 20 Ohio school teachers with the opportunity to participate in presentations and discussions that provide intellectual stimulation through the exploration of the nature, uses and implications of classical mythology.
Top of Page
