Teachers Institute

Marshall University’s Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum is now an Online Program

2020 Institute on Black History
June 15-19, 2020

With the conversion to online, the institute has a new deadline for Applications:
May 15, 2020
Space is limited – apply today

Attention teachers and school administrators! The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum has converted the on-campus 2020 Institute on Black History Instruction at Marshall University to an online program.

Carter G. Woodson Professor Burnis Morris, who directs the institute, said, “We’re offering the program online to continue serving our teachers and students who may have health concerns or other reasons for not wanting to leave home. The current health crisis presents us with a great opportunity to reach many educators who would prefer to study on their home computer or smartphone. Finding affordable and convenient day care, until now, could have prevented other teachers from participation in our program.”

The program, scheduled for June 15-19, 2020, is designed to help K-12 teachers broaden their understanding of black history and culture and better integrate its study within classrooms. It is the third summer institute for which The Lyceum has received funding from the West Virginia Humanities Council. Previously, teachers studied black history at Lyceum institutes in 2017 and 2019.

In addition to the Humanities Council grant, the program is made possible through support from Glenwood Foundation, West Virginia’s Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs and other Woodson Lyceum resources, including Marshall University’s Academic Affairs, College of Arts and Media, College of Education and Professional Development, Intercultural Affairs and W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

The Woodson Lyceum encourages applications from West Virginia educators who teach courses in history, art, social studies, music and language arts. Instruction includes sessions on history, literature, music and dance. Participants will receive $500 stipends, and their tuition for three graduate professional development credits will be covered by the program. Teachers who applied before the conversion to online do not need to submit additional applications. Participants from the 2017 and 2019 institutions may also submit applications for consideration. Space is limited for the stipends and free tuition. Apply by 5 p.m., May 15, 2020. Details are available at www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum. You may also use the form below.

Successful applicants will be taught by national and local experts from Marshall University, West Virginia State University and other public historians. Teachers will conduct and study research using primary sources and create lesson plans, which will also become part of The Woodson Lyceum’s Black History Kit located at www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum.

Questions about the program should be addressed to Burnis R. Morris, Carter G. Woodson Professor and director/cofounder of The Lyceum at morrisb@marshall.edu.

About Woodson and The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum

Carter G. Woodson (Dec. 19, 1875-April 3, 1950), the Father of Black History, was a former West Virginia coal miner who spent his early years in Huntington, where he graduated from Douglass School and served as principal (1900-1903). He established the first “Negro History Week” Feb. 6-12, 1926 because the history and culture of people of African descent were being ignored and/or distorted. During the 1970s, Woodson’s followers expanded the week to a month, and Gerald Ford began the US presidential tradition of issuing annual proclamations recognizing black contributions in history. The Lyceum, a collaboration between Drinko Academy and the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, is a Woodson-inspired forum on black history and education, serves as a resource for the Tri-State region and provides support for a free press.

Please complete this form as a Microsoft Word file or PDF, which you will attach to an email and transmit to Burnis R. Morris, morrisb@marshall.edu. Please do not use Google Docs.

2020 teachers institute application2

The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum: Integrating the Study of Black History in School Curricula

June 18, 2019

June 17, 2019

About the new summer institute for educators

Marshall’s new summer institute, called “The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum: Integrating the Study of Black History in School Curricula,” is being funded through a grant of $17,100 from the West Virginia Humanities Council and a commitment of more than $40,000 from lyceum resources in cash and in-kind contributions. It is the second lyceum institute funded through collaboration with the West Virginia Humanities Council to assist teachers seeking advanced study in black history and literature.

“This institute provides instruction in a much-needed area,” Morris said. “We’re still playing catch-up in putting the study of black history on equal footing with other chapters about history and literature. Woodson believed there was just one history, and African Americans were mostly left out. He didn’t want separate histories for blacks and other races – just one history that includes all people.

“We’re still addressing that problem,” Morris said. “Black history is now more popular than ever, but few educators and their schools have been properly prepared in this area. As a result, black history has not been fully integrated into school curricula in most places. However, most educators I know want to learn more about black history, and we plan to give them tools to be successful in their classrooms.”

The institute emphasizes the teachings of Carter G. Woodson, who was a graduate of Douglass School in 1896 and its principal from 1900 to 1903, before he became an international figure and was recognized as the “Father of Black History.” The lyceum’s previous institute was offered to the state’s teachers in 2017.

Twenty educators will be selected for the program, and they will study Woodson, black history, black literature and how to incorporate black history in their programs. They will also visit historic sites in the area. All sessions, except field trips, will take place on Marshall University’s Huntington campus June 17-21 and will be taught by national experts, including Marshall University faculty members and local historians.

The lyceum’s funding includes the teachers’ tuition for three graduate credits and provides them with a stipend of $500. Teachers will be required to commute to Marshall, collaborate with their instructors and peers, and create lesson plans for sharing with other educators on the lyceum’s website. Several lesson plans from the 2017 institute are available at www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum.

Applicants should apply at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L5VV8JB by 5 p.m. March 15, 2019. Questions should be addressed to Burnis Morris, Carter G. Woodson Professor and director/co-founder of the lyceum, at morrisb@marshall.edu.