Seton Hill University will host two information sessions for educators of grades 6 to 12 interested in learning more about The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute for Educators being held at the university in July. 

The information sessions – which will be held via Zoom on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. – will provide educators with an overview of the two-week NEH Summer Institute, which will focus on the topic, “Grappling with Genocide: Fostering Empathy and Engagement through Text and Image.” Registration for the information sessions is required and can be accessed online at the Summer Institute website, www.setonhill.edu/NEH.

At the information sessions, educators will learn more about the Summer Institute, which will be held at Seton Hill from July 11 to 22, 2022. Applications are now being accepted for the Institute at www.setonhill.edu/NEH. The application deadline is March 1, 2022.

The Summer Institute is made possible thanks to a competitive grant Seton Hill received from The National Endowment for the Humanities. 

A group of 25 educators – including five teachers who have been in the profession for less than five years - will be selected for the Institute and will be awarded stipends of $2,200. Housing is available on Seton Hill’s campus.

The two-week institute for educators of grades 6-12 connects best practices in genocide education with contemporary global conflicts through the power of narrative. Co-directed by Dr. Christine Cusick, Associate Professor of English, and Dr. John Spurlock, Professor Emeritus of History and former coordinator of the Genocide and Holocaust Studies Certificate program, the institute will feature presentations from Seton Hill faculty as well as nationally-recognized guest lecturers.

Sessions will focus on 18th to 21st century conflicts, including Native American erasure, the Holocaust, the plight of the Rohingya, and the Yazidi genocide under ISIS.

“Educators from all disciplines – from social studies and history to English and art – will benefit from the NEH Summer Institute at Seton Hill,” said Cusick. “Not only will these educators gain knowledge about the complex contexts of genocides – and how to effectively approach these subjects with their students – through our partnership with the global organization of Narrative 4, they will also be given research-based training in how to foster empathy in their students.” 

Each day of the Summer Institute will introduce new textual, visual, and oral narratives, with mornings dedicated to guest lectures and afternoons focused on discussions and experiential learning. Participants will visit Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the City of Asylum writing community and meet with local leaders to discuss opportunities for dialogue. 

Participants will also explore a range of pedagogical tools, including the Narrative 4 story exchange methodology and the Question Mark/er Project. Narrative 4 is a non-partisan global network of authors, educators, and students who use the power of personal narratives to build empathy and to spark collaborative dialogue. The Question Mark/er Project is a Seton Hill student-generated visual art symposium focused on genocide awareness. 

Participants will leave the two-week Institute with a final curricular project focused on teaching about genocide in their classrooms, and they will be invited to present their work at the triennial Ethel LeFrak Conference on Genocide and Holocaust Education held on the campus of Seton Hill University.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.