Civics Education
2008 Summer Teacher Institute
Application deadline is April 15, 2008.
To download the 2008 Summer Teacher Institute Application, click HERE. Please contact the Civics Education team at civicsed@louisville.edu with questions.
2008 Summer Teacher Institute
Founding Rivals: Competing Perspectives on the Constitution of 1787”
July 20-25, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The 2008 Summer Teacher Institute will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the United States Constitution was written in 1787. “Founding Rivals” will examine the diverse ideals that framed the document, as well as the debates surrounding its ratification. Conference pre-readings will aid all high school teacher participants in this Socratic-style seminar. Immersion activities potentially include a “Founders’ Philadelphia” walking tour, Independence Hall, and a day trip to New York.
SAMPLE SESSIONS: Sessions will cover several topics surrounding the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Session titles may include:
- The Structure of Government as a Bill of Rights
- Federalism
- Interests, Institutions, and the Separation of Powers
- Congress, Representation, and the Needs of Republicanism
- Executive Power and the Regime of Liberty
- The Judiciary and the Written Constitution.
SAMPLE READINGS: All participants are expected to complete the pre-conference readings, which will consist of approximately 200-250 pages. Readings will come from several sources, some of which include sections of:
- Carey, George W. and James McClellan, Eds. The Federalist. (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc., 2001).
- Allen, W.B. and Gordon Lloyd, Eds. The Essential Antifederalist. (Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002).
- Ketchum, Ralph, Ed. Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates. (New York: Penguin, 2003).
LEAD FACILITATOR: Professor Gordon Lloyd of Pepperdine University will serve as the Institute’s primary facilitator. Dr. Lloyd earned his bachelor's degree in economics and political science at McGill University. He completed all coursework toward a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago before receiving his master's and PhD degrees in government at Claremont Graduate School. The coauthor of three books on the American founding and author of two forthcoming publications on political economy, he also has numerous articles and book reviews to his credit.
Dr. Lloyd's areas of research span the California constitution, common law, the New Deal, slavery and the Supreme Court, and the relationship between politics and economics. He has received many teaching, research, and leadership awards including admission to Phi Beta Kappa and an appointment as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar for the Oklahoma Scholarship Leadership Program. He also created the leading Constitutional Convention website, http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention.
INSTITUTE DETAILS: The Institute will begin with a welcome dinner on July 20, 2008, and conclude with a luncheon on July 25. All Institute sessions and activities will take place in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The McConnell Center will provide all accepted teachers:
- Roundtrip airfare to Philadelphia
- Hotel accommodations in Philadelphia July 20-25
- Any travel associated with the Institute while in Philadelphia
- All meals, dinner July 20 through lunch July 25
- All required readings
- Admission to area attractions associated with the Institute
- A $500 stipend for active participation, upon completion of the Institute
DISCLAIMER: The Summer Teacher Institute, along with all McConnell Center programming, is a non-partisan conference with the aim of offering Kentucky teachers an in-depth examination of historical and political events which have shaped our nation. It is our belief that through respectful, intelligent discussions of historically significant issues, teachers themselves are better prepared to bring these topics to their classroom. No preference is given to a particular ideology or party affiliation.