"There's No Place Like Home:" A Place-Based Humanities Summer Workshop

There's No Place Like Home

We offer a two-week, hands-on summer workshop designed to help learners get started in place-based humanities education. Over these two weeks, learners will understand place-based theory from noted experts in the field, how to build partnerships with local organizations (non-profits, museums, religious organizations, etc.) from representatives from those groups, and explore place-based humanities in action through robust site explorations around Detroit and its metropolitan region.

Participant Fellows Receive

A stipend of $200 per day, upon successful completion of the program and submission of a sample lesson plan or activity for publication with the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning
A workshop experience with renowned experts in place-based education, local history, and community organizations and admission to community and historic sites around metropolitan Detroit
Fellowship and dedicated support for implementing place-based humanities programs in your own educational community
Select meals and admission to evening social events in and around Detroit

These benefits are made possible by a generous grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation.

Workshop Overview

Monday, July 12 through Friday, July 23, 2021

Join us for two weeks of fellowship as we examine how to incorporate place-based humanities into your classroom. We will travel to sites across metropolitan Detroit to meet with place-based educators, local experts, and explore community institutions, historic sites, and attractions to gain inspiration and ideas for incorporating these ideas into our humanities practices.

Week 1: The “How-Tos” of Place-Based Humanities (Monday, July 12 through Friday, July 16, 2021)

During the first week of the workshop, fellows will explore the broad ideas of place-based education with an expert educator and learn how to build connections with resources available in their own communities. Locations subject to change.

Day 1: An Introduction to Place-Based Humanities (Monday, July 12, 2021)

Fellows will begin their experience with an expert-led tour of Detroit, followed by an orientation to place-based learning and the goals of the workshop, as well as a social hour in downtown Detroit.

Day 2: Using Local Art Museums in Place-Based Humanities (Tuesday, July 13, 2021)

Fellows will learn about using art museums in place-based humanities education from experts at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), as well as experts in place-based education. In addition, fellows will have time to explore the DIA and its environs.

Fellows will end their day with a group dinner in downtown Detroit.

Day 3: Using Local Historical Museums (Wednesday, July 14, 2021)

Fellows will work with experts at the Detroit Historical Museum, as well as experts in place-based education, to consider how to incorporate resources available from local historical museums into their humanities courses. Fellows will explore the museum and use it for curricular inspiration for their own curriculum.

Day 4: Partnerships with Historical Organizations (Thursday, July 15, 2021)

Fellows will work with representatives from local historical organizations, such as the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal Society and the Grosse Pointe Historical Society, to think about how to partner with similar organizations within their own communities. This work will consist of exploring local sites (such as the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal and the site of the Fox Indian Massacre) with these representatives to showcase what local historical organizations can offer educators and their curricula.

Fellows will end the day with a dinner cruise down the Detroit River, including both a historical tour and social entertainment.

Day 5: Partnerships with Religious Organizations (Friday, July 16, 2021)

Fellows will meet with representatives of local religious organizations to learn both the resources that these groups can offer to educators and classes, as well as how to build partnerships with these organizations in their own communities. Fellows will tour several religious sites, including as Ste. Anne’s Church (the second oldest continually-operating Catholic parish in the United States), examine example curriculum resources, and workshop opportunities for local partnerships.

WEEKEND OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Excursions will be available for fellows to explore the vibrant city of Detroit and its metropolitan area.

Week 2: Case Studies in Place-Based Humanities (Monday, July 19 through Friday, July 23, 2021)

During this week, fellows will explore place-based humanities in action through five case studies in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Day 6: The War of 1812 (Monday, July 19, 2021)

Using the River Raisin National Battlefield Park as a case study, fellows will examine how the War of 1812 can be used to teach about the broader themes related to American independence and the founding of the United States. Fellows will work with park rangers, members of the Wyandot of Anderdon tribe, and other content experts to understand the true significance of the War of 1812 to local – and American – history.

Day 7: Slavery and Resistance in Detroit (Tuesday, July 20, 2021)

Fellows will examine the institution of slavery, as well as resistance to it, in the city of Detroit and the Great Lakes region. This examination will include work with experts in the topic, as well as a site visit to a stop on the Underground Railroad to learn more about the network within the city. Fellows will also travel to St. James Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile to learn more about Lisette Denison Forth, an African-American landowner and benefactor who was born a slave in colonial Detroit.

Day 8: Case Study: The Industrial Center of the World (Wednesday, July 21, 2021)

Fellows will explore industrialization through the growth of the automotive industry. Fellows will explore the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, the birthplace of the Model T, as well as learn about material culture with an expert through a deep-dive exploration of an actual Model T. Fellows will then workshop how to incorporate similar artifacts into their own curriculum.

Day 9: Roaring Detroit (Thursday, July 22, 2021)

Fellows will examine the “Roaring Twenties” through the economic explosion in Detroit throughout the 1920s. Fellows will explore the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and downtown Guardian Building to learn more about the consequences of this economic boom. Fellows will also look at redlining and the racial tensions present in the city throughout the 1920s through the case study of Dr. Ossian Sweet, as well as a tour through Hamtramck.

Day 10: Civil Rights (Friday, July 23, 2021)

Fellows will study the struggle for civil rights in the city of Detroit, including investigating uprisings and reform movements. After visiting the epicenter of the 1967 civil rights uprising in Detroit, fellows will continue their experience through an exploration and guided tour of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, and a forum with experts at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University.

The workshop will conclude with an evening dinner and debriefing session in downtown Detroit.