About Us
Social Studies Workshops
We have concluded our Fall 2024 workshops and are currently evaluating our plans for 2025. We do not plan to hold workshops in Spring 2025, but we are hopeful that we will be able to host weeklong workshops in the summer dedicated to social studies content knowledge for Florida educators.
The Department of History at the 国产短视频 is pleased to announce a workshop series dedicated to providing social studies content and resources to K-12 educators in Florida. These workshops are free for all Florida educators and led by 国产短视频instructors. Each workshop is one hour in length, held virtually via Microsoft Teams, and devoted to a social studies topic that is relevant to multiple Florida socials studies state standards at the K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 levels (see "A Note on Standards" below). All attendees will receive lecture slides with images related to the workshop and a packet of relevant historical sources, both of which will be posted on this page under the appropriate workshop shortly before it begins.
Many school districts have already agreed to count attendance at these workshops for Continuing Education hours. Contact your administrators to confirm whether you can use these workshops for your CE hours. All attendees will receive an email to document their attendance at a given workshop, and we are happy to provide certificates of completion per individual requests. Please note that all of the times below are in EST.
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Political Leadership Communication and Institutional Accountability Digital and social media platforms deliver various forms of political communication to individuals on a recurring, and sometimes unexpected, basis. Political leaders use such venues to interact with audiences, disseminate messages, and shape impressions. The frequency, form, and content of these messages have all been increasingly scrutinized in the past decade. This workshop examines the challenges of holding political leaders accountable for their public communication, as well as how institutions in a democracy can act as guardrails to check the ways in which elected officials and candidates for public office communicate. Legislative bodies, the judiciary, technology platforms, the press, and everyday individuals are all assessed as mechanisms to check political leaders鈥 public communication. |
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The United States in the Middle East The United States has played an important role in the modern history of the Middle East. However, the Middle East has played an important role in the history the United States. This workshop will explore many of the major themes that define the history of U.S./Middle East relations since 1945. They include colonialism, decolonization, America鈥檚 grand strategies, and the significance of local individuals and groups. Furthermore, it will discuss the earliest beginnings of the long road to the Twin Towers attack on September 11, 2001. |
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Ideology and the Cold War Ideology was an important dimension to the Cold War. However, there are many myths associated with both the ideologies of the United States and the Soviet Union. For example, it is commonly believed that the United States supported democracy around the world as a strategy to combat the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This was not really the case. The United States supported capitalist regimes, even if that meant supporting dictatorships. The U.S. government supported dictatorships around the world as much as, if not more than, it did democratic regimes. This workshop will explore the ideas, beliefs, and values that guided the policies and strategies of U.S. officials. On the other hand, it is commonly believed that communism, the guiding ideology of the Soviet Union, is simply an evil system that 鈥渏ust doesn鈥檛 work.鈥 In this workshop we will examine the true nature of communism, its theoretical functioning, and how it was applied during the Cold War in various states. |
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Economic Discontent and the Ballot Box: The Misery Index鈥檚 Influence on Presidential
Elections This lecture will delve into the historical significance of the Misery Index鈥攁 simple yet powerful economic indicator that combines unemployment and inflation rates鈥攁nd its predictive value regarding the outcomes of U.S. Presidential Elections. We will explore case studies from past elections where the Misery Index played a critical role, such as the 1980 election where high inflation and unemployment rates were detrimental to the incumbent. The symposium will also examine instances where the Misery Index鈥檚 predictions were less clear-cut, highlighting the complexity of voter behavior and the multitude of factors that can influence election results. |
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Exploring the Yellow Brick Road: The American Banking System and the Wizard of Oz This lecture will incorporate the historical interpretation of The Wizard of Oz as a commentary on the monetary reform debates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly the use of gold and silver standards, and connects it with the broader discussion of the American Banking System鈥檚 evolution and resilience. Dive into the metaphorical journey of Dorothy and her companions as they parallel the historical challenges and reforms in U.S. monetary policy. Discover how the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion embody the agricultural, industrial, and political forces shaping the financial landscape. Uncover the symbolism behind the Silver Slippers and the Emerald City, and how they relate to the bimetallic standard and the illusion of prosperity. |
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Virtual Museum Tours and the May Stringer Museum This workshop will focus on new ways to teach history through local museums and virtual tours. Virtual museum tours can help museums present hidden primary sources, increase the accessibility of physically inaccessible sites, and provide a new way to engage with museum materials. The example provided in this case will be Brooksville's May Stringer Museum, which had a virtual tour created in 2023 that is now increasing on-site accessibility, but many museums are now offering virtual tour programs that can be applied to different lessons. |
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The United States in the Middle East, 1945 鈥 1991 andTeaching the Byzantine Empire and SourcesThe Cold War in the Third World andVotes and Victory: Women's Participation in Government and WWI Slides and SourcesThe United States in Afghanistan, 1979 鈥 2001 and SourcesHistorical Epidemics from Ancient Athens to Columbus and SourcesBeyond Rosie and Rosa: Women in World War II and the Civil Rights Movement Slides and SourcesCulture and Revolution in Ireland and SourcesWomen's Lives North and South: The Civil War, Reconstruction, and Industrialization andReconstruction South and West: The Post Civil-War Experience of Black and Indigenous Americans Slides and SourcesHistory of the Irish in America andThe Founding Fathers and Their Ancient Inspirations andIrish History Through Holidays: History Lessons for St. Patrick鈥檚 Day and Halloween and SourcesWorld War II and the American Homefront andMedieval and Modern Crusades and |
A Note on State Social Studies Standards
All of our workshops are united by a shared emphasis on the importance of primary and secondary sources for conducting responsible social studies research. They therefore touch on the following state standards at the K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 levels:
- SS.K.A.1.2: Develop an awareness of a primary source.
- SS.1.A.1.1: Develop an understanding of a primary source.
- SS.1.A.2.1: Understand history tells the story of people and events of other times and places.
- SS.1.A.2.2: Compare life now with life in the past.
- SS.2.A.1.1: Examine primary and secondary sources.
- SS.3.A.1.1: Analyze primary and secondary sources.
- SS.5.A.1.1: Use primary and secondary sources to understand history.
- SS.6.W.1.3: Interpret primary and secondary sources.
- SS.6.W.1.4: Describe the methods of historical inquiry and how history relates to the other social sciences.
- SS.6.W.1.5: Describe the roles of historians and recognize varying historical interpretations (historiography).
- SS.912.W.1.3: Interpret and evaluate primary and secondary sources.
- SS.912.W.1.4: Explain how historians use historical inquiry and other sciences to understand the past.
- SS.912.A.1.2: Utilize a variety of primary and secondary sources to identify author, historical significance, audience, and authenticity to understand a historical period.
- SS.912.A.1.4: Analyze how images, symbols, objects, cartoons, graphs, charts, maps, and artwork may be used to interpret the significance of time periods and events from the past.
- SS.912.A.1.6: Use case studies to explore social, political, legal, and economic relationships in history.
Questions? Concerns? Contact Matt King at matthewking1@usf.edu.