Ramapo College of New Jersey Professors Meredith Davis, associate professor of Art History and Stephen Rice, professor of American Studies have been awarded a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for a summer program. The $179,876 grant funds “The Hudson River in the Nineteenth Century and the Modernization of America.” This Landmarks of American History and Culture program supports series of one-week residence-based workshops for a national audience of K-12 educators. Ramapo College will offer two one-week programs.
NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops use historic sites to address central themes and issues in American history, government, literature, art, music, and other related subjects in the humanities. This is the second time the professors have been awarded the grant.
“The Hudson River is an American landmark of great historical, cultural and artistic significance,” said Professor Davis. “We are delighted to again offer this comprehensive program to teachers. We expect to have participants from throughout the United States.”
The workshop will focus on the Hudson in the nineteenth century, when the river was simultaneously a commercial thoroughfare, a tourist destination and the scene of dramatic technological, industrial and environmental changes, all the while celebrated for its iconic natural beauty.
Educators will examine works of art, architecture, literature and popular culture by Thomas Cole, Washington Irving and John Burroughs, among others. Site visits and trips along the river are complemented by lectures and workshops by expert scholars. Participants collaborate to develop lesson plans and apply what is learned to their own classroom needs.
Two one-week, residential workshops will be held July 7 – 12 and July 14 – 19, 2013. Forty participants will be enrolled in each session. Participants are housed in private, single residential rooms on the Ramapo College campus and will receive a $1,200 stipend to help cover costs. For registration and program information, go to http://nehhudson.ramapo.edu. Applications must be postmarked by March 4, 2013.
