Calvin profs use NEH grant to educate teachers on the American West

Calvin history professor Will Katerberg and his colleagues are helping middle and high school teachers put the myths and realities of the American West into a global perspective.

This week, Katerberg, Bob Schoone-Jongen (also a Calvin history professor), and Carol Higham, history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, are wrapping up a three-week-long teaching institute about the place of the American West in global history. Twenty-five middle and high school teachers from six different states are participating in the conference at Calvin College, which is funded through a $133,150 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

Using the wide-angle lens of comparative history, Katerberg, Higham and Schoone-Jongen are raising questions about "American exceptionalism," which Katerberg defines as the myth that America is "a place where the normal historical rules don't apply." The belief, therefore, is that the evolution of America as a nation has been different in fundamental ways from the evolution of Old World societies, Katerberg said.

The patterns of conquest typically associated with American history were operating in countries around the world, he asserted: "During the 1870s when the American army was fighting the Sioux in the West, the British were fighting the Zulu in South Africa."

Each of the teachers at the institute is crafting their own lesson plans using primary texts. One example could be a comparison of the gold rush guides published in California during the 1840s to those published in British Columbia during the 1860s. The directors of the institute plan to create a website where the teachers' lesson plans can be accessed and adapted by other teachers for their classrooms.
"This seminar has been fabulous," said Adina Berg, a social studies teacher at Northwest Independent High School in Seattle, Wash. "It is giving me ideas to add to my teaching curriculum that will provide me a wealth of benefits. This is also my first time to Michigan and I love the state."
"I teach a research skills course and this seminar will enhance my ability to teach research skills courses," said Mitchell Timko, an elementary school media specialist for the Charlotte Mecklenberg School District in Charlotte, N.C. "The seminar has gone by very quickly. It is well organized and the facilities and instructors are great."
Since 1999, Katerberg and Higham have led historical conferences in Wyoming, Alberta and Berlin, collaborated on a book-length study of the American West and co-edited a series of related textbooks. Schoone-Jongen spent 25 years teaching high school history and working as a vice principal in Minnesota before getting his PhD and coming to Calvin College. He participated in institutes like this as a teacher and now is helping to direct this one.
"This subject is important for the United States because how we view our place in the world matters," said Katerberg. "It still matters politically to understand where our history comes from." In the past month CNN's religion blog has started a series of stories on the theme of exceptionalism, entitled "Is American Exceptionalism for Real?"
For more information, contact Katerberg at 616-526-6047 or at wkaterbe@calvin.edu. To learn more about how the West is studied at Calvin, visit www.calvin.edu/academic/history/mellema.
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Received on Tue Jul 10 09:24:26 2012