Teaching the Holocaust through Visual Culture: NEH Summer Seminar for School Teachers at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
Teaching the Holocaust through Visual Culture (for middle school and high school teachers) is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and was offered by Bowdoin College in both 2019 and 2022; please check back for possible 2025 applications. Our mission is to train teachers from around the nation to integrate works of art and visual culture into their curricula pertaining to the Holocaust. The seminar accepts sixteen teachers per session from various disciplines, including history, language arts, foreign language, studio art, debate, US history, and European history (among others). We learn in the classroom as well as with internal and external partners, including the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine; the Bowdoin College Museum of Art; and the Bowdoin College Special Collections.
Peter Eisenman, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, 2005, Berlin, Germany
Objects of visual culture such as works of art (including paintings, drawings, sculpture, and photography), as well as ephemeral objects, such as posters, cartoons, and uniforms, have historically been seen, in middle and high school classes, as peripheral to the study of the Holocaust. We aim to place these objects at the center of the study of the Holocaust, thereby enriching language arts and social studies curricula. Participants will learn and share ideas about how to teach the Holocaust by training students to use visual analysis and critical thinking skills.
Faculty and Visiting Lecturers
Leading experts and award-winning scholars will lead these comprehensive workshops. In conjunction with inquiry-based activities centered in the classroom, invited scholars will also take part in lecture/discussions. Our study will be complemented by visits to Bowdoin’s Special Collections, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, and the Holocaust and Human Rights Center in Augusta, ME.
Most Recent Seminar Dates: July 11–22, 2022
Applications Due: March 1, 2022
Participants Notified: March 25, 2022
Deadline to Accept: April 8, 2022
COVID Guidelines: Depending on public-health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for a residential offering are subject to change. All participants must be vaccinated and boosted and must download the CLEAR app. Should a participant test positive during their stay in Brunswick, housing will only be available until Sat. 7/23. Participants will be responsible for their housing after that date. For current Bowdoin College COVID guidelines, visit: https://www.bowdoin.edu/covid-19/spring-2022/2021-covid-contractor-visitor-guidance-faq.html
Charlotte Salomon, Life or Theatre: A Play Without Music, 1940-42, 769 works painted while in hiding. Each 12” x 9”.
Disclaimer of Endorsement:
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.