By Staff
Special to The Standard
Chandler Dunaway of T. R. Miller High School attended the Alabama Humanities Foundation's (AHF) SUPER (School and University Partnership for Educational Renewal) Summer Institute for middle and high school teachers at the University of South Alabama (USA), June 20-26, entitled "The History and Culture of Latin America." This institute, led by Richmond F. Brown, Ph.D. of USA, was an intensive one-week program designed to introduce middle and high school teachers in Alabama to the History, Politics and Culture of Latin America. Participants explored the complex culture and history of this fascinating and vital region of the world, from pre-Columbian, to European conquest and the Colonial Era, to independence, the 19th and 20th centuries, and present day relations with the United States. This institute covered such diverse, yet interrelated areas, as geography, history, religion, economics, politics, literature, art history, and music history. Several noted authorities from around the state and region presented the latest thinking and research on these topics, and also informed teachers about the variety of instructional resources available to enhance their own classroom experiences.
Particular emphasis was placed on gaining insights into the rapidly growing Latino population in Alabama and the US South, as well as relations between Latin America and the United States.
The institute included an excursion to New Orleans to hear presentations from Tulane University's Curriculum Resource Center in the Stone Center for Latin American Studies and a tour of Tulane's extraordinary Latin American Library, as well as a visit to the New Orleans Museum of Art, with its fabulous collection of colonial Latin American paintings and pre-Columbian artifacts.
SUPER provides university scholars and secondary teachers with a forum in which they can exchange ideas, gain fresh perspectives, and renew academic energy. Offered at no cost to participants, SUPER programs are aimed at enhancing the teaching of the humanities as well as providing a creative, collegial atmosphere for content renewal. All teachers currently teaching in an accredited public or private Alabama school are eligible.
Please contact Tom Bryant, SUPER Coordinator, with questions or to be added to the AHF's SUPER teacher mailing list: tbryant@ahf.net or 205/558-3997.