Education
Saturday Academy for Eighth to Twelfth Graders
The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Children’s Center, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, presents Saturday Academy for students in grades 8–12. Saturday Academy is a free six-week program for students interested in American History or SAT preparation. There’s no homework or testing and all course materials are provided.
Saturday Academy was the recipient of the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the White House, and was featured in New York Magazine’s “Best of New York 2011” issue.
Spring 2013 courses meet on Saturdays April 6, 13, 20, May 4, 11, and 18. Students are expected to attend all six sessions and will receive a Certificate of Achievement at the end of the program. Students may enroll in one or two courses a semester. Please look carefully at the times each course is offered, indicated below.
Spring 2013 Course Offerings
Activist New York
Instructor: Stephen Petrus, Ph.D. in History, CUNY Graduate Center; Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow, Museum of the City of New York
Open to students in grades 10 - 12; 9:00 – 10:15 am or 10:30 am - 11:45 pm
Activist New York explores key episodes of social activism in New York City from the 17th century right up to the present. Topics will include: the pursuit of religious freedom in the colonial period and in the 19th century, slavery and abolition, the fight for votes for women, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the rise of labor unions, the Civil Rights Movement, community activism in the South Bronx, and contemporary issues such as bicycle advocacy. The class will take place in the Museum's inaugural exhibition in the Puffin Foundation Gallery for Social Activism, and it will include gallery tours and lively discussions.
Public Art in East Harlem: Interpreting Latino-American History in the 20th Century
Instructor: Samantha Schott, B.A. in Sociology and Art History/Communications, McGill University; Educator at El Museo del Barrio
Open to students in grades 8-12; 9:00 - 10:20 am or 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Students will use public art in East Harlem as a lens for learning about social movements in the United States and Latin America during the 20th century, such as the Puerto Rican Independence movement and civil rights for U.S.-born Latinos. Students will take field trips to study murals in the neighborhood that paint a vivid portrait of the history and culture of Latinos in America through depictions of political figures, artists, poets and activists. The public art projects include works by Hank Prussing, Manny Vega, James De La Vega, Tato and Vagabond, Tats Cru, and other artists from the East Harlem community. The class will create a collaborative journal that will document their experience viewing the art of East Harlem and the historical significance of the local and national events depicted in the murals.
Performing History: The Federal Theater Project and the Great Depression
Instructor: Liz Parker, M.A. in Applied Theater, City University of New York, B.F.A. in Acting, New York University
Open to students in grades 8-12; 12:15 – 1:45 pm
During the Great Depression, the United States government funded theater artists to create and perform new work across the country. The central program – the Federal Theater Project – provided work for artists during a period of high unemployment, while simultaneously introducing theater to expanded audiences, many of them from lower-income communities. Students in the course will look at original scripts from the period to understand how the Federal Theater Project used theater to educate the public about pressing issues and encourage social action. Through discussion, theater games, and original scene creation, the class will explore the many aspects of theater as a tool for social change.
The Many Meanings of Feminism in the 20th Century
Instructor: Michelle Standley, Ph.D. in History, New York University
Open to students in grades 8-12; 12:15 – 1:45 pm
In the years after World War II, many new causes related to women’s equality came to the fore, including overcoming barriers to advancement in the professional world, lobbying for equal pay for equal work, fighting stereotypes of women in the media, and advocating for shared responsibilities for housework and childrearing. This course will explore the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and its effects on subsequent generations of women and men. Students will look at sources ranging from pamphlets and magazine articles, to films, excerpts from texts such as "The Feminine Mystique," speeches, and court testimony. The class will also address the question: What does feminism mean in the 21st century?
Freedom and Slavery in the Age of the American Revolution
Instructor: Eric B. Herschthal, Ph.D. Candidate in American History, Columbia University
Open to students in grades 8-12; 12:15 – 1:45 pm
The United States was founded on a central paradox: evoking national freedom at a time when millions of people were enslaved. This course will explore the contradiction of Americans fighting for freedom against British tyranny and yet upholding slavery. The class will view printed material that flourished during the Age of Revolution—including newspapers, pamphlets, and slave narratives--to gain historical perspective on the problem of slavery in an age of freedom. Students will also learn how the American Revolution influenced and was influenced by other revolutions in the Atlantic World, from the Haitian slave revolts of the 1790s to the many emancipations in Latin America.
Bell Curves SAT Skills
Instructors: Bell Curves Educators
Open to students in grades 10-12; 9:00 - 10:20 am or 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Please see note below about May 11.
The Bell Curves SAT Skills course is designed to help students succeed on the SAT exam. The course will improve students’ understanding of the skills tested by the SAT and then teach them strategies for applying those skills in efficient ways. With the help of expert and supportive instructors, students will learn how to pace themselves and will become more familiar with the test format and question types. After taking a mandatory practice test, students will leave the classroom prepared and excited for the big test.
Students in the SAT class will be required to take two free practice SAT exams on the first and last days of the program (Saturdays, October 27 and December 8 from 12:15 - 4:30 pm at the Museum), directly after their regular morning classes. Lunch will be served. Please save these dates and times!
To apply for Saturday Academy:
Registration is closed for the spring 2013 program. If you would like to be on our mailing list to hear about Saturday Academy classes this fall, please contact Saturday.academy@mcny.org.
Support for Saturday Academy is provided by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
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