The D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History of the Newberry Library has a long history of offering highly praised institutes and seminars. From 1975 through 1994, it offered institutes on American Indian histories and literatures for high school and community college teachers. Many American Indian teachers attended these institutes. Few institutions received as many renewals for NEH institutes for teachers from these schools as did the McNickle Center. In 2000, the Lannan Foundation awarded the Center a grant to hold summer institutes in 2001, 2002, and 2003 in American Indian studies for teachers in tribal colleges and in American Indian studies programs.
In 2004, the Lannan Foundation renewed its commitment to the summer institutes for teachers in tribal colleges in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The Newberry hosted one two-week institute in 2004, followed by two two-week institutes in 2005, and we are hosting two more in 2006.
In recognition of the central role tribal colleges play in the process of nation building, the 2004 theme was “Teaching American Indian Sovereignty.” The institute provided an opportunity for teachers to engage the concept of sovereignty in probing discussions, to share and discuss fruitful methods by which to teach the concept in the colleges, to develop curriculum materials, bibliographies and syllabi for their courses, and to conduct their own research using the Newberry Library collections. Preeminent Indian sovereignty scholar David E. Wilkins (Lumbee) directed the institute; the University of Minnesota professor shared his experiences and knowledge with that of an outstanding assemblage of tribal college educators.
The summer 2006 Lannan Institutes and their directors have been announced! Dr. Jacki Rand from the University of Iowa will direct the institute, "Federal Indian Law & Policy and Your Community History." Dr. Kimberly Blaeser (Anishinaabe) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will direct the institute, "Teaching American Indian Literatures." We are very pleased that these wonderful scholars have agreed to direct these institutes.
Both institutes will be held concurrently, for the first time ever. We are excited about the possibilities for engagement and collaboration the dual institutes will offer. The institutes will be held from June 5 through June 16.
The summer institutes are open to faculty, staff, and research fellows affiliated with tribal colleges. The eight participants that are selected for each of the two 2006 summer institutes will be provided with housing in a hotel near the library, a $500 stipend, and reimbursement for travel expenses to and from Chicago. The participants will engage pedagogical issues surrounding language instruction and American Indian education, depending on which institute they attend. Like the previous institutes, the participants will also develop curriculum materials and conduct their own research at the Newberry Library.
Ultimately, the McNickle Center aspires to forge closer working relationships with tribal colleges that will, in turn, contribute to curriculum and professional development, cultivate a community of scholars, and translate into positive tangible benefits for American Indian students and their communities.
Application for "Federal Indian Law & Policy and Your Community History "
Application for "Teaching American Indian Literatures "
For information on the previous Lannan Summer Institutes, click on the links below:
2001: American Indian Societies, Cultures, and Gender in Midwestern and Eastern North America
2002: American Indian Autobiography as Tribal and Personal History: Who Gets to Tell the Story?
2003: American Indian Political Activism Before World War II
2004: Teaching American Indian Sovereignty
2005: Teaching American Indian Languages and Language Instruction, and Teaching American Indian Education
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