This seminar examines American frontier humor as a literary tradition that both reflected and shaped the nation’s political culture, social values, and identity. Organized around five thematic units and four classic theories of humor—relief, play, superiority, and incongruity—the course explores how writers such as Mark Twain, Bill Nye, George Washington Harris (Sut Lovingood), Caroline Kirkland, and others used humor to depict frontier life and engage broader questions of democracy, class, race, regional identity, and modernization.

• Historic Site: Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Gather with a small group of teachers from around the country for three days immersed in discussion and exploration of a single topic in American history. Weekend Seminars are a free opportunity for teachers hosted near an important historical site. Teachers will prepare ahead of time for seminars by reading selected historical documents in the provided course packet. Once the seminar begins, the discussion leader guides a peer-to-peer, text-based conversation among all participants. Meals, materials, single-occupancy rooms, and historical site visits are 100% covered by Teaching American History. At the end of each course, every teacher receives a letter of participation for fifteen contact hours of continuing education and a stipend of $600 to help defray travel costs.