Multi-Day Seminars

The application period will be open October 1 – 10, 2025. Apply Now!

The World Wars and the American State

San Diego, CA | January 9-11, 2026

The World Wars unleashed destruction on such a massive scale, and in such a short period of time, that the nation-states involved were all pressured to make extraordinary efforts to marshal the total resources at their disposal to survive and seek victory. The demands of  these total wars would fundamentally transform the American State, as the federal government, particularly the executive branch, took unprecedented powers to enlist millions of its citizens into the armed forces and to turn the United States’ immense industrial capacity into what Franklin Roosevelt called “the arsenal of democracy.”  This seminar will examine the effects that transformation had on the American state, on the constitutional balance between the branches of government and between the federal and state governments, and on the relationship of citizens to the state.

• Discussion Leader: David Hadley
• Historic Site: USS Midway Museum
• Hotel: Wyndham San Diego Bayside

We Insist: An Africana Journey Through History, Music, and Culture

Charleston, SC | January 23-25, 2026

Inspired by Max Roach’s groundbreaking 1960 album “We Insist! Freedom Now Suite,” this seminar explores the powerful intersections of music, history, and culture across the African diaspora. Using the album as a point of departure, teachers will trace the struggles and triumphs of Black communities from the civil rights and anti-colonial movements of the mid-20th century to contemporary global movements for liberation. Through close listening, critical readings, and interdisciplinary analysis, we will examine how music functions as both a historical document and a tool for resistance, healing, and collective identity. Students will engage with jazz, freedom songs, and other forms of Black musical expression to understand how sound embodies protest and possibility. This journey will serve as a soundtrack as we navigate through the collections at the International African American Museum.

• Discussion Leader: Stephanie Shonekan
• Historic Site: International African American Museum
• Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Historic District

America in World War I

Kansas City, MO | February 6-8, 2026

This seminar will examine primary documents to consider how American participation in World War I transformed American society. We will analyze debates over entering the war and expanding the postwar role of the United States in the world, the homefront mobilization required to fight overseas, challenges to civil liberties during the conflict, the wartime fight for expanded civil rights by women and African Americans, the American soldiers’ experience of war, and the enduring legacy of the conflict.

• Discussion Leader: Jennifer Keene
• Historic Site: National WWI Museum
• Hotel: The Hilton President Kansas City

Spring 2026 schedule is coming soon!