Spring Sessions of US History Saturday Academy at Rutgers-Newark
Starts March 14, 2009

(Newark) – Instead of spending their Saturday mornings sleeping in or watching television, this spring Newark high school students will grapple with questions such as what it means to be an American; explore the myths and reality of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency; the history of feminism among women of color in the United States; and the complex story of American slavery through narratives by free and enslaved African-Americans.

For the first time, students also have the opportunity to enroll in the United States History Advanced Placement Review Course (AP), as one of the offerings of the Saturday Academy.

Supported by a grant from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Rutgers-Newark Department of History and the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience are conducting the third year of the U.S. History Saturday Academy for Newark high school students. Students who enroll in the tuition-free program attend Saturday morning classes on the Rutgers-Newark campus for six sessions this spring. No homework, papers, or exams are assigned.

“The Academy really offers what I think could be called teaching in its purest form – a passionate teacher, interested and motivated students, and great materials with which to work – and no pressure for grades or homework requirements,” says Elizabeth Aaron, project director of the Saturday Academy.

The U.S. History Saturday Academy spring sessions include:

Abraham Lincoln: The Man, Myth and Legacy

Voices From Slavery: African Americans form the Middle Passage to Freedom in Their Own Words

Project: The American

In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: A History of Feminism among Women of Color in the United States.

United States History Advanced Placement Review Course

“The lessons taught in all of the courses invite students to examine primary source documents, analyze photography, prints, and other art forms, engage in debate and discussion, and develop critical thinking skills that help in all areas of life, not just in the learning of history,” says Ms. Aaron. She adds that while it would be wonderful to have students who take the classes aspire to the further study of history, or even to be teachers of it, “we are so pleased just to have this opportunity to engage students in thinking about American history and their place in it, and how often history is made by people who really are just a lot like us.”

All of the teachers in the Saturday Academy are experienced middle school and high school educators. Two are currently PhD students at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and bring the very latest in subject matter and scholarship to their classes.

The spring session of the Academy, which begins on Saturday, March 14, is free to students. Public transportation to the Rutgers-Newark campus and refreshments are provided for students. For more information, please contact Laura Troiano at ltroiano@rutgers.edu or at (973) 353-3905.