Fall Sessions of US History Saturday Academy at Rutgers-Newark
Starts October 24, 2009

(Newark) – Instead of spending their Saturday mornings sleeping in or watching television, this fall, Newark high school students will once again converge on the Rutgers-Newark campus to explore significant topics in American History, through the U.S. History Saturday Academy program.

Fall 2009 classes will examine various aspects of post-"riot" Newark; the Bill of Rights as it was written and how its stated rights for citizens have been applied, or perhaps misapplied throughout history; how key events in American sports history may reflect or challenge ideas, events, or themes in the nation; and how works of art help us discover parts of American history perhaps not covered in history classes or textbooks. Students will also have the opportunity once more 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 fourth 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 fall sessions include:

Post -"Riot" Newark Rights!
Liberty! Action! Exercising Your Civil Rights in the Modern Age
Sports and the American Experience
Picturing America: Using Art to Understand American History
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 6-week fall session of the Academy, which begins on Saturday, October 24, 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.