As a unique collaboration of units across Iowa State University and the state of Iowa, “Teaching and Learning Iowa History” is a much-needed response to the lack of resources related to Iowa state history education.
Despite statewide interest in Iowa history as documented by the Department of Cultural Affairs, there are few opportunities to learn about it—especially history related to social justice and diversity. In addition, the Iowa Department of Education (IDOE) has surveyed teachers across the state and found that there are currently very few social studies education professional development opportunities for Iowa teachers.
“Teaching and Learning Iowa History” helps to fill that void by providing an innovative approach to connecting the general public, university students, and pre- and in-service teachers interested in learning more about Iowa history. This summer, our focus is on Iowans and the Civil Rights Movement in order to understand the roots of racism in the state and struggles for racial justice through the 19th and 20th centuries.
This experimental course was designed with the following four objectives in mind:
- To increase people’s knowledge about themes in Iowa history related to racism and struggles for racial justice;
- To engage people in analyzing different strategies for struggling against systemic racism;
- To prepare teachers in the state to engage in social studies best practices to teach K-12 students about local history related to racism and struggles for racial justice; and
- To connect people with museums and other statewide resources to strengthen a professional development network.
