July 6-12, 2007
The 26th annual Yale-Hopkins Summer Seminar (YHSS 2007) will take as its theme “World War Two in Europe: The Eastern Front.” An intensive six days of seminars and workshops in New Haven, July 6-12, will be followed by a two-week, July 13-30 study tour of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Berlin. Participants may attend either or both parts of this unique YHSS. All three weeks will examine the tumultuous six years that defined the twentieth century, the war’s historical context, and its political, cultural, economic, and social consequences. Because Americans are taught less about them, particular attention will be paid to the Eastern Front and to German and Soviet points of view, but other fronts and American views will not be neglected.
The first two days at Yale will focus on “the road to war,” 1932-41, including the origins of the Reich, the fall of France, and the Battle of Britain; the second two days will study “the central struggle,” 1941-43, including Barbarossa and the Holocaust; and the last two days “the road to defeat and after,” 1943-48, including Gotterdammerung, peacemaking, and the beginning of the Cold War. Session topics will include computer simulations and teaching resources on the web. Sunday, July 8 will be our one day off.
Highlights of the European trip include: in Moscow (July 14-19): a series of workshops at the Russian State University of the Humanities (RGGU), where the primary lecturer will be Dr. Boris Kagarlitsky, noted author, activist, and Director of the Institute of Globalization Studies; the remnants of the defenses of Moscow; the Contemporary History Museum; the Museum of the Great Patriotic War; Victory Park; and the Tretyakov Gallery; in St. Petersburg (July 20-23): a morning at the Piskarevskoe Museum and Memorial to those killed in the siege; either the Catherine or Peter Summer Palace; the Defenders’ Monument; and a day-long visit to the Hermitage Museum; in Berlin (July 25-30): a morning of lectures at the Free University of Berlin; the Reichstag; the Wannsee Conference House; the Pergamon Museum; the recently opened war and holocaust memorials; and, north of the city, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
The series is designed for K-12 and college teachers, curriculum specialists, librarians, and administrators in all disciplines. No previous training in Russian or German studies is necessary. During their stays in New Haven, participants will work with professors and master teachers and will be exposed to innovative teaching strategies and to the rich resources in New England for teaching about Russia, Germany, and the war.
Series organizers are Brian Carter, PIER/European Studies Outreach Coordinator at Yale, and Master Teachers Paul Rowan and Stephen Armstrong. Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History at Yale, is Faculty Advisor for the week at Yale, and Catherine LeGouis, Professor of French at Mt. Holyoke College, is Faculty Advisor for the European trip. Other presenters include noted faculty from Yale and other universities.
Tuition for the program is $150, which includes all texts and materials. Residence during the New Haven program is not mandatory, but housing can be arranged at Yale for $60/night single occupancy or $50/night double, or in nearby hotels for $120-$140/night double or single. The European trip will cost $3,860, including airfare. A tuition, housing, and domestic US travel partial subsidy is available for some applicants.
Application: Download the application.
Trip deadline is extended: applications for the European trip should be complete and paid by May 25. There is no deadline for the New Haven week, but applications received by May 25 will have priority.
YHSS 2007 is sponsored by PIER-European Studies and the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale, with support from the US Department of Education through a Title VI grant. The YHSS is planned in accordance with nationwide Continuing Education Units standards, and Yale is a CEU provider. Upon completion of the program, Yale will grant teachers up to 6 CEUs.