Summer Workshop: Teaching the Vietnam War through Documents, Photography, and Poetry

We’re pleased to add another event to our menu of summer 2017 professional development opportunities!

Teaching the Vietnam War through Documents, Photography, and Poetry
July 12-14, 2017
National Archives, Washington, DCNational Archives, poets.org

Soldiers Resting
Soldiers resting during a search and destroy mission against the Viet Cong (From the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer)

The National Archives and the Academy of American Poets have partnered to produce a dynamic summer teacher workshop on the subject of the Vietnam War. The workshop will explore our past and present relationship with this conflict and the struggle for peace.

During this workshop, historians, poets, and art educators will guide participants through techniques for teaching about the Vietnam War.

These methodologies will employ three types of source material: 1) primary source documents from the holdings of the National Archives; 2) historical photographs, and 3) poetry. Each provides a different means of getting closer to the truth(s) of the conflict.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Tonkin Gulf Resolution (Senate Draft), National Archives Identifier 2127364

Speakers include:

  • Richard Blanco, 2013 Presidential Inauguration poet, Education Ambassador, Academy of American Poets
  • Michael Hussey, Ph.D., Museum Program Manager of the National Archives

All workshop events will take place at the National Archives building in Washington, DC. Attendance is limited to 15 teachers and educators. The workshop fee is $100. Register now.

Draft Schedule

Day One:

  • Speaker introduction and discussion of workshop objectives
  • The Vietnam War: Teaching techniques using primary source documents
  • The Vietnam War: Teaching techniques using historical photographs

Day Two:

  • The Vietnam War: Teaching through Poetry, based on a teaching plan authored by Mady Holzer, Educator in Residence, Academy of American Poets

Day Three:

  • Synthesizing the source material: How to use archival documents, photographs, and poetry together.

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