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OCH Press Releases

Free summer teacher institute looks at class in America (February 19, 2008)

The Oregon Council for the Humanities offers teachers the chance to explore money, mobility, and the American Dream.

Why is it so difficult to talk candidly about how class shapes our identities, our institutions, and our shared culture? The Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH) is offering Oregon secondary school teachers an opportunity to examine this issue at a free summer institute.

"Decoding Class: Money, Mobility, and the American Dream" is a free weekend program offered to Oregon secondary school teachers and will be held July 18-20, 2008, at Oregon State University's Cascades Campus in Bend. Teachers will explore class in literature, history, and popular culture; social and economic mobility as the basis of the American Dream; the role of class in contemporary culture; and the intersections of class with religion, race, and gender.

"Even in our confessional culture, talking about class remains a serious taboo," says Jennifer Allen, OCH education program director. "Teachers are keenly aware of how class distinctions play out in the lives of young people--in their language, in consumerism, and in the classroom. Now more than ever, we must challenge common assumptions about class if we are to achieve an understanding of the American Dream that inspires and includes all American youth."

Enrollment is limited and preference is given to full-time Oregon secondary school teachers who teach in the humanities and social sciences. The registration deadline for both institutes is April 14, 2008. Registration forms are available online at www.oregonhum.org or by request from Jennifer Allen at (503) 241-0543, (800) 753-0543, or jallen@oregonhum.org.

OCH Teacher Institutes are offered free of charge thanks to the generous support of individuals, foundations, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Oregon Council for the Humanities (812 SW Washington St, #225, Portland, OR 97205) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that is dedicated to the belief that knowledge and ideas are fundamental to the health of our communities. More information about OCH's programs and publications, which include Oregon Chautauqua, Humanity in Perspective, Four Questions, Teacher Institutes, Commonplace Lectures, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at www.oregonhum.org.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Allen, Education Program Director, at (503) 241-0543 or jallen@oregonhum.org.