New learning series for Alabama educators

This Huntsville workshop is one of nine AHA is offering to educators statewide in ’23-’24.

BIRMINGHAM / July 6, 2023 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance announces its 2023-2024 SUPER Teacher workshop schedule. The workshops will occur across Alabama, starting on July 11, 2023, and ending on April 27, 2024. Educators seeking to gain new information and perspective on Alabama topics will receive professional development credit after diving deep into curriculum-relevant topics through directed readings, critical discussions, film viewings, lectures, writing exercises, field trips, and cultural experiences.

SUPER Teacher workshops provide a collaborative forum in which educators (in grades 4-12) can exchange ideas, gain fresh perspectives, and learn new approaches to teaching. Participants develop a multidisciplinary approach to the humanities and enjoy many significant benefits, including stipends and Continuing Education credits — all at no cost to them or their schools.

“Educators statewide and for decades have appreciated SUPER workshops for their focus on rich and relevant stories — stories that inspire new ways of teaching and learning for work and life,” says Laura Anderson, AHA director of partnerships and outcomes. “We aim for this series of topics and partnerships to serve not only teachers and students, but also communities.” 

AHA’s 2023-2024 SUPER Teacher workshop series:

Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events
July 11-12, 2023
Birmingham
This workshop will help educators explore potential learning opportunities they can present to students participating in Alabama History Day. The 2024 National History Day theme allows participants to explore and examine Alabama history that proved to be turning points in history, such as Birmingham’s civil rights sites. Lead scholar: Debbie Hester, Alabama History Day Teacher Ambassador.

*There are no remaining slots available for this workshop. 

African American Folklife in Alabama
September 7, 2023
Montgomery
Presented in partnership with the Alabama Folklife Association, this workshop will provide scholar-led presentations on Black cemeteries, folktales of religious conversion, and how to incorporate enslaved person narratives into the classroom. Lead scholars: Shari L. Williams, Ph.D., executive director of the Ridge Macon County Archeology; Trudier Harris, Ph.D., distinguished research professor of the department of English at the University of Alabama; and Alan Brown, Ph.D., professor of English at the University of West Alabama.

Crossroads: Change in Rural Alabama
September 22, 2023
Cleveland
This workshop will provide expert-led documentation and celebration of rural Alabama communities over time and inspire consideration of the future. A guided tour of the Smithsonian traveling exhibit of the same name will be part of the experience. Lead scholars: Tina Mozelle Braziel, Ph.D., director of the Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop at UAB; Allison Upshaw, Ph.D., assistant professor of music at Stillman College; and Julia Brock, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama.

Birmingham’s Early Middle Eastern Community
September 30, 2023
Birmingham
In this workshop participants will answer the question, “Who were early immigrants to Birmingham from the Middle East?” by exploring a similarly themed exhibit currently on display at Vulcan Park and Museum and hearing from descendants of some of the area’s early immigrant families. Lead scholar: Annie DeVries, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Samford University.

NOTE: This workshop is designed for, and open to, the general public, as well as educators.

Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing, and the Power of Knowing Our Roots
2023-2024
Huntsville/Birmingham/Columbiana/Livingston/Mobile
This series of half-day workshops is based on the award-winning novel, Homegoing, by author Yaa Gyasi, a Ghanian American who grew up in Huntsville. Special guest speakers will be featured at each stop on the five-city schedule, with the series led by Zanice Bond, Ph.D., professor of English at Tuskegee University.

NOTE: This workshop is designed for, and open to, the general public, as well as educators.

• November 18, 2023 – North Huntsville Public Library, Huntsville
• January 27, 2024 – Pratt City Branch, Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham
• February 24, 2024 – Shelby County Museum & Archives, Columbiana
• April 6, 2024 – Black Belt Museum, Livingston
• April 27, 2024 – Virginia Dillard Smith/Toulminville Branch, Mobile Public Library, Mobile

Educators interested in attending AHA’s SUPER Teacher workshops can find links to application forms at alabamahumanities.org/super-teacher.

For questions or to learn more, contact Laura C. Anderson at [email protected].

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. AHA promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. We provide Alabamians with opportunities to connect with our shared cultures and to see each other as fully human. Through our grantmaking, we help scholars, communities and cultural nonprofits create humanities-rich projects that are accessible to all Alabamians — from literary festivals and documentary films to museum exhibitions and research collections. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.