Past Summer Institutes
Global Impact Summer Institute for Educators
August 14 & September 22, 2023
This two-part program will examine how migration and immigration impact the identity of countries, communities, and individuals with special focus on East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Participants will be creating their own lesson plans inspired by the material, which will be made available for use on our website.
The Global Rise of Disinformation in Times of Conflict
June 20-23 & 28, 2022
In these uncertain times, often made more fraught through the proliferation of misinformation and the purposeful deployment of disinformation, it is more important than ever to foster understanding of diverse perspectives both domestically and from across the globe. What are the differences between misinformation and disinformation? How do they each operate in conflict environments?
Global and Local Inequities: Reflections of the COVID-19 Pandemic
June 23-24 & 28-29, 2021
This multi-day virtual conference for educators brings together award-winning journalists supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and digital educational resources created by Pulitzer Center and UChicago to highlight global inequalities that COVID-19 has exacerbated. From the quelling of Hong Kong’s protest movement to the healthcare crisis among undocumented migrants in Bosnia-Herzegovina and issues of governance in the Arab world, conference sessions will explore the far-reaching impacts of the global pandemic on pre-existing disparities across the world.
Reporting on Public Health: Challenges, Solutions and Lessons Learned
June 25-26, 2020
This two-day virtual conference for educators brings together award-winning journalists supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and digital educational resources created by Pulitzer Center and UChicago to explore how reporting on past public health crises throughout the world can offer valuable insights on the challenges presented by COVID-19.
Global Views: A Summer 2020 Series
June 4 | June 11 | June 18
In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to foster understanding of diverse perspectives both domestically and from across the globe. The University of Chicago Educator Outreach Program is excited to announce a three-part educator professional development series, Global Views – A Summer 2020 Series.
Inspiring Connections: Igniting Critical Thinking and Communication through Global News
June 27-28, 2019
The 2019 Summer Institute for Educators will include both presentations and hands-on activities that enable educators to analyze the causes and impacts of pressing global issues, understand journalists’ process of covering global news stories, discover practical methods to integrate these stories into the classroom, and examine the critical thinking, communication, and media literacy skills that students gain through engagement with news from around the world.
Think Like a Journalist: Connecting the World to Your Classroom with Global News
June 25–26, 2018
This two-day professional development workshop brought together award-winning journalists supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and digital educational resources created by Pulitzer Center and UChicago to address the assessment of news sources, integration of global news into diverse curricula, and application of journalism skills in the classroom to teach critical thinking, creativity and communication.
Global Competency at Work: Practicing International Journalism at the Local Level
June 26 – 27, 2017
This two-day professional development workshop brings together award-winning journalists supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and digital educational resources created by Pulitzer Center and UChicago to address the incorporation of current global issues in the classroom.
Global Issues in Local Contexts: Turning International Journalism into Teachable Lessons
June 27 – 28, 2016
This two-day professional development workshop brought together award-winning journalists supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and digital educational resources created by Pulitzer Center and UChicago to address the incorporation of current global issues in the classroom.
Inequality: Conditions, Consequences, Solutions
June 29 – July 1, 2015
This three-day institute gave educators interdisciplinary perspectives on one of the world’s greatest problems: inequality. With an eye toward curriculum development, presentations and discussions drew on comparative and international examples to explore causes and possible remedies to social and natural disparity.
Energy and the Global Environment: Science, History, Politics
June 23 – 25, 2014
This three-day institute incorporated perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to examine how concerns over energy scarcity and energy sustainability can be translated into creative classroom instruction.
Natural Disasters and Social Responses: a Global Perspective
July 9 – 11, 2013
This interdisciplinary three-day institute explored the challenges involved in understanding and responding to natural disasters around the globe.
Feeding the World: Challenges to Achieving Food Security
June 25 – 27, 2012
60 Chicago educators participated in this three-day institute that explored the concept of global food security. Academic and policy experts presented and discussed the challenges to providing all people with physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, nutritious food.
Migration: Causes and Consequences
June 27 – 29, 2011
This interdisciplinary three-day institute explored the causes and consequences of migration. Daily themes addressed included: Social and Legal Aspects of Migration, Conflict and the Environment, and Economic Factors. Faculty and staff from the University of Chicago and other educational institutions from around the world spoke each day, interspersed with discussions of K-12 curriculum development.
Water: An Interdisciplinary Examination of the World’s Most Essential Resource
June 28 – July 1, 2010
From Turkish dams to Asian carp, the 2010 Summer Teacher Institute gave Chicago educators a thorough primer on teaching the many ways that water, and the lack of it, shapes our future. This 3-day institute explored global water issues, including those that affect the Great Lakes region. Daily topics included: water scarcity, effective water management, and water issues in politics, sanitation, agriculture, and economics. A follow-up curriculum development workshop was held on July 1st.
Understanding the Global Economy: Bringing the World Market into Your Classroom
June 22 – 24, 2009
The goal of this three-day institute was to provide educators with the tools to successfully teach issues pertaining to the global economy. Featured speakers explored markets, trade, globalization, and the current global financial crisis.
Climate Change: Biological and Social Implications
June 23 – 25, 2008
This three-day institute focused on biological and social aspects of climate change. It The institute featured presentations by scientists and policy experts with both topical and regional expertise as well as panel discussions and small group activities.
Epidemics Then & Now: Infectious Diseases Around the World
June 26 – 29, 2006
This four-day workshop will explored epidemics and pandemics through a series of presentations, panel discussions, and small group activities. Area studies faculty, regional experts, and medical practitioners from the University of Chicago and partner institutions will lectured on the historical, cultural, scientific, and political issues surrounding the spread and impact of infectious diseases.
Viewing the World Through Media and Popular Culture
June 20 – 23, 2005
This four-day workshop explored the ways in which media shape processes of state formation, identity politics and worldwide consumption. In addition to thematic presentations, participants engaged in roundtable discussions, classroom applications, and cultural enrichment activities.
Regional Perspectives on Globalization and Human Rights
June 28 – July 1, 2004
This institute explored human rights and globalization issues. High school teachers and college educators from the Chicago area and the upper Midwest participated in the weeklong program through lectures, multimedia presentations, and discussions.
Maps, Identity, and World Studies
June 18 – 29, 2001
This workshop was intended to give teachers of grades 6-12 essential tools for discussing and examining maps and their relevance to world studies. Topics include the relationship between map design, self-perception, and world view; using maps to discuss ethnicity, identity, and national relations; and Incorporating maps into the high school curriculum.