2020 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses

The 2020 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses met online in September.

We held two plenary webinars and facilitated online discussions by course topic.

Texas Higher Education and COVID-19 Response and Recovery

With Dr. Harrison Keller, Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Texas, September 14

What should historians in Texas know about the state’s higher education system and its response to the coronavirus pandemic? In this presentation, Harrison Keller, who leads higher education policymaking for the state’s public institutions, gave an update on the current state of affairs for colleges and universities, and what to look for in the 2021 state legislative session.

Uncertainty, the US Survey, and Reclaiming a “Required Course”

With Dr. Anne Hyde, Univ. of Oklahoma, September 17

How can historians connect the ways we create new knowledge to the ways that we teach students in 2020 and beyond?  How can we make the most out of a history-course requirement for our students? Watch the recording here.

Course Discussions

These 75-minute conversations were an opportunity to share strategies and resources for teaching each of the six main history topics in the state’s Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) for lower-division history classes. These online conversations were each facilitated by an experienced instructor. Thank you to all who participated!

Wednesday 9/23

10:00–11:15 AM CT – World Civilizations moderated by Jonathan Lee (San Antonio Coll.).

1:00–2:15 PM CT – Western Civilization moderated Kent McGaughy (Houston Community Coll.).

Thursday 9/24

10:00–11:15 AM CT – Texas History moderated by Walter Buenger (Univ. of Texas at Austin).

1:00–2:15 PM CT – Mexican American History moderated by Lisa Ramos (San Antonio Coll.).

Friday 9/25

10–11:15 AM CT – African American History moderated by Tomiko Meeks (Texas Southern Univ.).

1:00–2:15 PM CT – United States History moderated by Nancy Baker (Sam Houston State Univ.) and Brad Cartwright (Univ. of Texas at El Paso).