WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

“Machinery is the new messiah,” declared Henry Ford. Farm boy, tinker, inventor, and corporate titan, Ford lived by this mantra. By 1927 he had constructed the largest industrial complex in the world—the Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Vanity Fair magazine in 1928 effusively declared the Rouge “the most significant public monument in America”—outshining the United States Senate, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Statue of Liberty. At “the Rouge” the revolution Henry Ford began with the Model T two decades earlier—the manufacture of an affordable automobile on a moving assembly line and the creation of a blue-collar middle class—dynamically evolved throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first century. The Rouge and its creator, “the sage of Dearborn,” ultimately transformed the world through mass production.

DATES AND LOCATION

Henry Ford Community College invites high school teachers and other K-12 educators to explore and experience the heritage of Henry Ford and his Rouge Factory in a Landmarks of American History Workshop. Headquartered at the Michigan Technical Education Center at Henry Ford Community College directly across from the Rouge Plant, this Workshop invites prospective participants to apply for one of two sessions:
June 20-24
or
June 27- July 1

DAILY SCHEDULE

Daily sessions of the workshop will each be devoted to investigating a particular theme. The topics include (1) The Rouge and Manufacturing History, (2) The Rouge and Labor History, (3) Henry Ford as Icon, (4) The Diego Rivera Murals, and (5) The Contemporary Rouge.
Morning seminars on these topics featuring distinguished scholars and commentators will convene at the M-TEC (Michigan Technical Education Center). Each session will be followed by a tour that will enhance the morning’s dialogue. Participants will visit sites such as the Ford Rouge Plant, the Diego Rivera Detroit Industrial Murals (at the Detroit Institute of Arts), Greenfield Village, the Henry Ford Museum, and the Walter Reuther Labor Archives.

Late afternoons will be reserved for free time, recreation, and mingling or independent research. After supper, teachers will convene to collaborate in curricular planning, drawing from the commentaries and tours that constituted the day’s activity.

MAJOR THEMES AND TOURS

The “Rouge” workshop will be driven by an incisive dialogue from start to finish. The morning presenters will determine the direction of this exchange.

In Monday’s session (“The Rouge and Manufacturing History”) Charles Hyde, Professor of History at Wayne State University and author of Detroit: An Industrial History Guide will profile the birth of the Rouge Plant and its development through WW II. In the same session, Michael Skinner, President of The Henry Ford Heritage Association, will trace the modern history of the factory and crystallize the current state of the Rouge. To complement Monday’s seminar, participants will take a private afternoon tour of The Henry Ford Museum focused on “The Automobile in American Life.”

In Tuesday’s session (“The Rouge and Labor History”) Michael Smith, Director of the Walter Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, will trace eight decades of dramatic confrontations of labor and management at the Rouge. Professor Smith, who directs the Graduate Department of Archival Administration at Wayne State University, will discuss not only the labor history of the Rouge but also how effectively to research and teach that history. In this session Steve Babson program specialist at the Labor Studies Center at Wayne State University and author of Working Detroit, will speak to contemporary labor issues at the Rouge, such as the automation and the internationalization of production. Following this seminar, participants will visit sites marking two historic labor conflicts in metropolitan Detroit: the route of the Ford Hunger March (1932) and the location of the Battle of the Rouge Overpass (1937). The tour will continue to Hart Plaza in Detroit, site of the recently dedicated Labor Legacy Landmark, and conclude at the Walter Reuther Labor Archives (where documents of unions such as the UAW, United Farm Workers, and Industrial Workers of the World are preserved and catalogued.)

In Wednesday’s session (Henry Ford as Icon) the discussion will not only highlight the Rouge but also its creator and overseer. Kevin Boyle; winner of the 2004 National Book Award for non-fiction for a study of racial polarity in Detroit in the 1920s, Arc of Justice; will begin the seminar. Boyle will evaluate the accomplishments and policies of Henry Ford within the context of urban history, including Ford’s policy toward particular ethnic and racial groups. In this seminar Michael Daher, Professor of’ English at Henry Ford Community College, and co-author of the oral history series, Recollections of Henry Ford, will profile Henry Ford’s image in popular culture, literature, and art. The morning dialogue will be followed by a tour focused on “Working in America” at Greenfield Village, an outdoor museum that Henry Ford deemed one of his prime accomplishments.

In Thursday’s session (The Detroit Industrial Murals of Diego Rivera) Nancy Jones, Director of Education at the Detroit Institute of Arts, will introduce participants to Rivera’s spectacular murals in the courtyard of the Institute. Her profile will identify the themes and explain the techniques that Rivera employed in creating the frescoes that cover the four walls of the courtyard. In this session Dora Apel, Professor of Art History at Wayne State University, will trace Rivera’s capacity to provoke dynamic public response by exploring how, in the words of one commentator, “the murals belonged to anyone, including the Communist Party, who used the murals to win new members; civil rights leaders, who sought support from the working class; and corporate executive recruiters.” This seminar constitutes a tour in itself, but will also be followed by a visit to the Burton Archives of the Detroit Public Library and the Automobile Gallery of the Detroit Historical Museum (both within walking distance of the Detroit Institute of Arts.)

Friday’s seminar (The Contemporary Rouge) will conclude the Landmarks Workshop. Ford Motor Heritage Project Manager Jay Richardson will provide an overview of environmental innovations at the redesigned Rouge Plant, which began production in 2004. Richardson will assess innovations such as the factory’s green roof and systems for detoxifying soil and air. Director of Corporate Training at Henry Ford Community College, Gary Saganski, will then discuss the culture of the workforce at the Rouge, explain the role of ongoing workplace education at the factory, and evaluate the competitive capacity of the plant within the international arena. The participants will conclude the workshop with their final tour—a visit to the operational Rouge complex.

CRAFTING LESSON PLANS

Lesson planning sessions at the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-Tec) will be lead by Rick Bailey, Professor of English at Henry Ford Community College, author of the writing text Destinations, and project director of an NEH College Workshop on work and culture. Master high school history teachers Gerti Schrattenhaler (Detroit Community High School) and Susan Zimmermann (Dearborn High School) will collaborate in designing and coordinating the lesson planning sessions.

Rouge Workshop participants will prepare for workshops out of two essential texts provided to them: Ford R. Bryan’s The Rouge Pictured in its Prime and Linda Downs’ The Detroit Industrial Murals of Diego Rivera. These and other selected readings will furnish material for reading assignments (about twenty pages per day) and resources for lesson planning. Participants will draw on seminar dialogues, tours, and archives to work collaboratively in small groups in the early evening sessions on lesson plans. The Workshop website will assist participants in organizing such material. Developing a lesson plan project will constitute the main participant activity in the Workshop. The crafting of curricular material will be done at the Michigan Technical Education Center where rooms for small group work are available, and each participant will have access to a computer.

APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS

While primarily intended for teachers of American history, social science, government, and civics, this project also welcomes applications from teachers in literature, science, humanities, art, music, theater, foreign language, and mathematics. Classroom teachers in public, private, parochial, and charter schools, as well as home-schooling parents, are eligible to participate. Other K-12 school personnel, including administrators, substitute teachers, classroom paraprofessionals, and librarians are eligible to participate, subject to available space. The Workshop will employ a multi-disciplinary approach to learning and looks forward to participants distinguished by disciplinary diversity.

RESIDENCY

Participants will lodge in residence halls (double occupancy) on the campus of Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. Each room is internet connected—one port per person. Madonna is an urban university with a spacious, green campus. The college cafe, library and gymnasium will be available to Workshop members. The residence hall offers lounge areas suitable for quiet discussion. It also has an expansive Lakeside Lounge containing a large screen TV with a VCR, a pool table, and a ping pong table, as well as a full kitchen and laundry room. Shopping at the elegant Laurel Park Mall is accessible by a two mile bus ride. The weekly cost of residency for each participant will be $ 62.50. A limited number of single rooms will be available for a weekly cost of $161.

NEH STIPEND

The stipend awarded by NEH for each participant in the Rouge workshop will be $500. Participants must pay living expenses and travel costs from this stipend. Participants traveling from long distances may apply for supplementary funding—which will be awarded on a case by case basis.

LANDMARKS WORKSHOP CERTIFICATE

All participants will be eligible to receive a formal certificate of completion to present for continuing education units or in-service credit from their school district or state. Signed certificates will be mailed to each participant after his/her lesson plans are evaluated.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

To make an application to participate in the Landmarks of American History Workshop, “The Rouge Plant, Henry Ford, and Manufacturing History, 1917-2004,” applicants should

1. Review the NEH Landmark Project Participant Application Guidelines (attachment),
2. Fill out a cover sheet on line. The link for the on-line cover sheet is provided below
3. Download the cover sheet and attach a copy to each of the three sets of application materials to be mailed to Henry Ford Community College.

The most essential part of the completed application is the essay. Up to one double-spaced page, this essay should include information about your professional background and interest in the main themes of the Workshop, and it should indicate how the experience would enhance your teaching career. The application should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from your principal or department head or the head of a home-schooling association. The recommendation should specifically support your application. Your completed application should be postmarked no later than March 15, 2005. All applications must be in hard copy and sent to:

Michael Daher
English Division
Henry Ford Community College
5101 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128

NEH LANDMARKS OF AMERICAN HISTORY:
WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOOLTEACHERS
APPLICATION INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
Landmarks of American History Workshops are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide K-12 educators with the opportunity to engage in intensive study and discussion of important topics and issues in American history, while providing them with direct experiences in the interpretation of significant historical sites and the use of archival and other primary historical evidence. Prior to completing an application, please review the enclosed letter from the project director and consider carefully what is expected in terms of residence and attendance, reading and writing requirements, and participation in the work of the project.

Landmarks Workshops will allow 40-50 teachers at a time to collaborate with core faculty and visiting scholars. The Workshops are designed to present the best available scholarship on a specific landmark or related cluster of landmarks, while enabling participants to gain a sense of the importance of historical places, to make connections between the Workshop content and what they teach, and to develop enhanced teaching materials for their classrooms.

ELIGIBILITY

These projects are designed principally for classroom teachers in public, private, parochial, and charter schools, as well as home schooling parents. Other K-12 school personnel, including administrators, substitute teachers, classroom paraprofessionals, and librarians, are eligible to participate, subject to available space.

Teachers at schools in the United States or its territorial possessions or Americans teaching in foreign schools where at least 50 percent of the students are American nationals are eligible for this program. Applicants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to apply.

Applicants must complete the NEH application cover sheet and provide all of the information requested below to be considered eligible. An individual may apply to and participate in no more than two Landmarks projects.

SELECTION CRITERIA

A selection committee (consisting in most cases of the project director, one of the project scholars, and a veteran teacher) will read and evaluate all properly completed applications. Special consideration is given to the likelihood that an applicant will benefit professionally and personally from the Workshop experience. It is important, therefore, to address each of the following factors in preparing the application essay:

• your professional background and interest in the subject of the Workshop;
• your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the Workshop; and
• how the experience would enhance your teaching or school service.

STIPEND, TENURE, AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD

Teachers selected to participate will receive a stipend of $500. Stipends are intended to help cover travel expenses to and from the Workshop location, books, and ordinary living expenses. Stipends are taxable. Travel supplements for those traveling long distances will be available but will be allocated after participants are selected, on a case-by-case basis, at the time of the workshop or shortly thereafter.

Workshop participants are required to attend all scheduled meetings and to engage fully in all project activities. Participants who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project must refund a pro-rata portion of their stipend.

Participants will provide NEH with an assessment of their Workshop experience, especially in terms of its value to their personal and professional development. You will be asked to provide a confidential evaluation at the close of the Workshop.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

This application packet should contain a letter from the project director describing in detail the content of the Workshop, the institutional setting, what is expected of participants, and specific provisions for lodging and subsistence. If you do not have such a letter, please request one from the project director before you attempt to compete and submit your application. All application materials should be sent to the project director at the address listed on the program poster. Sending application materials and reference letters to the Endowment will result in delay. Please indicate on the application cover sheet your first and second choices of Workshop dates.

CHECKLIST OF APPLICATION MATERIALS

The following items constitute a completed application:

• three copies of the completed application cover sheet,
• three copies of your résumé,
• three copies of an application essay (no longer than one double-spaced page) as outlined below, and
• one letter of recommendation (sent separately).

The Application Cover Sheet
The application cover sheet must be filled out on line at the web address provided below.
Please fill it out on line as directed by the prompts. When you are finished, print it out. At that point you will be asked if you want to apply to another workshop. If you do, follow the prompts and select another workshop and then print out the cover sheet for that workshop.
Résumé
Please include a detailed résumé.
The Application Essay
The application essay should be no more than one double-spaced page. The essay should address your professional background and interest in the subject of the Workshop; your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the Workshop; and how the experience would enhance your teaching or school service.
Reference Letter
Applicants should provide a letter of recommendation from their school principal, department head, district administrator, or home-schooling association president as appropriate. It is helpful for referees to read a copy of the description of the project sent by the director and the application essay. It is the applicant's responsibility to ask the referee to send the recommendation letter directly to the project director and to make certain that the letter is mailed to arrive not more than one week after the deadline: March 15, 2005.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
Completed applications should be submitted to the project director and should be postmarked no later than March 15, 2005.
Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by April 5, 2005, and they will have until April 20, 2005 to accept or decline the offer. Applicants who will not be home during the notification period should provide an address and phone number where they can be reached. No information concerning the status of an application will be available prior to the official notification period.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. For further information, write to NEH Equal Opportunity Officer, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506. TDD: 202/606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).