Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge since 1965 annually has conducted a series of graduate seminars and workshops, primarily for educators but also for several other categories of professionals. These programs always have been fully accredited by major colleges and universities. The number of courses each year varies.
Participants consist of elementary and secondary school teachers, media practitioners, school administrators, college faculty, clergy, and various other professionals. Promotions are comprehensive as well as national in scope.
Since 1965, 28 universities have accredited the graduate seminars and workshops. Nationally and internationally known experts in the disciplines of history, political science, economics, education, philosophy, international relations, communication, and other fields have lectured and directed the sessions. Almost 9,000 educators and other professionals have participated in the graduate programs since their inception. With the exception of some of the history workshops, these courses are held on the Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge campus.
All seminars deal directly with the subject of freedom, practically, constitutionally, historically, and philosophically; or in terms of current events, citizenship, public policy, and free enterprise. Courses dealing with important issues facing America today, which represent a challenge to citizenship and to the adaptability of the constitutional system, and affect the nature and the survival of our freedoms are the essentials of our curriculum.
Some of the topics covered in our courses during the 1990s have included: the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the American Presidency, the Legislative Branch of American Government, the American Judiciary, National Security After the Cold War, the U.S. in a One-Superpower World, America's Global Economic Challenge, Immigration in the 1990s, and the Communist World in Transition.
Seminars are five days in length and are held on the Freedoms Foundation campus in Valley Forge. Each lecture (usually twelve or more) is approximately one hour and is followed by a question and answer period or discussion session. Speakers include distinguished and internationally known leaders in fields related to the topics of the sessions.
A variety of formats have been used in conducting the seminars. In terms of faculty, the sponsoring university or Freedoms Foundation select a Director who is responsible for the academic standards and processes of the program. In addition, instructors to assist in giving the course usually are provided by Freedoms Foundation, with university approval. Lectures often are followed by seminars (groups of 20 or less) directed by one of the faculty, by panel discussions, or by question and answer periods. Participants can earn from one to three semester hours of graduate credit. In addition to attending lectures and seminars, participants taking courses for credit have been required to take examinations, to write a short term paper or to prepare a teaching unit on some topic pertinent to the course.
The syllabus for any given course also usually has been a cooperative venture. We recognize that the academic content of the course is subject to the approval of the accrediting institution, with the understanding that Freedoms Foundation asks basic acceptance of the objectives and general formats, as well as agreement with overall subject matter.
Applicants are accepted and registered for the course through the Freedoms Foundation Programs Office. Grading as well as the granting of graduate credit after fulfilling course requirements is the responsibility of the Director and/or the accrediting institution.
The workshop program had its inception in 1976, when a single workshop on the American Revolution was offered for teachers of American history in celebration of the Bicentennial. From the beginning, registrations far exceeded our ability to accommodate applicants, and in succeeding years additional sessions were added. These sessions include: The American Revolution in the North (Boston, MA to Philadelphia, PA); The American Revolution in the Middle States (Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Area); The American Revolution in the South (Charlotte, NC to Philadelphia, PA); The Civil War: Western Campaigns (Jackson, MS to Atlanta, GA); The Civil War: Eastern Campaigns (Richmond, VA to Philadelphia, PA); the Hispanic American Heritage: The California Missions (Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA); and the Heritage of Our Past Presidents. We usually offer three workshops a summer but have offered as many as five.
The Freedoms Foundation history workshops always have conformed to meaningful academic standards. In addition to touring and on-location study of historical sites, each session involves at least 30 contact hours of lecturing and teaching over a five to seven-day period. Workshop Directors and supporting staff have been educators specializing in the historical periods to which the workshops pertain, and other speakers have had expertise in particular historic sites or related topics. Participants can earn from one to three semester hours of graduate credit. Requirements for graduate credit are sent to individuals when they are accepted. They have 30 days after the end of the program to complete all work.
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