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Swensrud Teacher Fellowships at MHS

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is offering at least three fellowships to public and/or parochial schoolteachers and library media specialists during the summer of 2012. The fellowships carry a stipend of $4,000 for four weeks of on-site research at the MHS. Applications are welcome from any K-12 teacher with a serious interest in using the collections at the MHS to prepare primary-source-based curricula, supported by documents and visual aids, in the fields of American history, world history, or English/language arts.

Applicants may propose their own topic or refine one of the suggestions below:

Boston Music and Theater
The Coming of the American Revolution, 1764-1776
Women and war
Boston/New England and the Atlantic World
Massachusetts and the Civil War
New England and the War of 1812
 Thomas Jefferson's Architectural Drawings, Farm Book, Garden Book, or Notes of the State of Virginia
Travelers' impressions of foreign places (Nora Saltonstall, Mary Gardner Lowell, Henry Adams)
Local, state, and national anti-slavery organizations
Henry Cabot Lodge and 20th-century politics
The Forbes Family and the China Trade

Prospective applicants are encouraged to search the Society's online catalog, ABIGAIL online collection guides, and/or consult with MHS education and library staff (education@masshist.org or library@masshist.org) prior to submitting their proposals. Applicants may also view selected projects from previous years online (www.masshist.org/education) or in the library.

How to Apply for a 2012 Teacher Fellowship
Applications should be postmarked no later than Monday, March 5, 2012.

Applicants should provide the following materials:

  • A current résumé.
  • A letter of intent (no longer than two pages, single spaced) outlining the topic of interest, as well as the scope and goals of the proposed curriculum project.
  • A list of potential primary source materials to be used.
  • A letter of support from the school principal or department head.

The fellowship process is competitive. Awards will be made on the strength of 1) project design; 2) the plan for using MHS collections; 3) the creativity of the proposed classroom activities; 4) usability in other classrooms and 5) recommendations.

2012 Fellowship Schedule:
  • We will announce recipients approximately six weeks after the deadline.
  • Fellowship recipients must spend 20 days in residence at the MHS by December 15, 2012.
  • Fellowship recipients should plan to spend at least one week (five days) in residence in July and/or August.

Please direct questions to Kathleen Barker, Assistant Director of Education, at education@masshist.org
(617) 646-0557.

Completed application packets should be mailed to:

Kathleen Barker
Assistant Director of Education
Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 646-0557 or kbarker@masshist.org