THE LAST GOOD WAR: TEACHING WORLD WAR II THROUGH ART, MUSIC AND LITERATURE
Led by Alan Brown, Ph.D., University of West Alabama

World War II has always held a special fascination for Americans, possibly because many consider it to be the last “good” war in which the line between good and evil was clearly delineated. Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation has drawn attention to the brave men and women who were willing to sacrifice everything for the country they loved. Movies like Saving Private Ryan and television series like Band of Brothers and the Ken Burns documentary The War have shifted the focus away from the battles to the average soldiers who somehow find the power within themselves to perform extraordinary feats of courage. World War II is relevant to our students because of video games, such as Call to Duty, which have enabled gamers to “engage” in true-to-life skirmishes and battles.

World War II is ideally suited to today's classroom. All of the novels selected for the course have been included on high-school reading lists for years. Film versions of most of the novels are readily available to the high-school teacher. Excerpts from several of these films will be shown during class. Teachers will learn about a number of World War II artists, such as Tom Lea and Kerr Eby, whose artwork can also be used to illustrate the war. Finally, teachers will learn how to use the best audio-visual aids in the classroom: actual veterans of World War II who can be found all over the United States .

Novels:
A Bell for Adano
Bridge on the River Kwai
The Caine Mutiny
Catch 22
Night
Slaughterhouse Five
The Thin Red Line

Click here for APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Click here for this institutes's APPLICATION FORM in Microsoft Word format.

Location: Alabama Humanities Foundation, Birmingham

Dates: June 9-11

Times: Tuesday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Format: Three-day non-residential institute.

Meals: Lunch provided.

CEUs: 24 contact hours

Session Topics, Resource Materials and Activities are subject to change.

For all questions concerning this program, contact
Thomas E. Bryant: tbryant@ahf.net, (205) 558-3997

Additional program support is provided by:

ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange)

ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide)