Graceland University Faculty Attend Iowa History Chairs Meeting

Graceland University faculty Steve Glazer, Professor of History, and John Franklin, Associate Professor of History, attended a meeting of Iowa history department chairs at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines on Saturday, Feb. 18. The meeting was an outgrowth of the American Historical Association’s Tuning Project, which is “a nationwide, faculty-led project to articulate the disciplinary core of historical study and to define what a student should understand and be able to do at the completion of a history degree program.1”

Attendees discussed topics such as how to attract more students to the major, balancing courses for majors with service responsibilities for general education programs, best practices for history program assessments, capstone course structure, and opportunities for public history and community involvement. Upon the suggestion of the Graceland faculty, participants also agreed to explore the creation of an Iowa undergraduate history conference to be held next spring.

(1) American Historical Association