EDUO 9662: The Presidential Libraries – Gerald R. Ford Library

Our National Treasures Series Philosophy

The sites visited in each of the courses in the series, Our National Treasures, present to participants certain aspects of their cultural heritage. In completing assignments, participants also undergo a learning process that is as much a “national treasure” as are the sites themselves. As lifelong learners, students become curious and will satisfy that curiosity with research of one type or another, thus uncovering answers perhaps leading to more questions and a search for even more answers. In these courses, participants conduct preliminary research to gain a better insight into whatever information and inspiration the national treasure may hold. At the site they ask questions that spark the mission to learn even more by conducting follow up research. Touring the site and experiencing the process then becomes the true “national treasure”.

Course Overview

During this course you will visit and study a Presidential Library using the following method: 1) Explore 2) Visit 3) Follow up 4) Relate 5) Reflect

Course Objectives

In this course the participant will have the opportunity to:

1. visit one of the thirteen presidential libraries in this series
2. explore information about the library before visiting
3. ask questions during the visit
4. conduct further research after visiting the library
5. relate the investigations and the visit to the teaching act
6. communicate how the visit and research brought them a better grasp of the American experience
7. reflect on what value the content of the library could have to the classroom