Sep 23, 2022
Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication, served as a scholar in residence for the Williamson County Heritage Foundation in Franklin, Tennessee (not affiliated with “the” Heritage Foundation). Mackowski presented
a pair of workshops at a June 1-2 conference for teachers:
- “Teaching Civil War Controversy in the Classroom,” a look at contemporary issues surrounding Civil War monuments and how teachers can use them as teaching moments.
- “Seeing the First Draft of History: Technology, the News, and Media Ethics,” a look at ways technology has created ethical dilemmas for reporters covering breaking news.
Mackowski also presented workshops at the American Battlefield Trust’s annual Teacher Institute, held July 21-24 in Mobile, Alabama, and co-led a tour of various Civil War-related sites around Mobile. Workshops included:
- “Abraham Lincoln as a Writer,” a discussion of the idea of “good writing” and how Lincoln’s most famous pieces fit that criteria.
- “What’s in a Name: The Power of Names as Frames for Defining History,” a look at the language people use to control the way we talk about historical and current events.
Additionally, Mackowski spent a few days in Boston serving as on-screen talent for an American Battlefield Trust-sponsored virtual field trip. Stops included the Boston Tea Party Museum, the Old North Church, Lexington and Concord and Minuteman National
Park, the Old State House, the USS Constitution, the 54th Massachusetts Memorial and Boston Common, and the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS).