"Diversity In American West" Is Theme Of 2015 Summer Regional Workshop July 17-19

BLOOMINGTON, IN—The Organization of American Historians (OAH) is hosting a Summer 2015 Regional Workshop on the campus of Glendale Community College, ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

The three-day event, titled "Diversity in the American West," is Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19. It will focus on the diverse people, places, and historical themes of the American West.

The conference program includes panel and roundtable discussions, paper presentations, and tours to local historic sites. The workshop is open to OAH members and non-members, including public and private historians, high school teachers, community college faculty, adjunct history instructors, and faculty who teach at public and private liberal arts colleges.

Questions that participants will consider include:

• What are the major trends in contemporary research and historiography of the American West, particularly as they relate to the diversity of its peoples?
• What strategies can engage students and the general public in the history of the American West?
• How might instructors build and enhance their teaching of survey courses to include the history of the American West?

Educational sessions will include subjects like:

• African American, Chicano, Chinese, Japanese, Native American, and other diverse peoples who have shaped the history of the American West
• Teaching western history and its integration into American history survey courses
• Museum, historic site, and online teaching and learning resources for western history
• Public history of the west
• Labor, migration, and religions of the west
• Women's and gender studies in the American West

Amy Kinsel of Shoreline Community College is chairing the 2015 OAH Regional Meeting program committee. Members of that committee include Christina Gold, El Camino College, R. Lynn Rainard, Tidewater Community College, and Christina Stern, Rockland Community College.

"It has been several years since we've hosted a regional conference," explains Kathy Finley, OAH executive director. "Our goal is to better serve those who can't make it to our annual meetings in April because of heavy teaching loads and work schedules. We also want to better engage OAH members who live in the western half of the U.S."

Members and non-members can register online at oah.org/2015RegionalWorkshop beginning May 1.

The conference hotel is the Hilton Glendale at 100 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale, CA. The deadline for reserving rooms for the special OAH single/double occupancy rate of $139 (includes free WiFi) is July 2. Use the group code "OAH" when reserving hotel rooms. Reserve rooms online or by calling 818.956.5466.

For information about the 2015 OAH Regional Workshop, visit oah.org or call 812.855.7311.

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Founded in 1907, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) is the world's largest professional association dedicated to American history scholarship. With more than 7,800 members from the U.S. and abroad, OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, encouraging wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of history practitioners. It publishes the quarterly Journal of American History, the leading scholarly publication and journal of record in the field of American history for more than nine decades. It also publishes The American Historian magazine. Formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association (MVHA), the association became the OAH in 1965 to reflect a broader scope focusing on national studies of American history. The OAH national headquarters are located in the historic Raintree House on Indiana University's Bloomington campus. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.