"Summer History Educator"

Summer History Educator

University of California Los Angeles

Requisition Number: JPF10879

Summer Program Dates: June 22nd - July 10th

Course: CSI History: Investigating Ancient Rome

Description

Geffen Academy Educators approach teaching as an intellectual profession of the highest order, one in which knowledge is not only transmitted but created. Geffen Academy Educators possess a sophisticated and reflective understanding of their discipline and a record of achievement which demonstrates their ability to utilize and contribute to the robust connections we have with UCLA, a world-class research institution. Educators' innovation is guided by our school's mission to prioritize proven educational practices while also recognizing that teaching is a complex intellectual endeavor that defies rigid codification. We are committed to a humane working environment and also recognize that teaching goes beyond the life of the mind. Geffen Academy Educators seek to create trusting and caring relationships with their students and with their larger community.

Summary

The CSI: Ancient Rome summer course invites middle and upper school students to become investigators of the ancient world by studying material evidence left behind by people in the past. Rather than learning about Roman history only through texts, students examine artifacts, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence to uncover what everyday objects can reveal about identity, family, social status, belief, and daily life in ancient Rome.

Students learn how historians and archaeologists reconstruct the past by analyzing tombstone inscriptions currently on view at the Getty Villa, decoding common Latin formulas, and creating original commemorative dedications using historically accurate conventions. The course also explores how major historical events-such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE-preserved ordinary moments of Roman life and transformed catastrophe into a powerful source of historical knowledge.

Through guided inquiry, collaborative analysis, hands-on decoding activities, and short interpretive writing tasks, students practice thinking like historians and archaeologists: asking what evidence shows, what it cannot show, and how interpretations are shaped by context and perspective. The course is designed to be developmentally responsive for either middle school or upper school students, with texts, pacing, and analytical depth adjusted based on the enrolled grade band.

Under the direction of the Summer Program Director at Geffen Academy at UCLA, the Educator will design and deliver high-quality, in-person summer instruction. The primary teaching responsibility will be CSI: Ancient Rome; depending on program enrollment and scheduling needs, the Educator may also have the opportunity to teach additional, thematically related summer courses. Courses meet daily for up to 90 minutes over the three-week program. Final teaching assignments and instructional responsibilities will be determined based on enrollment and overall programmatic considerations. All courses are taught on Geffen Academy's campus.

Job Duties

• Design and deliver a three-week investigative history and archaeology course open for students entering grades 7-12, focused on material culture and evidence-based reasoning.
• Introduce students to core historical and archaeological methods, including artifact analysis, inscription decoding, contextual interpretation, and hypothesis testing.
• Guide students in analyzing funerary inscriptions and material artifacts to infer information about identity, family structure, social status, and belief systems in ancient Rome.
• Teach students how historians use recurring formulas, conventions, and patterns (e.g., Latin epitaph structures) to interpret incomplete or fragmentary evidence.
• Facilitate inquiry-based discussions that encourage students to distinguish evidence from inference and to evaluate competing interpretations.
• Use case studies such as Pompeii and Herculaneum to examine how catastrophic events can preserve historical evidence and reshape historical understanding.
• Design short analytical and creative tasks (e.g., interpretive writing, artifact case notes, reconstructed inscriptions) that support clear reasoning and historical imagination.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback to help students refine interpretations and communicate ideas with clarity and precision.
• Establish classroom norms that support respectful discussion, collaborative investigation, and intellectual curiosity.
• Collaborate with Summer Program leadership and fellow educators to ensure a cohesive and engaging program experience.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• This list of duties is not exhaustive.

To apply, please visit: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10879