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The 2027 Ione Bennion Teachers' Workshop for the Perpetuation of Democratic Principles

Each year, the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at USU hosts the Bennion Teachers’ Workshop for the Perpetuation of Democratic Principles. For five days in June this master class, developed and taught by USU faculty, connects K-12 in-service and pre-service teachers, K-12 administrators, post-secondary instructors, and renowned experts in fields relating to democratic principles. Thanks to a generous endowment from Ione Bennion, a teacher and community activist, the workshop “provides an atmosphere and the educational resources to explore the concepts upon which democracy is built, the conditions under which it flourishes, and the dangers to its existence.” USU faculty (or faculty teams) interpret this mission broadly, focusing on timely, interdisciplinary, and global topics that explore democratic principles across a variety of humanities and social science backgrounds. Faculty are paid (via summer months) for their role as the Bennion Lead Teacher & Scholar

High in content, workshops provide participants with a solid background in the yearly theme as well as knowledgeable guidance in the development of appropriate lesson plans for use in their classrooms. Each master class contains a public keynote address, other prominent visiting (physically or online) speakers/scholars/activists/practitioners for a variety of hands-on experiences, building of lesson plans and assessments, and ample time for discussion and interaction among participants and faculty.