Katharine Gerbner teaches students of all ages to do history by empowering them with the tools of research and critical thinking so they can explore the questions they have about the world and evaluate information they encounter on a daily basis – whether in school, on social media, or in a Google search. She develops courses, syllabi, and curricula to bring historical research and inquiry-based learning to broad audiences, from K-12 schools to college classrooms and beyond.
University of Minnesota
As Associate Professor of History and Director of the Religious Studies program at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Gerbner teaches courses on Early American History, the Early Modern Archive, Theory and Method in the Study of Religion, and Religion, Media, Technology. In her classes, students visit local museums and libraries and participate in hands-on workshops. In her class on Religion, Technology, and Media, for example, students experiment with printing and computing to analyze how different forms of communication technology – from cuneiform to the printing press to GenAI – inform the way they research, think, and believe.
College in the Schools
Since 2022, Katharine Gerbner has served as Faculty Coordinator for College in the Schools: US History. She works with high school instructors who teach college-level US History courses in Minnesota high schools. She organizes three professional development workshops every year and leads an annual day-long Field Day for high school students enrolled in CIS US History. She partners with librarians and archivists at multiple University of Minnesota libraries and museums to bring students into the archives, where they investigate and examine physical primary sources.
Learn more about the CIS US History Field Day!
K-12 Social Studies
Katharine Gerbner served as co-chair of the 2020-21 Social Studies Standards Review Committee for the state of Minnesota, helping to develop the framework for History education in the state. She currently serves as Lead Historian for “Navigating the US History Eras,” a professional learning series for K-12 educators presented by the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Minnesota Department of Education.