Speakers
Speakers

Speakers in the Schools

The New York Council for the Humanities’ Speakers in the Schools program offers FREE top-notch lectures by a renowned and diverse group of scholars on a wide variety of humanities subjects to high school communities across New York State.

If your application is successful, the Council will cover all costs associated with the program, including the Speaker’s honorarium and travel expenses.

Commemorative Lectures

Explore the Council's list of lectures commemorating the anniversaries of:

How to apply to host a lecture

Select a Lecture/ Speaker
Browse lecture listings to find the right topic for your students, school community and curriculum.
Find a Lecture/Speaker >

Contact the Speaker to arrange a date and time
Directly contact the Speaker you have selected to establish a mutually agreed upon date and time for the lecture presentation.
Browse Speaker directory >

Apply to the Council
Once you have selected a lecture and confirmed a date and a time with the Speaker, submit the Speakers in the Schools application.
Apply >

Plan your event
As soon as you receive notice of Council approval, start planning your event, including pre- and post-lecture activities.
View Planning Tips >

Submit Follow-Up Evaluation
It is required to submit an online evaluation within three (3) weeks following your event.
Program Evaluation >

Need more information about Speakers in the Schools?
View answers to Frequently Asked Questions >

 

Speakers in the Schools is made possible by funding from the New York State Legislature.

The Council is proud to partner with the New York State Historical Association's New York State History Day to support the humanities and education in schools and cultural institutions statewide.

Celebrate the Fourth of July with an American History Topic

A House Divided: New York and the War of 1812

Harvey Strum
On February 11, 1815 thousands of people carrying candles, torches, and lamps marched down Broadway to celebrate the end of the War of 1812, a war that bitterly divided New Yorkers.

Gilded Age Psyches: An Epic of Victorians Run Wild

Robert Spiegelman
From the American Revolution to the Indian Wars of the Wild West, the love story of John Adair and Cornelia Wadsworth is interlaced with the history of America's first 100 years. Follow this brilliant -- but haunted -- Victorian couple as they romance in Manhattan, hunt buffalo on the Great Plains, and found a Texas cattle empire.

Offer a series of Medicine, Science and Technology lectures in August

Life Speeds Up: Robert Fulton and a Changing New York

Robert W. Arnold III
When Robert Fulton docked his steamboat in Albany in 1807, he hadn't made just a voyage; he'd made history. The advent of steam-driven machinery meant that people need no longer rely solely on "natural" forces - muscle, wind, and water - to power their lives.

The Amazing Nineteenth Century: A Century of Innovation

J. Ward Regan
This talk focuses on the development of specific innovations in the nineteenth century and examines how they formed the core of the industrial transformation of American society. The different subjects covered link the material transformation of the world with new ideas about society and government.