Over the past decade historians and educational researchers in the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada have been devoting ever increasing energy to the systematic exploration of the learning of history at the college level. Now members of the discipline have come together to nurture and to disseminate this new scholarship of teaching and learning…

Maintains the enduring public fascination with the Civil War provides opportunities and dangers for history teachers. Reviews changes in historical interpretations of the Civil War. Asserts that recent scholarship suggests that both the South and North fought to preserve doomed social systems. (CFR)

Contends that history is a nearly "sense-less" profession because reading is almost the only source of historical understanding. Reviews content related to sensory experiences in college history textbooks. Argues that including language about the senses in historical writing and instruction will enlarge the audience and the field of…

Discusses differences among the objectives, course content, and teaching methods of history instruction at high-school and college levels. Argues that improved communication and interaction among all professionals in the field, including teachers, archivists, librarians, and others, is necessary to improve teaching and learning. (CFR)

Argues that historians have often neglected ideological forces that have shaped their work. Offers a meta-analysis of the ideological dimensions of historical scholarship. Proposes a social psychoanalytical approach to history. Argues that a recognition of the connection between past and present would expose the ties between history and politics.…

Maintains traditional interpretation of the Reconstruction Era tends toward intellectual incoherence instead of probing the historical forces at work. Reviews seven college textbook treatments of the Reconstruction Era and finds three adhering to the traditional approach while four project strong thematic schemes. (CFR)

Discusses attitudes toward history instruction from a survey of historians. Contends that historians who prize history seem less interested in dispensing knowledge than in imparting a historical perspective. Concludes that many historians are comfortable with the relatively low status of teaching because it provides autonomy. (CFR)

Contends that, in the past several years, the field of western U.S. history has been more vibrant and visible. Maintains that Patricia Nelson Limerick and others revived the field. Concludes that a new approach provides a better appreciation about what did happen and what was mythical in U.S. western history. (CFR)

Contends that, when laypeople read history, they prefer to read biographies--stories about leaders and people--rather than about social forces and ideas. Argues that the most effective way of writing biography is to write chronologically, not to use flashbacks or flash forward writing. (CFR)

Discusses responses related to the nature and purpose of history from a survey of historians. Contends that it is the appeal of history, rather than teaching methods, that captures the interest of high-school and college students. Applies Ernest Boyer's four principles of scholarship to the survey results. (CFR)

Asserts that increasing numbers of history teachers design courses to have students use historical research and processing skills. Reports on a study of 120 middle school students about their perceptions of what historians do. Concludes that the study provided teachers a means of assessing student understanding of historians. (CFR)

Reviews the development of African-American history as a scholarly field within U.S. history. Presents four generations of black historians who have contributed to the development and current status of African-American history. Concludes with a discussion of needed additional research and a 22-item bibliography. (CFR)

Presents an interview with historian Gerhard Weinberg by Sheldon Hackney of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Asserts that the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II also marks the end of the postwar world. Discusses post-World War II diplomacy and international relations. (CFR)

Reiterates some of British historian R. G. Collingwood's ideas on education and uses a wide range of his works to develop them further. Discusses Collingwood's ideas on such subjects as, the aim of education, the nature and content of the curriculum, the organization of education, forms of experience, and self-knowledge. (MJP)

Contends that, in the past few years, historians have shown increasing interest in the utilization of databases and database software for both teaching and research. Focuses on the value of historical databases and illustrates the approach with examples drawn from financial and industrial databases. (CFR)