The seven chapters of this theme issue are concerned with how individuals learn and reason in the subject matter domain of history. In this general context, there is a more specific focus on historical explanation and understanding. These chapters explore what should be taught in history and how it should be taught. (SLD)

Presents research findings regarding the historical knowledge of fifth, eighth, and twelfth grade students and college level elementary education majors. Concludes that students learn the content of U.S. history as they progress through years of schooling. Reports student unfamiliarity with more recent historical events and difficulty in…

Explores instruction concerning the Irish role in Canadian history. Suggests that the Irish influence has been downplayed and presented to students in a biased manner. Discusses particular incidents in which Irish people have been portrayed negatively in textbooks and instruction. Argues that Irish Canadians achievements should be celebrated in…

Provides a sampling of items from the ERIC database on the subject of social studies as a discipline. Includes documents on proposals to improve social education and on return to traditional emphases in history and geography. Explains how to obtain copies of documents from the ERIC system. (SG)

Provides a partial listing of works found in the ERIC database on the debate between those who support social studies as a discipline and those who would replace it with history and geography courses. Includes articles, reports, and reviews covering various aspects of the debate. (DK)

Describes a course entitled "The Trial of Napoleon Bonaparte" that focuses on a fictitious mock trial of Napoleon Bonaparte to answer the question: did Napoleon pervert or preserve the gain of the French Revolution? Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the course. (CMK)

Cites anecdotal and research examples indicating that content knowledge, especially in history, is undervalued in schools of education, teacher selection and assignment, and staff development. States that as long as theory is valued over subject matter, the situation will not change. (SK)

Describes the purposes and structure of an undergraduate course for sophomore-level students called "Your Family in History" that takes an anthropological approach to studying family history. States that the course encourages students to do ethnographic research on a dimension of their own family culture. Includes an abbreviated course syllabus.…

Students from the University of Montevallo, Alabama's public liberal arts university, re-created the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862) approximately twenty miles north of Corinth, Mississippi. For ten weeks in a classroom environment, nineteen students studied strategy, operations, and tactics that affected events nearly 143 years prior. Then,…

This document outlines ancient civilization teaching models for California sixth graders. It is another response to teachers' requests for practical assistance in implementing the "History-Social Science Framework." Units include: (1) Early Humankind and the Development of Human Societies; (2) The Beginnings of Civilization in the Near…

Contending that the study of history can help today's students cope with conflict, diversity, and even revolution and that they can identify more with the marginal people of history (the common man: peasants, slaves, women, etc.) than with kings and emperors, the author suggests approaches and specific curriculum materials for developing this…

The authors describe the development and implementation in British schools of their family history project. The student and his social setting, the childhood of his parents and grandparents, and the methods of the historian are combined for effective course content. (DE)

Participants in an undergraduate oral history project interview Vietnam veterans in their locality as primary source material for a course in Southeast Asian history. (DE)

The legend of the gunfighter-lawman, frontier justice, and the extent of violence in western history are suggested as possible course content to make history more relevant and interesting. (DE)

The various aspects of an advanced placement seminar in the history of Europe are presented. Descriptions of the high school that offers the seminar, their admissions policy, and seminar coordination are included. Thirty-six unit topics, organized in the form of a calendar of lessons and assignments also are listed, as are a number of sample essay…