Reminisces about how students reacted to learning about the Vietnam War within a U.S. history course where the students read the book "Dispatches" by Michael Herr which encouraged the students to empathize with their fathers who lived in that era. Discusses the implications this reaction has for teaching history. (CMK)

Discusses the experience of developing and teaching the online course entitled "History of American Since 1865" at Danville Community College. Focuses on issues such as course content and student response. States that online courses offer teachers a chance to reach students who usually avoid taking traditional lecture and discussion courses. (CMK)

Describes the Southwest Texas State University course "History Practicum: Researching, Writing, and Publishing Local History" that stresses computer proficiency, teamwork, and active learning. Students create and publish a guidebook for a town, city, or historic site in central Texas. Discusses the publication process of "San Marcos: A Guide to a…

Describes an assignment in an undergraduate course on Roman history for junior and senior history majors in which students create their own 15-page textbook using primary sources. Explains how each class session developed student analysis of primary sources. (CMK)

Reflects on the experience of being in an Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history course in high school. Stresses that the intent of the course was only to prepare students to score well on the AP examination. Asserts that the course should have aimed beyond teaching to the test. (CMK)

States that high school teachers can handle rigorous advanced placement courses in world history or world civilizations if they (1) have access to good teaching materials and (2) have been provided with the proper training. Address both issues, listing reading materials and describing the aspects involved in training teachers. (CMK)

Discusses the resources "The Great American History Machine: An Interactive Atlas of 19th and 20th Century U.S. Social and Political History" and "The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War." Describes how each is used to teach undergraduates in a course on history research methods. (CMK)

Explains that narrative history is usually the focus in history instruction but contends that argument-based history should be taught instead. Views argumentation as a means for engaging students actively in historical interpretation where the students can express the higher order thinking skills that interpretation entails. Provides examples of…

Describes a family history course for first-year college students that emphasizes critical thinking skills. The course is organized first chronologically, through three historically-ideal types of families, and then by topics, such as generational relations and courtship. Includes a list of concepts and words students must know. (CMK)

This paper retraces the early development of the social studies curricular pattern of the 1920s and the subsequent division between social studies advocates, represented by the National Council for the Social Studies, and history-centered supporters, represented largely by the American Historical Association. The document maintains that the…

In 1985, California launched a 2-year curriculum reform initiative in history and social science that could eventually bring new standards of learning in these areas. Professional studies and student surveys relate a common message: a more extensive, literature-based, issue and idea-oriented curriculum, and better teaching methods would increase…

A desire to make historical source documents central to the exposition of basic themes in a two-semester class on European and U.S. history since 1500 led to the development of a pilot course at Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts. One of the three weekly class meetings was devoted to a discussion of the source materials. In order to…

This course, one of 16 sequential courses comprising phase one of a part-time Bachelor of Arts degree program in Australian Studies, traces a number of 19th and 20th century debates about culture and examines both the ways in which cultural groups have been formed and the conditions under which culture is produced in contemporary society. It is…

A college professor of German describes an approach to teaching history and literature in a German composition and conversation class, discussing how encouragement of free speech and writing in German enhanced language skills and learning and also appreciation for German history and culture. (CB)

Historical demography--the study of population in the past, its relation to the environment and economy, and the effects that inter-relationship had on the broad development of society--is an approach that can make the study of history dynamic. The historical development and methodology for historical demography are discussed. (RM)