These essays were written to assist teachers in the task of making Russian history intelligible to young U.S. students. In "An Approach to Russian History," Edward Keenan proposes that students need to gain a better understanding of how Russians perceive themselves and their history. In "Pre-Petrine Russia," Andrzej S. Kaminski…

The purpose of this role-playing activity is to acquaint secondary students in a Canadian history class with the problems of politics in New France shortly after it became a Crown colony. The activity is designed for three 70-minute classroom periods. (RM)

This report examines the teaching of history in Scottish primary (elementary) and secondary schools and sets an agenda for further research. The research findings include: (1) Scotland may be the only country in the world, and certainly in Europe, that does not require its youngsters to study its history; (2) the introduction of Modern Studies in…

This pamphlet surveys western historiography of precolonial Africa. Prior to World War II, African history emphasized the European role in Africa, relegating African history before European colonization to minor importance. Only after the increase in university enrollments and funding in the 1960's did opportunities for innovative research and new…

A trained eye can make almost any part of the landscape into a vehicle for historical awareness. Discussed is how one farm in Canada is the product of its historic circumstances. (RM)

This subunit on Russian history is part of a unit on the USSR, one of four resource units for an eleventh grade course on area studies. The objectives for the subunit are listed as to generalizations, skills, and attitudes. There are two outlines provided for this subunit. The first identifies generalizations about culture change which might be…

This investigation is designed to help students learn landmarks and possible dangers for settlers who traveled down the Ohio River in 1789. The document describes a simulation in which the students attempt to survive a flatboat trip from Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) to Losantiville (Cincinnati, Ohio). Along the trail are points of historical…

Prior to World War Two, Slavic studies in America treated history, literature, and language as isolated disciplines and often neglected the study of Russian literature written after 1917. The pragmatic necessities of the war questioned the relevance of this traditional approach and specialists appeared, concentrating their efforts on the recent…

Focusing on the decline of history curriculum in the community college, the author compared the types of history courses offered and their frequency (class sections), the relationship of offerings to all other humanities studies, and the strength of areas within history. A subsample of 182 institutions was drawn from a 15% national sample of all…

This report argues for renewed attention to the teaching of history in the schools and provides suggestions for improving the state of history in our educational system. Much of history's trouble in the schools derives from a misunderstanding about what the subject is and what it is not. History is not social studies; it is essentially narrative.…

Focusing on James K. Polk's handling of the diplomatic crisis with Mexico, which followed his accession to office, and on the results of the Mexican War, this unit asks the student to evaluate Polk's actions. In the evaluation, the student must assess the responsibilities of presidential leadership and confront the implications of power in…

Asserts the need for new undergraduate culture studies textbooks that maintain broad historical scope and shed the Western humanistic model. Proposes a "postmodern textbook" less concerned with covering canonical facts than with issues to be discussed and situations to be analyzed. (21 citations) (VWC)