Argues that the inclusion of literary texts in social science courses can strengthen both pedagogy and interest. Illustrates how the addition of literary texts can raise cultural and historical consciousness in a course on the Vietnam War. Provides suggestions for using Western and non-Western literature to provide a balanced view of the Vietnam…

Discusses the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Criticizes contemporary condemnation of Columbus as unproductive. Acknowledges the deaths of countless Native Americans through disease and warfare. Recognizes that the pre-Columbian Americas did not comprise a paradise. Concludes that commemorating the…

The American Civil War, the War between the States, War of the Rebellion, the Second American Revolution, and the War of Southern Independence are all names for the bloodiest conflict in American history. That war of many names has inspired authors to write thousands of books and articles. With the advent of the Internet came a plethora of Web…

During the Fall term, 2001, the author taught a new course intended to develop a diversity of close reading skills among his students. An integral component of the course involved the exploration of memory and history. As the fate of the syllabus would have it, right after the September attacks he taught Sarah Farmer's "Martyred Village:…

The Second World War stands as the most devastating and destructive global conflict in human history. More than 60 nations representing 1.7 billion people or three quarters of the world's population were consumed by its horror. Not surprisingly, therefore, World War II stands as a landmark episode in history education throughout the world and its…

States that because of the lack of depth in history texts, the oral history of Vietnam veterans is a valuable teaching alternative. Provides details for preparing students and veterans for interviews. Concludes that this method helps students understand complex issues by placing them in the middle of historical inquiry. (GEA)

Surveyed is the recent historiography of the moral dimensions of war, revolution, slavery, and cultural decline, showing gaps that need to be filled and pointing to pioneering works of moral history written mostly by nonhistorians. The outline of a new moral history is sketched and implications for higher education suggested. (RM)

Maintains that history teachers must challenge simplistic romantic notions about war. Proposes two approaches to teaching about war: the use of personal war narratives; and examining the relationship between warfare and society. Discusses literature related to these approaches. Contends that only through realistic assessments of war can peace be…

Critiques U.S. military assumptions concerning the war in Vietnam. Discusses the North Vietnamese strategic approach to gaining control of South Vietnam. Traces the history of the Vietnam War, analyzing specific U.S. military operations in Vietnam and reasons for their failure. Contends that U.S. strategic ethnocentrism lead to defeat in Vietnam.…

Students are quite interested in stories about young people throughout history. Students want to know what it was like to be a kid during the U.S. Civil War, during the Great Depression, or during the tumultuous Vietnam War period. They want to know what going to school was like, what young people did for entertainment and recreation, and what…

How is historical knowledge transmitted across generations? What is the role of schooling in that transmission? The authors address these questions by reporting on a thirty-month longitudinal study into how home, school, and larger society served as contexts for the development of historical consciousness among adolescents. Fifteen families drawn…

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,…

Reviews and questions various theories devised to explain America's entry into World War II. Concludes that revisionism is a continual process, many histories of World War II written since the 1960s show a detachment and moderation lacking in earlier accounts, and historians should examine the ideological and social conflicts within all Western…

Discusses the usefulness of war games in high school and college classrooms, specifically games involving the role of Western Europe in World War II. Twenty games are identified and evaluated in terms of strategy and educational value. (AV)

Presents a class activity on the demise of the Hellenic period and the factors responsible for the domination of Greece by Macedonia. Asks students to decide whether the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars were justified. Focuses on the role of Demosthenes and his championing of Greek liberty. (RW)