The modern college instructor in the United States faces several unique dilemmas due to students' increased access to information via the internet and social media, increased polarization across the nation, and increased unrest resulting in more experiences impacting mental health. As such, modern instructors are faced with the challenge of balancing the hard reality of honestly teaching about society's history and current issues with optimistic realism for progress already made and progress yet to come. This research examines how using focused, optimistic pedagogical approaches, based in learning theory, can positively influence students' outlook on the world and their place in it by using pre-testing and post-testing to gauge pedagogical success. Seven unique pedagogical approaches are developed and tested to aid instructors in this endeavor. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]