Discusses how to motivate students to learn history. Suggests using primary sources, relating subject matter to what students already know, and avoiding lectures whenever possible. Recommends formulating goals in advance, preparing reading lists, preparing questions for students, and assigning individual projects. Argues that such a course will…

Describes an open admissions program, a public university's nontraditional population, and their unique academic needs. Provides a political science briefing book assignment in which students research and write about one country. Claims the book is effective in helping students to organize and focus their thoughts and to improve their research and…

Asserts that all students should know that African Americans make up an integral part of U.S. history. Reviews two books, "In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture," by Kwame Anthony Appiah and "Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation," by Gerald Early (ed.). (CFR)

Contends that, in acquainting history students with the concept of how people viewed their world, the idea of periodization becomes suspect. Asserts that the film, "The Return of Martin Guerre," is a significant learning resource for students of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. (CFR)

Recommends using Chinua Achebe's novel of the 19th-century conflict between African tribal culture and English colonists in a world history class. Achebe's rich narrative, written in a graceful prose, is easily accessible to high school students. The novel replaces simplistic and abstract concepts with those more complex and concrete. (MJP)

Describes a U.S. history survey course that incorporates cultural pluralism and family histories into the writing assignments. Students are encouraged to write about events that occurred in their families during the time periods being studied. Oral interviews and family documents supplement traditional research tools and secondary sources. (MJP)