Describes a history course on the college level that uses biographies to help students connect important political leaders, such as Hitler and Machiavelli, to the time and place that shaped their actions. Reports on the effectiveness of the class. (RKM)

Describes one professor's attempt to improve his college's introductory history course by offering an alternative which stresses a biographical approach to twentieth century individuals who have shaped the contemporary world. (JDH)

Outlines an innovative way of teaching "World History Since 1500" at Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama) called the "great roads" approach, centered upon important roads in a country's history. Presents the "Veracruz to Mexico City corridor" case study used to teach a Latin American modern history course. (CMK)

Describes a course entitled "The Trial of Napoleon Bonaparte" that focuses on a fictitious mock trial of Napoleon Bonaparte to answer the question: did Napoleon pervert or preserve the gain of the French Revolution? Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the course. (CMK)

Reviews three works that each examine a specific area of metahistory: (1) "World Historians and their Goals" by Paul Costello; (2) "The Structure of Big History" by Fred Spier; and (3) "The Myth of Continents" by Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen. (CMK)

Provides a definition of what is meant by Eastern Europe and includes statements on important persons or events in East Europe that had impact outside the region. Addresses the reasons why it is difficult to teach about Eastern Europe and offers some tips on teaching about Eastern Europe. (CMK)

Reviews whether textbook publishers have put the "world" in world history textbooks by comparing the editions of four different world history textbooks over 25 years. Evaluates 10 current editions of world history textbooks. Offers questions to consider and discusses additional content concerns. Includes charts and references of the reviewed…

Describes and analyzes a college level course taught on the Vietnam War. Evaluates the success of the course and notes some limitations. (RKM)

Recommends including geography in history instruction. Suggests that the theme of time is implicit in the five fundamental geographical themes of location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions. Observes that maps enable students to visualize historic events. Concludes that geography can help students connect past and present.…

Maintains that hundreds of books are being published to commemorate the end of World War II. Asserts that the books will change certain thinking about the world of the 1930s and 1940s and the ways to teach about the war. Provides a bibliographic essay of some of the new books, particularly those that incorporate oral history. (CFR)

Contends that the lack of trained non-Western historians requires that Western historians must attempt to present world history from a global perspective. Describes a world region approach that uses overlapping spheres to link nations and cultures throughout history. Includes recommended resources for this approach. (CFR)

Describes the application of Frederick Drake and Denee Corbin's method of "dramatization in the classroom" to teaching Chinese history. Outlines the use of the book, "The Death of Woman Wang," to study 17th-century Chinese social life and laws. Includes an outline of activities for the preparation and teaching of the lesson.…

Suggests a method for presenting narrative accounts of one event in history so that students can practice analyzing and evaluating sources. Presents historical background about the capture of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1902, and offers three conflicting versions of this event with the teaching procedures for using the accounts in the classroom. (KO)

Contends that fiction can help students understand historical periods and events. Presents and discusses four criteria for selecting novels to be used in college courses on World War I and World War II. Includes a bibliographic essay on recommended novels for each war. (CFR)

Discusses the use of hypertext computer applications in history instruction. Describes an Apple HyperCard-based course on Islam using primary sources and cooperative learning. Includes sections on course organization, student evaluation, overall course evaluation, and eight examples of "cards" developed for the course. (CFR)