This occasional paper discusses and examines the role of museums as an essential part of history education. The report describes how the nature of museum exhibitions have changed in presenting history to the public. Museums offer a wider variety of presentations and interpretations than the linear, chronological history of years past. New research…

The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, North Carolina) uses public history to educate people about southern Appalachian history and culture. The Mountain Heritage Center is a museum and research center established to collect, interpret, and disseminate knowledge about the southern Appalachian region. The Center…

The research study analyzed the information-gathering habits of academic historians. It is hoped that the research will lead to an understanding of the role of information in the research process and will ultimately be of use in the design of new information systems or the reorganization of existing systems. The first section contains a review of…

Describes the nature of the "new" social history and a summer institute which introduced it to high school teachers in Illinois. Describes the institute, examines difficulties in "new" history implementation, and identifies future directions for "new" historians. (GEA)

This report describes the current status of history education and teaching at American community colleges. The report is a collection of articles by various leaders and experts in history at community colleges: (1) Introduction (N.I. Hata); (2) "Improving History Teaching and the Status of the Community College Historian" (C.A. Zappia),…

Reports the results of a survey of historians in different fields which identified the formats from which they obtain information, where they find relevant references, and how they use materials in foreign languages. These findings are compared with those of other surveys and citation studies. Twenty-eight references are cited. (RAA)

Historians' changing perceptions of the quality of slave family life are reviewed as they developed from World War I to the present day, noting the paternalism that marked historians' thinking in post-War period, and the romanticism that characterizes some later writings. Controversy over slave family structures continues in present-day studies.…

Introduces a new column that focuses on successful strategies used by U.S. historians. Includes seven rules for effective history teaching: (1) teach with enthusiasm; (2) rely less on textbooks; (3) use secondary sources; (4) explore current topics; (5) use local history; (6) use music and film; and (7) become computer literate. (CMK)

Discusses two type of computer programs--grade book programs and classroom simulations--and how they are used by teachers. Using instructor-developed programs as examples, Campion describes his experiences as a programer and encourages his fellow historians to investigate the possibility of programing for themselves. (GEA)

Contends that, in the past several years, the field of western U.S. history has been more vibrant and visible. Maintains that Patricia Nelson Limerick and others revived the field. Concludes that a new approach provides a better appreciation about what did happen and what was mythical in U.S. western history. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the opinions regarding the state of the art of historical research, writing, and instruction among 1,047 readers of the "Journal of American History," the journal of the Organization of American Historians. (CFR)

Provides an interpretation of survey results of historians by an Italian scholar of American studies. Maintains that U.S. historians and historiography are changing the way Italian and other European scholars view history and its societal role. Concludes that cultural and intellectual pluralism is deeply rooted in U.S. political culture. (CFR)

Surveys U.S. historiography dealing with Christopher Columbus from the eighteenth century to the present. Traces the changes in interpretation, treating Columbus as a hero, a victim, a visionary, a genius, and a mariner. Discusses past textbook treatments of Columbus and the portrayal of minorities in descriptions of his expeditions. (DK)

Discusses the path to professional recognition of the community college historian. Considers the increasing commercialization of higher education, a trend that threatens the role of faculty in the education of college students, by focusing on the imposition of the business model of operation. Asserts that education encompasses more than the…

Investigates four summer institutes of the California History-Social Science Project (CH-SSP), where university scholars and school teachers describe their own and each others' roles and contributions. Reveals two discourses, one based on notions of content and pedagogy, the other on "doing the discipline," or teaching and learning for…