This article describes a book review assignment that is an application of enlightenment practices to a modern learning environment. This paper encourages both student learning in the content of enlightenment ideas and the methods of critical, accessible writing. Students engage in metacognition by using the critical reasoning capacities of their…

The author discusses the historians penchant to study the influence of motion pictures in American cultural life using only aesthetic judgment rather than examining films objectively, using conceptions of value of evidence and dealing with problems of causation. (SM)

Debates the question of whether or not psychohistory has reached maturity. Cites numerous individuals and works while tracing the development of psychohistory as a discipline/influence. (TRS)

The transition from a functionally pragmatic interpretation of history to a humanistic existential one is explored by comparing the philosophy of the eminent intellectual historian, Carl Becker, with that of Jose Ortega y Gasset, who interprets history from a humanistic point of view. (Author/SM)

Outlines revisionist interpretations of the French Revolution that challenged the dominant historiographical tradition during the 1950s and 1960s. Distinguishes four central characteristics of revisionist works. Identifies a key split in current French Revolution historiography between reflection on nineteenth-century…

During its own time, French Impressionism was viewed as a sweeping revolution in painting, a radical departure from the existing traditions of European art. Today, Impressionism is recognized as a major frontier in art history and the threshold of the modern art movement. In this article, the author discusses the development of the Impressionism…

At the top of the list of historians who practiced social criticism stands the best-selling author Christopher Lasch. Lasch observed that "historians tend to become social critics almost in spite of themselves, in the ordinary business of going about their work." By taking the past seriously as an object of study, historical research opens a…

In 1942, Howard Wilson, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the editor of the Harvard Educational Review, called for the "easternization of America," in reaction to what he called the "glib" talk for years about the "westernization of Asia." Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, Wilson's…

Provides an overview of Merle Curti's work in intellectual history, focusing on such issues as the synthesis of social and intellectual history into the historical analysis of social thought, Curti's "presentism," the influence of John Dewey on his scholarship, and his civic-minded scholarship during World War II. (CMK)

Reviews works of cultural historians of the French Revolution. Analyzes interpretations of what constituted "the people" in three late eighteenth-century sources: Diderot's "Encyclopedie," contemporary political pamphlets, and Louis-Sebastien Mercier's vignettes of Parisian street life. Contends representation of "the…

In his Pulitzer Prize winning work, "Anti-intellectualism in American Life," Richard Hofstadter set out to trace the social movements that altered the role of intellect in society from a virtue to a vice. In so doing, he explored questions regarding the purpose of education and whether the democratization of education altered that…

Discusses influences on the development of Russian nationalism. Describes the development of an intelligentsia and its relationship with both peasants and rulers. Addresses the influence of French and German political and religious thinkers. Emphasizes that the Napoleonic wars provided both a Russian patriotic bond and exposure of Russia's elite…

Provides alternative strategies for teaching about the 13 colonies and linking politics with social, economic, and demographic trends. Relates how syntheses of various studies modify earlier historiographical theories into a better interpretation. (TRS)

Reviews the use of the collaborative learning process in a seventeenth-century intellectual history seminar. Utilizing reader response, peer critiques, small writing groups, and peer tutoring, students became active participants in the learning process and assumed more responsibility for the course material. Includes a complete syllabus and…

Lists nine ERIC documents and journal articles selected specifically for secondary and college-level history teachers. Documents cover U.S. history and government, intellectual history, political issues, and women's studies. Several also provide teaching methods or lesson plans. (LS)