One of the most versatile and multi-faceted films that an educator can use to illustrate urban America in the 1930s is "Great Guy," a relatively obscure film from 1936 directed by John G. Blystone and starring James Cagney and Mae Clarke. There are some simple practical considerations that make the film such a good fit for an American history or…

Interdisciplinary work across the humanities and social sciences is moving beyond analysis of any one nation in isolation and instead placing urgent questions in the larger matrix of the Americas as a hemisphere. But little attention has been given to the overarching methodological, institutional, and pedagogical issues resulting from the growth…

The legend of the gunfighter-lawman, frontier justice, and the extent of violence in western history are suggested as possible course content to make history more relevant and interesting. (DE)

In this article, the author describes his use of an old obsolete and quaintly archaic form of entertainment in order to create a more lively academic discussion. He introduced the songs of Scottish folk/pop singer, Al Stewart, as an effective teaching tool in his class. Students listened to several Al Stewart songs: (1) "A League of Notions"--a…

This comprehensive resource is an invaluable aid for adding a global dimension to students' understanding of American history. It includes a wide range of materials from scholarly articles and reports to original syllabi and ready-to-use lesson plans to guide teachers in enlarging the frame of introductory American history courses to an…

Intended to engage students in a comparative look at local history in two upper Mississippi river towns (Winona, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa), this paper describes the computer-assisted component of an upper-level American Studies course. With emphasis on the 19th century, students examine the transition made by the United States from a…

Described is an approach for teaching history from an authentic and contemporary American Indian perspective. This approach involves the retelling of a Yurok myth, recording it in a bilingual text, and demonstrating how history can be presented with a map. (RM)

This interdisciplinary American studies curriculum guide for grades 7 through 12 provides a people-oriented approach to American history. Intended to give a sense of history to motivated and nonmotivated students, the guide describes six units which can be used singly as minicourses or together as an in-depth course on American life. Each unit…

This elective course in American Studies, one of a series revised to fit the quinmester organization of schools, is intended for 10th through 12th grade students. The aim of the course is for students to develop their capacity to examine and make judgements about controversial issues of the past and present. Emphasis is on an analysis of selected…

As many disciplines as possible should be used in the teaching of Indian Studies. In particular, creative literature adds another dimension to the understanding of Indian culture and the history of Indian-white relations when it is used in conjunction with historical and anthropological material. The serious student should read historical novels…

Maintains that the U.S. government policy of Indian removal in the 1830s provides a focus for exploring issues of cross-cultural relations during the first half-century of U.S. history. Presents a high school lesson plan, including student objectives, teaching materials, instructional strategies, and a bibliography. (CFR)