Course syllabi in world history from 10 American colleges and universities are presented. This publication is an effort of the World History Association to disseminate teaching materials on global and comparative history to the history profession. Information provided in the syllabi includes descriptions of course objectives and content, the…

Over 40 books and articles are annotated in this study which evaluated the position held by the discipline of history in the social studies curriculum of U.S. public schools. It was found that its position has changed over the years. An effort was made to evaluate these changes and to recommend a desired status for the discipline of history in the…

This paper describes efforts to develop a social studies methods course based on a foundation of critical theory in education. The literature concerning critical theory is discussed. Critical theory focuses on three areas of educational thought: (1) the relationship of school to society; (2) conceptions of knowledge and curriculum; and (3) the…

This journal issue highlights a style of U.S. art and literature generally referred to as regionalism and focuses on Iowa's historical role in its development. Compiled to encourage student understanding about how people lived in the Midwest during the 1920s and 1930s, the depression years are featured through presentations; the study of the…

Four different approaches to the teaching of U.S. history--chronological, topical, interdisciplinary, and problems--are presented. The purpose is to help students in grade 11 learn about and appreciate the country's history, heritage, beliefs, and institutions. The first approach presented is chronological, is in outline form, and contains nine…

This booklet accompanies the New York State Library exhibit of material related to the trial of John Peter Zenger. This 1735 trial established the legal precedent giving juries the power to decide libel suits. Labeled "the germ of American freedom," the trial was an important step in the development of American concepts of free speech…

The failure of history textbooks to teach about ordinary people and events is examined, and what teachers can do to overcome this shortcoming of texts is discussed. History texts emphasize political history, wars, battles, and chronicles of great persons and events of the past. Scant attention is paid to the lives of ordinary men and women. This…

During discussions about planning, Tim Kemp and Charlotte Bickmore recently concluded that despite the name they give to their major Year 8 unit (The Making of the United Kingdom), they tend mainly to focus on England, and even more especially, on London. They have a good point. Ask an average Year 8 student to describe Britain in, say, 1700, and…

With the first teaching of a revised history curriculum due in September 2008 the debate over content and order is well under way. Robert Guyver, involved in the design of the curriculum development experiment that evolved into the 1991 version of national curriculum history, witnessed the debates about all of the key stages in that crucial year.…

As historians, we know that "factual" information should never be uncritically accepted. And yet, too often, that is exactly what we do with the maps we use to locate ourselves and our students. Evelyn Sweerts and Marie-Claire Cavanagh, who now work in a European School in Brussels but until recently worked in English schools, have…

A college professor discusses his experiences in developing and teaching a multimedia course on American cultural and intellectual history 1920-1945. The course goal is to involve students actively in the learning process and to help them understand society as multidimensional. The course uses motion pictures as primary sources. (Author/RM)

A world civilizations course, based on the learning needs of the student, incorporates individualized options, library based instruction, choices in the medium of instruction, and the removal of grade pressures. (JH)

The pressure of high-stakes testing has virtually eliminated the teaching of history and the other social studies from many urban elementary schools. The author has heard it directly from many Philadelphia (Pa.) teachers in numerous classes where he teaches graduate social studies pedagogy courses to graduate student teachers who are pursuing…

"The Human Experience," a world history program for secondary students, is examined as a basis for teaching a sense of the unity of human experience which is central to understanding the global community. (Author/JR)