Describes a university course on France from 1789 to 1944, a component of the "civilization track" major. Problem- and controversy-oriented, the course follows a chronological order and is divided into 13 units. Course materials include primary texts, slides and tapes, political songs, historically significant documents. (AMH)

Discusses what college history professors should teach in their classrooms. To help students find their way in the contemporary world, professors must provide students with an historical understanding of the present world. A one semester course for freshman entitled "Survey of Global History in the 20th Century" is described. (RM)

Presents people's experiences and perceptions of events in four lesson plans. Includes personal accounts of people moving westward, one family's decision to migrate to America, Lucy Stone and women's rights, and Langston Hughes' high school days. (CK)

One college history teacher finds lively and constructive classroom discussion in a survey course is primarily a result of the teacher's attitudes toward and assumptions about students. The teacher must create a safe atmosphere in which students can speak, and be direct and respectful with students, which clears the classroom of anxiety and…

Easy-to-read books are not just stories. Many are about science, math, and history. This article provides an annotated bibliography of story, history, math, and science easy-to-read books published in 1997. The author recommends spending money to replace worn older outstanding titles rather than automatically buying new titles of lesser quality.…

Presents an insider's view of the process involved in creating award-winning historical, biographical documentaries. Argues that documentary filmmakers and historians share a common mission in presenting as complete and accurate a picture of the past as possible. Maintains that the central difference between the two is in the selection of…

Criticizes the National History Standards for attempting to cover too much material and burdening teachers with unrealistic objectives and expectations. Recommends a closer coordination of educational objectives with historical material in an attempt to clarify the standards and make them more effective. (MJP)

Outlines a step-by-step process through which students can construct, defend, and test historical arguments. These include to support the claim with facts and analyze their relevance, to oppose the claim with additional facts, to rebut this claim with additional facts, and to ask for new information to test the claim. (MJP)

Explores the use of primary sources when teaching about U.S. slavery. Includes primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Documents Collection (New York Historical Society) to teach about the role of slaves in the Revolutionary War, such as a proclamation from Lord Dunmore offering freedom to slaves who joined his army. (CMK)

Presents a lesson for teaching students about slavery in the United States by using slavery petitions. Describes a lesson that spans over two class periods, explaining that on the first day students listen to an interview with Professor Loren Schweninger about the "Talking History" program. Includes reproductions of the petitions. (CMK)

Shares four college professors' experiences using new media to change approaches to teaching and learning. In their classes, students conduct archival research on African American history in Web-based sites, then construct collaborative interpretations in PowerPoint; incorporate digital storytelling (within a Latina Life Stories class); construct…

Recommends the adoption of cooperative learning techniques in history courses. Argues that cooperative learning facilitates critical thinking, democratic values, student participation, and improved retention. Illustrates this with examples from European, United States, and African American survey courses. (MJP)

A Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts) class on computer applications in history and the humanities, entitled "Frankenstein Meets Multimedia," uses topics from the 1818 novel as the basis for students to develop multimedia compact disks about it. The novel is used because its author was heavily influenced by the philosophy of the…

Examined the influence of college students' expertise on use of multiple documents about a historical controversy. Found that strategies did not differ significantly across the groups of expert and non-expert students. However, evaluation of usefulness varied as a function of document type and students' expertise. Furthermore, novices and experts…

Presents a brief but fascinating discussion of a high school junior's use of primary sources for her presentation at History Day in California. She contacted black athletes who gave the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics and conducted several hours of interviews. These interviews were incorporated into a paper. (MJP)