Introduction
"It is easier to move a graveyard than to change a curriculum"
These words of wisdom from
World History Association co-founder, Jerry Bentley, professor at the University
of Hawaii and editor of the World History Journal reflect well the reality faced
by many educators in the 1990s who
participated in the controversial National History Standards. Despite the
politicalization of the content during the "culture wars" in the mid 1990s, the
hard work paid off in the highly analytic approaches it broad to
the study and teaching of advanced U.S. and World History. By 1999, the World
History content developed into a the basis for a new College Board
A.P. (Advanced Placement) course. By the summer of 2000, grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities, the College Board, the Leften Stravrianos
Teaching Fund funded workshops and lectures in every region of America to
introduce the latest research in the field of world history to secondary school
educators. The goal was to nurture collaborations between world history teachers and scholars
in
designing the new course for implementing in the course in the 2001-2002 school
year. The American South was especially suited for the collaborations as two influential members of the World History Association were
based here: Alan LeBaron, professor at Kennesaw State University and former
president of the World History Association; and Marc Jason Gilbert, professor at
North Georgia College and State University and co-founder the World History Association. Heidi Roupp, secondary world history
teaching veteran and also a former president of the World History Association
worked with
Professors LeBaron and Gilbert, as well as Tom Monkhall, State University
of New York and veteran secondary school teacher, to conduct the initial two
week workshop at Kennesaw State University during the summer of 2000. Steve
Rapp, professor at Georgia State University and co-founder of the new world
history program there would further enrich the collaborations at Kennesaw.
The secondary school teachers participating in the workshop represented a
wide range of public and private schools across the southeast, private and
public, religious and secular. Many of the schools were of the metro-Atlanta
area, competing to keep their schools and districts ahead in high school state rankings.
The discussions during the initial workshop and the experiences of teachers
designing and implementing the course in their schools also revealed competition
with local and regional value systems as well. Because the new world history
course represented a method of global analysis unfamiliar to teachers and
administrators, teachers returning to their schools after the workshop
had to work hard to convince skeptics that the methods and materials introduced in
the new course were necessary innovations. During the introductory year, some
teachers even risked their careers to assure the course's implementation. When
the course finally got underway, the tradgedy of the attack on the World Trade Center
further increased skepticism among
among some teachers and administrators. The region's cultural label, "Bible Belt,"
held sway over much of the initial discourse over the course during the first
year. For example, one
teacher had supervisor who, after admonishing him for "teaching too much about world religions
in the class, also told him about a six week bible reading course the supervisor
was taking after school. And then there was the issue of teaching creationism
versus evolutionism in Cobb County that even received national media attention.
The teachers of the new world history course had a number of factors affecting
the course in the Bible Belt.
Such local and regional issues affect the organization of these three
years of workshops, lectures, and class materials into its present tutorial
format:
1) To help clarify some of the confusion over the theory underlying the
field of world history the first section helps to distinguish it from some of
the political-charged misperception of it. Jerry Bentley's overview of the field in an Atlanta presentation in the
April 2001 provides the clearest introduction to the field for educators and
students familiar with traditional approaches to world history in secondary
school.
2) The initial activities of the two week workshop at Kennesaw in 2000 begin
part two of the tutorial. The initial discussions and activities of this
workshop helped educators to comfortably come to terms with some of the
approaches and analytic methods teachers already use and can further develop to
get up to speed for the new world history course and share with their world
history colleagues back at their school. Other lesson plans and readings are for
use inside the classroom to train the basic habits of mind essential for
beginning the course. There is one exchange project that is probably more
appropriate for ninth graders in the first year of a two year course, but the
other lessons and readings are great for getting the students well versed in
identifying point-of-view, bias, and context. A creation story student drama
activity, as well as a set of readings from Kevin Reilly's Worlds of History,
and the preface to Swimme and Berry's The Universe Story attempt to
resolve some of the issues surrounding creationism and evolutionism.
3) Part three is a presentation, by Patrick Manning at Georgia State
University in October 2002 and fits in well chronologically because it covers a
the tens-of-thousands of years of migrations before the rise of agriculture.
This is a content area absent from the original two week workshop in part
because it was a part of the secondary pre-1000 "Foundations" section of the
original College Board breakdown of the course. (Subsequent complaints raised by
educators led to the College Board doubling the emphasis allotted to the
Foundations section; even the 1000 (CE) marker would be pushed back to 600 CE).
The content of this presentation is appropriate because it provides a large
backdrop for students to consider; and the backdrop is large enough for
different migrations and eras to come into focus and give students a little
practice analyzing change over time. The issue of gender is also good practice
because there is enough archeological and anthropological evidence presented in
the readings that students can begin to see how the debate can change depending
on the historical framework used. The presentation and the readings also
highlight the problematic nature of constructing historical meaning.
4) Part four returns to presentations in the original two week workshop and
considers the challenge of placing Africa and the Americas in a World History
that has for much of the last century placed made the expansion of Europe and
non-European responses to Europe the central narrative. Coming after Manning's
presentation on early human migration makes sense here because teachers and
students have the broader context from which to resolve the issues of Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism.
5) Part five tackles a crucial analytic theme in the Eurasian world history
narrative -- the cultural and economic dynamic between nomadic and sedentary
peoples. Heidi Roupp gives an excellent presentation on the significance of the
nomads in Afghanistan through the ages.
And the readings on the classic relationship between Hebrew nomads and the
sedentary peoples of Mesopotamia and the Nile valley are essential to analyzing
the cross-cultural heritage of the region.
6) Part six builds on the theme of nomadic/sedentary interaction by focusing
on definite periods during which there was so much interaction and linkage
between sedentary, nomadic and other sedentary civilizations, that Eurasia
became increasingly integrated during several periods to warrant the use of the
term Common Era. In the Bible Belt, Common Era, stands for nothing other than
political correctness. Our class's focus on this term and search for Eras that
were truly Common across Eurasia stemmed from several Jewish and Christian
students questioning our college text's use of the terms while the high school
textbook continued to use the B.C./A.D. system. After considering the Han/Roman
era, the Islamic/Tang/Song era and the Mongolian era, most of my students were
convinced that CE was a relevant term. Common world religions and moral/legal
systems are born during this period that transcend the earlier tribal and
linguistic borders of earlier eras. Yet students also note that there are many
parts of the world, in Africa and the Americas that are problematic for this
framework. Steve Rapp makes a great presentation on Pax-Mongolia at the original
two week workshop and a subsequent workshop that students of any age can grasp.
7) Part seven highlights Janet Abu-Lughod's presentation at Georgia State in
November 2000 in which she analyzes in systematic detail, the significance of
Pax-Mongolia and its downfall to the development of pre-Renaissance Europe. The
map she created shows vividly the the linkages in the early pre-modern world
economy and students understand clearly how pushing the start of the narrative
of European expansion back to the Mongolian makes for a more dynamic world
stage, that at least converts Eurocentrism to Euasiacentrisim.
8) Part eight brings Alfred Crosby's influential thesis regarding the huge
significance of the Columbian Exchange into perspective we can see clearly how
humans were minor players compared to the impact of the exchanges of flora,
fauna, and diseases between Eurasia and the Americas.
9) In keeping with the chronological sequence of the course, part nine,
enters the domain of the industrial revolution with Marc Gilbert's always
entertaining explanations regarding global silver trade in the century leading
to the industrial revolution and then the affect of the industrial revolution to
within societies of industrializing countries.
10) Finally, part ten highlights the discussion at Kennesaw State
University in the summer of 2002 led by Andre Gundre-Frank. His Socratic-styled
exchange with teachers revealed that
the basic assumptions regarding the rise of Europe since the Industrial
Revolution largely determine our view of world history and cultures in the
world. Southern issues of race and religion drive an exchange between Gundre-Frank
and two black teachers' which, in turn, leads the
group to conclude that our vision of world history is fundamental to the
way we perceive reality.
The author of this project, Joseph R Adams, director of World Class Learning Network (www.worldclass.net), takes special interest in making this material accessible to all as he lives in an area where the A.P. course is not taught in the local schools. Joseph commuted 60 miles to Atlanta every day during the 2001-2002 school year to co-design and teach the course in Walton High School in Cobb County, and he is now working with teachers and students independently through his on-line network of schools in America and Japan. Joseph attended and video-documented all of the workshops and events in this project and builds on his experience both as an A.P. World History teacher, faculty consultant, and exam reader. His first exposure to world history was in Marc Jason Gilbert's History classes at North Georgia College (1990), and then at the University of Hawaii where he attended Jerry Bentley's World History seminar and wrote a thesis on Japanese and British history for an M.A. in History (1995). He is also currently conducting research into the comparable developments in world historical research and teaching in Japan in recent years.
Image 1: Map of
Events/Workshops in Georgia
showing relationships to other parts of the country
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Image 2: List of
workshops and events in Georgia in order
(Kennesaw/Georgia State) between 2000 and 2003
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Site Index/Table of Contents
Preface: Kennesaw State University as a hub for world history teachers and researchers, 2000-2003
1. Jerry Bentley visits Atlanta and speaks to A.P. World History Teachers at Kennesaw State University in April 2001: A theoretical and historiographical introduction to world historical analysis
a. "What is World History?," a multiple choice pre-test question for reflection
b. Explanation of the most correct response according to world historical research in recent decades, including Ross Dunn's article on World History
c. Jerry Bentley's lecture audio and video (CD ROM)
d. Post-test questions bookmarked to relevant parts of the transcription of Jerry Bentley's April 2001 presentation and discussion with teachers at Kennesaw State University.
2. Tom Mounkhall leads a discussion in the summer of 2000 with veteran world history teachers on their "trans-national" approaches to teaching world history and conducts several Habits of Mind exercises with teachers with the assistance of Marc Gilbert. Teachers translate this introduction to world historical analytic thinking to their classrooms and share lesson plans over the next two and a half years.
a. Day one at the initial two week summer workshop at Kennesaw State University July 2000, Tom Mounkhall and Marc leading discussions and Habits of Mind exercises
b. Personal point-of-view activity presented by Joseph R Adams at Kennesaw State September 2002 (Habits of Mind training)
c. Cultural Patterns and Contrasts (Habits of Mind exchange activity, especially for the two year course)
d. Scientific disciplines reading/graphic writing activity used in Cobb County schools (from the Reilly Reader Worlds of History)
e. Creation story drama/discussion activity (especially for the two year course, but creation stories often excerpted in textbooks), Walton High School student presentation audio and video (CD ROM)
f. Traditional versus scientific approaches to world history reading (excerpt from Swimme and Berry's Universe Story) chosen in response to the evolution/creationism controversy in Cobb County 2001-2002.
3) Patrick Manning's October 2002 presentation and discussion at Georgia State University: a multi-disciplinary approach to pre-agricultural world history, especially early human migrations
a. Preface and Introduction to Patrick Manning's approach to pre-agricultural world history and early human migrations
b. Patrick Manning's presentation/discussion audio and video (CD ROM)
c. Post-test questions and transcription (includes images from presentation)
d. Reading on Neolithic artifacts from Reilly's West and the World, used in Cobb County Sprayberry High School and Walton High School "pre-AP" courses 2001-2002 (significant to issue of gender in world history)
4) Alan LeBaron and Akanmu Adebayo's presentations on the challenges of American and African history in world history at July 2000 workshop at Kennesaw State University
a. Preface and Introduction to Alan LeBaron's presentation
b. Excerpts from Alan LeBaron's and Akanmu Adebayo's presentation audio and video (CD ROM)
c. Post-test benchmarked to transcription
5) Heidi Roupp's April 2002 presentation at Kennesaw on Afghanistan in world history underscores the central theme of interaction between sedentary and mobile peoples across Eurasia beginning with the classic example of the Hebrews, Mesopotamians, and Egyptians
a. Introduction and reading on the Hebrews and Mesopotamians, an essay comparing Hebrew and Mesopotamian law
b. Preface to Heidi Roupp's presentation in audio and video (CD ROM)
c. Post-test bookmarked to transcription of presentation
6) Steve Rapp's July 2000 and July 2001 presentations at Kennesaw State University on "Pax Mongolia" provide an example of one of several "common eras" in the Common Era (C.E.)
a. Rome/Han reading/writing response, an essay
b. Arabic Civilization reading from Reilly's Worlds of History
c. Steve Rapp's "Pax Mongolia" presentation/discussion audio and video (CD ROM)
d. Post-test bookmarked to transcription
7) Janet Abu-Lughod's January 2001 presentation at Georgia State University on the 13th century World System supports Steve Rapp's contention of a very significant "common era" before the rise of Europe
a. Introduction to Janet Abu-Lughod's presentation
b. Audio and video (CD ROM) of presentation
c. Post-test bookmarked to transcription
8) Alfred Crosby's presentation on Ecological Imperialism highlights the significance of ecology in understanding the impact of European expansion
a. Introduction to Crosby's comments during the question-and-answer session after his presentation at Georgia State University in January 2001
b. Audio and video (CD ROM) file
c. Post-test bookmarked to transcription
9) Marc Jason Gilbert's follow-up comments at Kennesaw in July 2000 on the significance of silver shows some of the early external dynamics of the developing industrial world economy in the 18th century; and his presentation on Marxism show more of the internal dynamics in the 19th and 20th centuries
a. Introduction to Marc Jason Gilbert's comments during the July 2000 workshop; audio and video (CD ROM)
b. Introduction to Gilbert's presentation on Marxism in World History; audio and video (CD ROM)
c. Post-test bookmarked to the transcription
10) Andre Gundre-Frank's Socratic discussion in July 2001 at Kennesaw on his book Re-Orient induces a "Re-Thinking" session among participating teachers
a. Introduction to Gundre-Frank's discussion; audio and video (CD ROM) links
b. Post-test linked to transcription
c. Final conclusions regarding teachers' experiences in workshops and attending lectures between 2000 and 2003