Two weeks ago, Andy Lang shared with us his frustrations with getting students to engage in critical discussion. This Monday, Michael Hattem shared his experience with generating discussion in the classroom at The Junto, a group blog on early American history. Today, we revisit the topic with a guest post from Ronit Y. Stahl. Ronit…
For nearly ten years Cabeza de Vaca wandered across the North American continent, surviving as a slave to various Indians and then as a trader and spiritual healer. His story is filled with action, drama, and mystery, and provides a gripping narrative of seemingly impossible escapes. My task this fall was to get my survey…
We begin our week with a guest post from Whitney Stewart, PhD candidate at Rice University. Whitney and her colleague John Marks are organizing an upcoming symposium at Rice University that will produce an essential volume for scholars of race in the Atlantic World, but the conference will also prompt important discussion for all of…
A few years ago, I lost track of time while struggling to write a conclusion to a conference paper. Â When I glanced at the clock, I realized that I was supposed to be in the classroom in two minutes. Running from my office across campus, I started thinking about the relationship between teaching and writing.…
Beginning this fall, I want to encourage my students to think more reflectively about how the past is represented—not only in terms of content, but also in terms of form. Toward this end, I am giving my survey students a window into our quirky, insular profession. On the first day, I gave them a brief…
Teaching United States History is back! Beginning next week, you can expect exciting content from new voices and a continuation of the excellent discussions that have made this blog a clearinghouse for some of the most judicious and creative perspectives in the field. If you or someone you know are doing interesting things in the…
Happy summer to all. With Ed and Kevin taking a backseat, Teaching United States History is rebooting with new contributors, new content, and new conversations. Stay tuned…
While a TA for a class on religion in American history, I puzzled over why so many students insisted that Charles Sheldon should be considered the founding figure of Social Gospel theology (rather than Washington Gladden). We discussed both figures in lecture, and there it was, right on the top of page 307 of the…
This semester, I am experimenting with digital history pedagogy. FWIS 167 – The Rise and Fall of Atlantic Slavery, a writing intensive course, uses tools in the digital humanities to explore the rise and fall of Atlantic slavery. You can access the course website at riseandfallofslavery.wordpress.com. Each week the students post brief blog entries on the…
Many thanks to Ed for the invitation to join this outstanding blog. Ed asked me to contribute after I shared with him my experiment in digital history pedagogy. This semester, I am teaching a small seminar for Rice University freshman on the Rise and Fall of Atlantic Slavery. While this course is not a survey, and at…
