How to teach the great dust heap of history?
July 11, 2010 2:53 AM Subscribe
Help! I've been assigned to teach a class that I honestly have no idea how to make interesting to my students: world history through the late medieval period. So, Ask.Me: I want your memories or thoughts of your favorite approach to this class, or what not to do.
So, I'm teaching the first half of my unv world history survey for the very first time this fall. I'm nervous, because, honestly, my interest in world history is on early modern and modern world trade, with some dabbling into late medieval trade. I'm also a bit overwhelmed by the time span I have to cover in a single semester, and the need for a lens or gimmick to hook my students looms large in my mind.
I know most college students are bored to tears with history survey courses, and I try my best to make my current class - the second half of the world history survey - as enjoyable as possible by teaching it as a history of empire and imperialism. But that approach will not work for the first half, at least, I don't think it will. I've kicked around some other ideas, but nothing seems to really get me going the way my History of Empire idea did. I try my best to make it not be history that is "one damned thing after another" history, but the scope of human history from evolution to Columbus is just... so much!
I've read tons of syllabi and pedagogy on teaching history, I've taught classes that probably actually had more material, but I'm drawing a blank here, so I reach out to the hivemind for help!
My question is the following: In your undergrand / university / high school world history survey course (or western civ class, or whatever, or the classes taken by your kids) was there a particular approach that you found that really worked for you as a student? Conversely, was there any approach you found that never worked for you as a student? Is there a theme, or focus, or progression that you found really hooked your interest? If so, what was it?
So, I'm teaching the first half of my unv world history survey for the very first time this fall. I'm nervous, because, honestly, my interest in world history is on early modern and modern world trade, with some dabbling into late medieval trade. I'm also a bit overwhelmed by the time span I have to cover in a single semester, and the need for a lens or gimmick to hook my students looms large in my mind.
I know most college students are bored to tears with history survey courses, and I try my best to make my current class - the second half of the world history survey - as enjoyable as possible by teaching it as a history of empire and imperialism. But that approach will not work for the first half, at least, I don't think it will. I've kicked around some other ideas, but nothing seems to really get me going the way my History of Empire idea did. I try my best to make it not be history that is "one damned thing after another" history, but the scope of human history from evolution to Columbus is just... so much!
I've read tons of syllabi and pedagogy on teaching history, I've taught classes that probably actually had more material, but I'm drawing a blank here, so I reach out to the hivemind for help!
My question is the following: In your undergrand / university / high school world history survey course (or western civ class, or whatever, or the classes taken by your kids) was there a particular approach that you found that really worked for you as a student? Conversely, was there any approach you found that never worked for you as a student? Is there a theme, or focus, or progression that you found really hooked your interest? If so, what was it?
Best answer: What really worked for me as a high school student who had decided history was boring (because it had been taught mostly as names and dates and events that didn't mean anything to me) was the class where the teacher put it in the context of people's stories, ambitions, and how something happening in one place affected later events.
Later in life I found Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe and realized this was what I'd needed when I was bored out of my skull by history as a student.
posted by thatdawnperson at 3:36 AM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Later in life I found Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe and realized this was what I'd needed when I was bored out of my skull by history as a student.
posted by thatdawnperson at 3:36 AM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I figured out that history was fascinating due to Connections. Usually the inexorable progression of dates and places bores me to tears, but I can't get enough of the interconnectedness of human technological development. Specifically, books by Mark Kurlansky, such as his incomparable Cod, really push my happy buttons in this respect.
So, if you need a hook, I'd suggest going from one technological or cultural development to the next, and how each one affected the other. You don't give specifics about what your course must include, but maybe you could narrow it down somewhat, perhaps through your endpoint? If you must end with Columbus, then maybe you could go from how his ships got designed and built, and move backward from there. That would hit all sorts of things, like Basque ironworks, whaling history, Christian expansion, and so-on.
posted by Mizu at 3:49 AM on July 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
So, if you need a hook, I'd suggest going from one technological or cultural development to the next, and how each one affected the other. You don't give specifics about what your course must include, but maybe you could narrow it down somewhat, perhaps through your endpoint? If you must end with Columbus, then maybe you could go from how his ships got designed and built, and move backward from there. That would hit all sorts of things, like Basque ironworks, whaling history, Christian expansion, and so-on.
posted by Mizu at 3:49 AM on July 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Sex. Most attended lectures of my undergrad were on sex. You can make interesting cultural comparative points if you really need to teach stuff...
Start with John Rykener if you really want people's attention.
posted by Coobeastie at 4:01 AM on July 11, 2010
Start with John Rykener if you really want people's attention.
posted by Coobeastie at 4:01 AM on July 11, 2010
Second on the Connections approach.
James Burke has several paths that went through the medieval era.
I especially remember how the development of the fireplace changed the whole social structure of England and how ballistics changed castle design and subsequently mapping. I particularly liked the Little Jack Horner story.
When I was in junior high school, we had medieval history and I focused on monks and monastic life. It seemed particularly interesting that they were these bastions of civilization, learning and technology.
posted by plinth at 4:11 AM on July 11, 2010
James Burke has several paths that went through the medieval era.
I especially remember how the development of the fireplace changed the whole social structure of England and how ballistics changed castle design and subsequently mapping. I particularly liked the Little Jack Horner story.
When I was in junior high school, we had medieval history and I focused on monks and monastic life. It seemed particularly interesting that they were these bastions of civilization, learning and technology.
posted by plinth at 4:11 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: I remember in my world history class that the unifying focus was on trade - we looked at everything through the lens of trading networks to examine the rise of empires and/or religion. It really helped in keeping track of everything and finding patterns and change over time.
And I know that you said you prefer more modern history, but pleeease try to get yourself more excited about the chunks of history you're about to teach! I think passion, more than any single teaching approach, will get you further in making your students interested and the material memorable! I took world history with a teacher who was completely obsessed with history and who convinced everyone that history wasn't just a bunch of old dead guys, and it remains the best course I've ever taken.
Also, final thought: maps. Make sure to show plenty of maps, especially world maps, throughout the year. Especially with the eras you're teaching, empires change so often, consulting maps to see that progress can be extremely helpful in allowing students to keep the material straight.
posted by estlin at 4:52 AM on July 11, 2010
And I know that you said you prefer more modern history, but pleeease try to get yourself more excited about the chunks of history you're about to teach! I think passion, more than any single teaching approach, will get you further in making your students interested and the material memorable! I took world history with a teacher who was completely obsessed with history and who convinced everyone that history wasn't just a bunch of old dead guys, and it remains the best course I've ever taken.
Also, final thought: maps. Make sure to show plenty of maps, especially world maps, throughout the year. Especially with the eras you're teaching, empires change so often, consulting maps to see that progress can be extremely helpful in allowing students to keep the material straight.
posted by estlin at 4:52 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: As a student of graduate student in Modern Literature/Poetry I find what works best when teaching a specific period to a student is to bring contemporary relevance. Someone mentioned above about teaching connections and I heartily agree with that. Find a way of showing that the events that took place back then are still relevant and lasting in our own world. Look at specific wars or technological advancements and draw contemporary comparisons that demonstrate how human nature and society is still being confronted with the same types of issues and events.
posted by Fizz at 5:34 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by Fizz at 5:34 AM on July 11, 2010
Gah, worded that so poorly in the beginning, my apologies.
posted by Fizz at 5:35 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by Fizz at 5:35 AM on July 11, 2010
Enthusiastically endorsing both Connections and The Cartoon History of the Universe. Context is everything in terms of history, to my way of thinking.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 6:02 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 6:02 AM on July 11, 2010
You are a student of history, but history bores you?
Ok, you have a favorite area of history, sure - but you can not find things in early human history that are compelling and interesting? Then you are not looking. Then you yourself need to refresh your understanding of this period.
It is a survey, and the scope of the course is immense - so you are free to cherry pick.
You do not need a gimmick - you need passion about your subject.
You need to bring the subjets alive.
Perhaps you question should be, what are some of the most compelling issues from early human history.
Lunar calendars versus solar calendars.
Sumerian base 6 number systems, still used in clocks and circle geometry.
Phonecian alphabets developed to sound out names of rare good for trade.
The villification of homosexuality in early modern europe.
The great early conquers - Alexander, Ceasar, Shi Huang Ti.
I am sorry, I just do not see how you can say with a straight face that you are a student of history, but the vast majority of human history is not compelling.
posted by Flood at 6:03 AM on July 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
Ok, you have a favorite area of history, sure - but you can not find things in early human history that are compelling and interesting? Then you are not looking. Then you yourself need to refresh your understanding of this period.
It is a survey, and the scope of the course is immense - so you are free to cherry pick.
You do not need a gimmick - you need passion about your subject.
You need to bring the subjets alive.
Perhaps you question should be, what are some of the most compelling issues from early human history.
Lunar calendars versus solar calendars.
Sumerian base 6 number systems, still used in clocks and circle geometry.
Phonecian alphabets developed to sound out names of rare good for trade.
The villification of homosexuality in early modern europe.
The great early conquers - Alexander, Ceasar, Shi Huang Ti.
I am sorry, I just do not see how you can say with a straight face that you are a student of history, but the vast majority of human history is not compelling.
posted by Flood at 6:03 AM on July 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Someone said sex above. I will counter with ... Food.
The popular story is that Julius Ceaser invented pizza. Probably not true, but an interesting starting point on what it must have been like to be a Roman footsoldier...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:10 AM on July 11, 2010
The popular story is that Julius Ceaser invented pizza. Probably not true, but an interesting starting point on what it must have been like to be a Roman footsoldier...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:10 AM on July 11, 2010
Focus on ethics, religious world view struggles, and trade patterns. Connect it to the impact on their current lives. In my Color Theory class, I do a whole lecture on the Silk Road, the rise of denim wear in the 20th century, and trade struggles that my students find really intriguing.
posted by effluvia at 8:13 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by effluvia at 8:13 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: Other posters have suggested particular anecdotes or modern-day connections, and those are great for a two-minute aside or conclusion, but I think you should not stray too far from a standard syllabus. Your job is not to entertain, it's to introduce students to the history major and prepare them for future, more specific seminars (where they WILL learn about the fun, quirky stuff).
Go with the lens of historiography. First compile a list of the major civilizations/events that are standard for your course. Then, for each item, select an important historian to study. The historian could be someone like Thucydides, who wrote about events of his time, or someone like Howard Carter, the Egyptologist who discovered King Tut's tomb (not actually sure if he wrote anything good, but you get the idea).
In class you can analyze/criticize the work of the "old" historians, explaining biases, methodological problems, etc. If your students are up to it you could introduce them to some real work by modern historians, to show how it's done today. Of course, your course is no more an intro to research methodologies than a history of sexuality/pizza/the fireplace, so don't go overboard. But it's a good way to raise the intellectual level of your course from a basic facts-and-numbers format.
You could also reorder your syllabus to match the order in which the modern Western world discovered the civilization, to really highlight how our Western bias is so deeply entrenched.
My favorite history class, while not a survey, was a crazy seminar taught by Charles Hill that stretched from Confucius to Obama. We spent a week talking about the history of quantum physics, and a great topic of discussion was Thomas Kuhn's idea of paradigm shifts, which is a useful idea in history generally. Hill recently wrote a new book (which I haven't read) that might give you some good ideas for building good connections.
There is certainly a place in a history curriculum for the history of sexuality, history of food, history of ethics, or history of religion, and you should include elements of all in your lectures, but those are separate courses and fields. Early world history is very much about the development of history as a field, which is a fascinating topic if taught right. It obviously will aid prospective majors, and will be useful to non-majors as it teaches history appreciation.
posted by acidic at 8:44 AM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Go with the lens of historiography. First compile a list of the major civilizations/events that are standard for your course. Then, for each item, select an important historian to study. The historian could be someone like Thucydides, who wrote about events of his time, or someone like Howard Carter, the Egyptologist who discovered King Tut's tomb (not actually sure if he wrote anything good, but you get the idea).
In class you can analyze/criticize the work of the "old" historians, explaining biases, methodological problems, etc. If your students are up to it you could introduce them to some real work by modern historians, to show how it's done today. Of course, your course is no more an intro to research methodologies than a history of sexuality/pizza/the fireplace, so don't go overboard. But it's a good way to raise the intellectual level of your course from a basic facts-and-numbers format.
You could also reorder your syllabus to match the order in which the modern Western world discovered the civilization, to really highlight how our Western bias is so deeply entrenched.
My favorite history class, while not a survey, was a crazy seminar taught by Charles Hill that stretched from Confucius to Obama. We spent a week talking about the history of quantum physics, and a great topic of discussion was Thomas Kuhn's idea of paradigm shifts, which is a useful idea in history generally. Hill recently wrote a new book (which I haven't read) that might give you some good ideas for building good connections.
There is certainly a place in a history curriculum for the history of sexuality, history of food, history of ethics, or history of religion, and you should include elements of all in your lectures, but those are separate courses and fields. Early world history is very much about the development of history as a field, which is a fascinating topic if taught right. It obviously will aid prospective majors, and will be useful to non-majors as it teaches history appreciation.
posted by acidic at 8:44 AM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Ooh! Ooh! I had an amazing World History teacher in high school who used this approach you may want to borrow (you're teaching college students, but I think it would transfer, if the class is small enough - under 100? - for discussion). And this was roughly the same time period
He used a learning tool called GREATS*, which stood for Government, Religion, Economy, Arts, Technology and Society. He would show us a piece of artwork or a picture of an archeological find from that time period and have us talk about what that piece told us about the government, religious practices, economics, etc of that time. He would do the same thing on tests.
It sounds kind of cheesy, but it was really fun, probably because the teacher enjoyed it too. It became like a scavenger hunt every time he showed us a new piece - who could find the clues that would unlock the secrets of this ancient culture? And the discussions that came out of these exercises were easily the most interesting of any class I took in high school.
But the really cool thing about this approach, that I didn't realize until much, much later, was that he was actually teaching us how to think critically and analytically. Instead of just telling us names and dates, he was showing us that, with these analytical tools, we could actually figure out much of this stuff for ourselves. The other great thing was that it really made history seem like something that was alive and populated with real people. I think that course was a major factor in my love of history (I ended up majoring in history in college and still love reading books about history).
Even if you don't want to use this exact approach, I bet you could find a way to take your research interest - trade - and construct your own framework for teaching students how to think about history through trade. I bet that could be really fascinating, if done in the right way. Think about it: trade is a big part of how cultures are formed, how wars and empires start, etc. Trade routes brought Christianity to Europe and spices to England. They also brought the crusades to the Middle East!
Just because it's a survey course doesn't mean you can't use one theme to teach it, unless your university/department frowns on that. In fact, teaching it through a certain theme, one that you're excited about, is probably the best way to make it interesting.
/secretly wishing I'd been a history professor.
*I'm not sure if my teacher came up with this on his own or if it was a commonly used tool.
posted by lunasol at 8:48 AM on July 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
He used a learning tool called GREATS*, which stood for Government, Religion, Economy, Arts, Technology and Society. He would show us a piece of artwork or a picture of an archeological find from that time period and have us talk about what that piece told us about the government, religious practices, economics, etc of that time. He would do the same thing on tests.
It sounds kind of cheesy, but it was really fun, probably because the teacher enjoyed it too. It became like a scavenger hunt every time he showed us a new piece - who could find the clues that would unlock the secrets of this ancient culture? And the discussions that came out of these exercises were easily the most interesting of any class I took in high school.
But the really cool thing about this approach, that I didn't realize until much, much later, was that he was actually teaching us how to think critically and analytically. Instead of just telling us names and dates, he was showing us that, with these analytical tools, we could actually figure out much of this stuff for ourselves. The other great thing was that it really made history seem like something that was alive and populated with real people. I think that course was a major factor in my love of history (I ended up majoring in history in college and still love reading books about history).
Even if you don't want to use this exact approach, I bet you could find a way to take your research interest - trade - and construct your own framework for teaching students how to think about history through trade. I bet that could be really fascinating, if done in the right way. Think about it: trade is a big part of how cultures are formed, how wars and empires start, etc. Trade routes brought Christianity to Europe and spices to England. They also brought the crusades to the Middle East!
Just because it's a survey course doesn't mean you can't use one theme to teach it, unless your university/department frowns on that. In fact, teaching it through a certain theme, one that you're excited about, is probably the best way to make it interesting.
/secretly wishing I'd been a history professor.
*I'm not sure if my teacher came up with this on his own or if it was a commonly used tool.
posted by lunasol at 8:48 AM on July 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
Go with the lens of historiography.
I think this is a good approach for the critical thinking skills it teaches, but if you go with it, I would be a bit careful that you don't get so hung up on studying the history of history that you don't actually, you know, teach history! This was a major shortcoming in my rather postmodern undergraduate history education - I loved the critical thinking skills it taught me, but it left me with some major gaps in my history knowledge. For instance, I took mostly American history courses, but I left college not really knowing much about the Founding Fathers, Revolutionary War, etc. However, I knew a lot about how narratives about the Revolutionary War constructed our understanding of "America." (don't tell Glenn Beck!)
Not saying this is how acidic teaches, and I know this isn't even what s/he was suggesting, it's just something to be cognizant of. I think a lot of my history profs were so excited by their own academic debates about the nature of doing history that they might have forgotten that most students take history courses because they want to know more about history - or they have to, in which case the purpose is to teach them about what happened.
posted by lunasol at 8:58 AM on July 11, 2010
I think this is a good approach for the critical thinking skills it teaches, but if you go with it, I would be a bit careful that you don't get so hung up on studying the history of history that you don't actually, you know, teach history! This was a major shortcoming in my rather postmodern undergraduate history education - I loved the critical thinking skills it taught me, but it left me with some major gaps in my history knowledge. For instance, I took mostly American history courses, but I left college not really knowing much about the Founding Fathers, Revolutionary War, etc. However, I knew a lot about how narratives about the Revolutionary War constructed our understanding of "America." (don't tell Glenn Beck!)
Not saying this is how acidic teaches, and I know this isn't even what s/he was suggesting, it's just something to be cognizant of. I think a lot of my history profs were so excited by their own academic debates about the nature of doing history that they might have forgotten that most students take history courses because they want to know more about history - or they have to, in which case the purpose is to teach them about what happened.
posted by lunasol at 8:58 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: The only thing that makes history tolerable for me is having a teacher that truly loves history and is passionate about it. Those teachers also incorporated nontraditional methods of teaching, such as videos and music.
posted by majikstreet at 9:01 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by majikstreet at 9:01 AM on July 11, 2010
Just realized that, in my excitement, I forgot to finish the first sentence of my first para in my first post. It should read: "And this was roughly the same time period - evolution to 1600."
posted by lunasol at 9:02 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by lunasol at 9:02 AM on July 11, 2010
Response by poster: Don't get me wrong, I am hugely excited about teaching history. I LOVE history - all of it! But most students don't - I know when I was an undergrad, history was horribly uninteresting to me because of the names/dates/deadpeople approach.
I love the ideas so far. I've considered doing food (also considered doing beer), textiles, and trade as approaches.
I'm not trying to entertain them - I'm trying to teach them - but to do so, I have to make this huge chunk of time digestible to them. If I find it overwhelming, they will be drowning in it!
posted by strixus at 9:14 AM on July 11, 2010
I love the ideas so far. I've considered doing food (also considered doing beer), textiles, and trade as approaches.
I'm not trying to entertain them - I'm trying to teach them - but to do so, I have to make this huge chunk of time digestible to them. If I find it overwhelming, they will be drowning in it!
posted by strixus at 9:14 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: If you love it and make it obvious how cool and awesome you think it is the students will also love it. I try to vary the activities in my course, not always lecturing or note taking. We do all sorts of different activities. I was told this year by one of my classes that even just taking notes in my class is fun because I act like it is fun and interesting. (I do this silly "OMG! Notes today! It's going to be so awesome!!") They said that enthusiasm does a lot for getting them interesting, rather than their usual experience which is sit down, shut-up, and write this down.
Relating historical events they need to learn to current events that may be more relevant to them is also helpful.
posted by sadtomato at 9:37 AM on July 11, 2010
Relating historical events they need to learn to current events that may be more relevant to them is also helpful.
posted by sadtomato at 9:37 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: As a history nerd, I always enjoyed it when an instructor approached a survey course through the lens of what fascinated them or how the material played into their own area of interest. Regardless of my own personal interests within history. I never had any interest in economics until I took a US History survey course with an instructor who specialized in economics in the colonial period. Now it really fascinates me, in part because he was able to show us why it fascinated him.
Even outside of the university, I find that if there's a historian whose passion and ability to convey a narrative I really enjoy, I will like reading anything they do, even if it's not a subject that usually interests me. For instance I'm a sucker for Simon Schama - I started reading his work on more art history type stuff, especially his study of the Dutch Golden Age through the art of the time. But I'll happily watch his long, plodding History Of Britain, because I like the way he tells stories. Even though British history has never been particularly fascinating to me.
So I guess my advice is that you should find what speaks to YOU in the scope of the course, and spend your time conveying to the students why, exactly, it resonates. What is important about this? Why do you care? How does it affect us?
Also, I'll add that a lot of students are bored with a lot of things their college requires them to take. Many college students don't want to be there at all - they want a diploma and a job. Period. You are probably not going to reach those students, even if you are the bestest lecturer in the world, covering your pet topics, and the subject is History Of Pirates And Zombies.
posted by Sara C. at 10:09 AM on July 11, 2010
Even outside of the university, I find that if there's a historian whose passion and ability to convey a narrative I really enjoy, I will like reading anything they do, even if it's not a subject that usually interests me. For instance I'm a sucker for Simon Schama - I started reading his work on more art history type stuff, especially his study of the Dutch Golden Age through the art of the time. But I'll happily watch his long, plodding History Of Britain, because I like the way he tells stories. Even though British history has never been particularly fascinating to me.
So I guess my advice is that you should find what speaks to YOU in the scope of the course, and spend your time conveying to the students why, exactly, it resonates. What is important about this? Why do you care? How does it affect us?
Also, I'll add that a lot of students are bored with a lot of things their college requires them to take. Many college students don't want to be there at all - they want a diploma and a job. Period. You are probably not going to reach those students, even if you are the bestest lecturer in the world, covering your pet topics, and the subject is History Of Pirates And Zombies.
posted by Sara C. at 10:09 AM on July 11, 2010
I took a medieval history course where the professor used the works of Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose in particular, but we also read Baudolino) as lens through which to study medieval monasticism and the conflicts in the catholic church. It's the only history course I took in college, but I found it fascinating.
posted by sparrow89 at 10:13 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by sparrow89 at 10:13 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: The popular story is that Julius Ceaser invented pizza.
Very untrue.
Pizza as a specific dish, beyond the existence of flat breads and the concept that you could put other foods on top of said breads, didn't really exist until tomato because a popular food among the poor in 18th century Naples.
But I digress. And come back on topic to agree that a culinary history of the ancient and medieval world would be absolutely fascinating. I'm not sure it's appropriate for a survey course, though, and I wouldn't even attempt it unless it is an area where you have some expertise. Because there is SO MUCH bad pop history of various food items, a la the above.
Within culinary history, I loved Kurlansky's Cod, as well as Salt. This is outside your time frame, but I'm currently devouring The Scents of Eden, by Charles Corn.
posted by Sara C. at 10:21 AM on July 11, 2010
Very untrue.
Pizza as a specific dish, beyond the existence of flat breads and the concept that you could put other foods on top of said breads, didn't really exist until tomato because a popular food among the poor in 18th century Naples.
But I digress. And come back on topic to agree that a culinary history of the ancient and medieval world would be absolutely fascinating. I'm not sure it's appropriate for a survey course, though, and I wouldn't even attempt it unless it is an area where you have some expertise. Because there is SO MUCH bad pop history of various food items, a la the above.
Within culinary history, I loved Kurlansky's Cod, as well as Salt. This is outside your time frame, but I'm currently devouring The Scents of Eden, by Charles Corn.
posted by Sara C. at 10:21 AM on July 11, 2010
@sparrow89 - I just finished reading The Name of the Rose and really, really wished for a good nonfiction text on ecclesiastical conflicts to accompany it. I kept wondering how much of it was based on things that really happened and how much of it was Eco spinning a philosophical yarn.
posted by Sara C. at 10:24 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by Sara C. at 10:24 AM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: I feel your pain. I am preparing to teach a required-for-majors (literature) survey course that I've never taught before. We're starting with Beowulf and I have a mind-boggling amount to cover. Plus I know that a lot of students complain about this course and find it boring, so, like you, I want to combat that boredom and engage them!
I've found that students respond much better to literature when I provide context for them. So if I am teaching a short story, for example, I ask them to tell me what world events were going on at the time. What was society like? What were the social norms? How were they changing? How does the story reflect this? Sometimes I have to fill in the blanks for them (and I am always prepared with the information, but I try to let them tell me what they know, first) but it gets them thinking about all the stuff going on at that time, and that engages them. So maybe you could try a similar approach by linking the history to significant literary works. Along these lines, something I remember fondly from my high school Western Civilization course was the way my history teacher chose to teach us about each time period through its art, architecture, and music. He would show us a piece of art, play us a piece of music, and talk about how they reflected what was going on at that time. I think incorporating literature, art and music of the period into your lectures would help a lot with engagement.
Also, seconding what others have said about conveying your own passion for the topic. One unit I am not particularly worried about is the Chaucer unit. Why? Because in my undergrad, I had an amazing Chaucer prof who loved the Canterbury Tales and showed us the wit, humour, and significance in these stories. He really loved Chaucer, and by the end of the course he had converted most of us, even though we were all taking it because it was a requirement. And so, because he had boundless enthusiasm for Chaucer, I also am enthusiastic about Chaucer, and I don't think I'm going to have too much trouble getting excited about it for my students. I've forgotten a lot of stuff from my undergrad (hence my nervousness about teaching, say, Restoration Drama), but I damned well remember Chaucer!
I also think sadtomato's suggestion to relate the past to present world events is a good one. I am planning to do this with my course because I think it is a good way to engage students and show them WHY this stuff is important and not just some old dead text. After all, a lot of the stuff Chaucer talks about (corruption, abuse of power, hypocrisy) hasn't exactly gone away in the 21st century.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:14 PM on July 11, 2010
I've found that students respond much better to literature when I provide context for them. So if I am teaching a short story, for example, I ask them to tell me what world events were going on at the time. What was society like? What were the social norms? How were they changing? How does the story reflect this? Sometimes I have to fill in the blanks for them (and I am always prepared with the information, but I try to let them tell me what they know, first) but it gets them thinking about all the stuff going on at that time, and that engages them. So maybe you could try a similar approach by linking the history to significant literary works. Along these lines, something I remember fondly from my high school Western Civilization course was the way my history teacher chose to teach us about each time period through its art, architecture, and music. He would show us a piece of art, play us a piece of music, and talk about how they reflected what was going on at that time. I think incorporating literature, art and music of the period into your lectures would help a lot with engagement.
Also, seconding what others have said about conveying your own passion for the topic. One unit I am not particularly worried about is the Chaucer unit. Why? Because in my undergrad, I had an amazing Chaucer prof who loved the Canterbury Tales and showed us the wit, humour, and significance in these stories. He really loved Chaucer, and by the end of the course he had converted most of us, even though we were all taking it because it was a requirement. And so, because he had boundless enthusiasm for Chaucer, I also am enthusiastic about Chaucer, and I don't think I'm going to have too much trouble getting excited about it for my students. I've forgotten a lot of stuff from my undergrad (hence my nervousness about teaching, say, Restoration Drama), but I damned well remember Chaucer!
I also think sadtomato's suggestion to relate the past to present world events is a good one. I am planning to do this with my course because I think it is a good way to engage students and show them WHY this stuff is important and not just some old dead text. After all, a lot of the stuff Chaucer talks about (corruption, abuse of power, hypocrisy) hasn't exactly gone away in the 21st century.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:14 PM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: When I was in college, the most popular history popular was known for coming to class dressed in character, and lecturing as that character. Not every class, but often enough that students didn't want to miss class, because they might miss one of those lectures.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 12:43 PM on July 11, 2010
posted by SuperSquirrel at 12:43 PM on July 11, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks guys. A lot of very good answers here to this really massive problem - as always with Ask.Me!
I'm going back and forth between doing food and fashion now. My research is in the early modern textile industries, so I KNOW cloth really well. But I'm also a global food nut.
I've also thought about ripping off what the BBC is doing right now - the History of the World in 100 objects, and cutting it down to 20 or so - so sort of what lunasol was aiming at.
And I have seriously considered doing the dressing up and lecturing thing before - but as a chubby little white girl, I feel silly lecturing as most of history's great personalities! That will have to wait till I I can get good hologram technology in the classroom.
posted by strixus at 12:54 PM on July 11, 2010
I'm going back and forth between doing food and fashion now. My research is in the early modern textile industries, so I KNOW cloth really well. But I'm also a global food nut.
I've also thought about ripping off what the BBC is doing right now - the History of the World in 100 objects, and cutting it down to 20 or so - so sort of what lunasol was aiming at.
And I have seriously considered doing the dressing up and lecturing thing before - but as a chubby little white girl, I feel silly lecturing as most of history's great personalities! That will have to wait till I I can get good hologram technology in the classroom.
posted by strixus at 12:54 PM on July 11, 2010
The dressing up in period costume thing is cute and all, but bottom line, the reason people were going to his classes was to see him in these outfits. Not because they were engaged in the material. I'd assume that when you're asking how to engage students, you want to know how to get them interested in this particular era of history and not how to get butts in seats.
Lecturing as a particular character in history also seems a little "Great Man Theory" to me. Which is cool if that's your bag, but probably harder to do well (or giving the wrong idea) if that's not your angle. Doing a living history module where you lecture from the perspective of an average man on the street in 1066 or 1348 or whenever might be interesting, though.
Then again, I was always meh about gimmicks like that. If I wanted to watch movies or dress up in costumes or cook, I probably would have signed up for a course about one of those things. I came to this history course to learn about history.
posted by Sara C. at 12:59 PM on July 11, 2010
Lecturing as a particular character in history also seems a little "Great Man Theory" to me. Which is cool if that's your bag, but probably harder to do well (or giving the wrong idea) if that's not your angle. Doing a living history module where you lecture from the perspective of an average man on the street in 1066 or 1348 or whenever might be interesting, though.
Then again, I was always meh about gimmicks like that. If I wanted to watch movies or dress up in costumes or cook, I probably would have signed up for a course about one of those things. I came to this history course to learn about history.
posted by Sara C. at 12:59 PM on July 11, 2010
Durrr, or average woman on the street, of course. And I am now curious as to why I think "dude" when I think "history professor".
Textiles as history is awesome. And, if it's part of the curriculum, would invite lots of material from outside the usual Western Civ thrust of these courses. You could spend tons of time in China, Japan, India, Africa, Indonesia and the Malay peninsula...
posted by Sara C. at 1:02 PM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Textiles as history is awesome. And, if it's part of the curriculum, would invite lots of material from outside the usual Western Civ thrust of these courses. You could spend tons of time in China, Japan, India, Africa, Indonesia and the Malay peninsula...
posted by Sara C. at 1:02 PM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Assignment to teach an overview of the history of the entire ancient world, and it is not your specialty? I must say, this is a pretty tough assignment. As you know, you will have to do a lot of heavy reading to get ready for this. You may want to re-read (or skim thru) the first few volumes of Will Durant's The Story of Civilization. Thousands of pages of stuff, which are thankfully interesting and well-written.
If I had your challenge to deal with, I would probably focus the center on Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and then move backwards and forwards from there. This book deals with the main transition from the ancient to the modern world, and it is also pretty funny if you are into that sort of subtle ironic humor.
Personally, I am a bit skeptical of gimmicks like dressing up and stuff, even though it is fun and entertaining, but it doesn't quite come together unless you have a pretty good grasp of your course material and some enthusiasm about it. This enthusiasm stuff is hard to fake unless you are a natural, so essentially you have to force yourself to try to be enthusiastic, which is hard work, but not impossible if you have a positive mental attitude and enjoy teaching. (The original word for enthusiasm meant possession by the powers of a Greek God, so perhaps prayers might help).
A more practical suggestion: Find out from the department who has taught this before, hunt them down and beg for suggestions on how they approached the syllabus. After considering their suggestions, you will have to figure it out yourself.
posted by ovvl at 3:30 PM on July 11, 2010
If I had your challenge to deal with, I would probably focus the center on Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and then move backwards and forwards from there. This book deals with the main transition from the ancient to the modern world, and it is also pretty funny if you are into that sort of subtle ironic humor.
Personally, I am a bit skeptical of gimmicks like dressing up and stuff, even though it is fun and entertaining, but it doesn't quite come together unless you have a pretty good grasp of your course material and some enthusiasm about it. This enthusiasm stuff is hard to fake unless you are a natural, so essentially you have to force yourself to try to be enthusiastic, which is hard work, but not impossible if you have a positive mental attitude and enjoy teaching. (The original word for enthusiasm meant possession by the powers of a Greek God, so perhaps prayers might help).
A more practical suggestion: Find out from the department who has taught this before, hunt them down and beg for suggestions on how they approached the syllabus. After considering their suggestions, you will have to figure it out yourself.
posted by ovvl at 3:30 PM on July 11, 2010
The dressing up in period costume thing is cute and all, but bottom line, the reason people were going to his classes was to see him in these outfits. Not because they were engaged in the material. I'd assume that when you're asking how to engage students, you want to know how to get them interested in this particular era of history and not how to get butts in seats.
It seems to me it would be pretty hard to engage someone in any material if their butt isn't actually in the seat first. In an undergrad survey course, they're there (or should be) because they have to be, not necessarily because they want to be. Why not make it fun, and potentially grab someone's interest that way?
OP, maybe you could get some friends or fellow faculty to dress up periodically and take questions from the students? Being able to actually "talk" to some of the great figures in history (or even the man on the street) would be pretty cool.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 3:53 PM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
It seems to me it would be pretty hard to engage someone in any material if their butt isn't actually in the seat first. In an undergrad survey course, they're there (or should be) because they have to be, not necessarily because they want to be. Why not make it fun, and potentially grab someone's interest that way?
OP, maybe you could get some friends or fellow faculty to dress up periodically and take questions from the students? Being able to actually "talk" to some of the great figures in history (or even the man on the street) would be pretty cool.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 3:53 PM on July 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you are going to screen a movie in class, I recommend Agora. Discussion ensues.
posted by ovvl at 4:04 PM on July 11, 2010
posted by ovvl at 4:04 PM on July 11, 2010
I'm gearing up to teach an elective to middle school students on a similar scope of history. I plan to do a lot of simulations with them. For example, early on I'll divide them into teams and do a simulation in which they must all collectively gather food, but then throw domestication and agriculture into the mix and let them experience how that changes the game towards freeing up players for other roles (leaders, artisans, what have you). This would be followed by a discussion among the students of how their own game changed, and then from there into the equivalent shifts in ancient Mesopotamia. Other simulations will get at other major technological or social shifts, and be used as springboards into other major civilizations or historical turning points.
My plans for middle schoolers may in no way translate into the college level, of course. But I'm a big fan of experiential learning and then using the experience to connect back into the historical context.
posted by Chanther at 5:21 PM on July 11, 2010
My plans for middle schoolers may in no way translate into the college level, of course. But I'm a big fan of experiential learning and then using the experience to connect back into the historical context.
posted by Chanther at 5:21 PM on July 11, 2010
Why not make it fun, and potentially grab someone's interest that way?
I'm not saying it shouldn't be fun. I just remember college. And one of the things I remember was that there was a difference between showing up and actually caring.
It's easy to make people show up - mark attendance as part of the grade, give pop quizzes, base exams on the material covered in class, etc.
It's hard to force someone to care about a subject they actively dislike. By the time college rolled around, no amount of dressing up like a parabola was ever going to get me interested in math. Which isn't to say that no instructor should ever try to interest their students - simply that it's better to do that through actually presenting the material in an engaging way rather than through gimmicks like "sometimes the professor dresses up like a Ren Faire wench!"
posted by Sara C. at 6:25 PM on July 11, 2010
I'm not saying it shouldn't be fun. I just remember college. And one of the things I remember was that there was a difference between showing up and actually caring.
It's easy to make people show up - mark attendance as part of the grade, give pop quizzes, base exams on the material covered in class, etc.
It's hard to force someone to care about a subject they actively dislike. By the time college rolled around, no amount of dressing up like a parabola was ever going to get me interested in math. Which isn't to say that no instructor should ever try to interest their students - simply that it's better to do that through actually presenting the material in an engaging way rather than through gimmicks like "sometimes the professor dresses up like a Ren Faire wench!"
posted by Sara C. at 6:25 PM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: I'm currently taking a World History: Prehistory to 1500 CE survey course at my college; in addition to being basically the exact thing you're describing, it's also a full semester's worth of material being taught in half a semester...which means we're in class for 4 hours twice a week. I'm only about to start the third week of this class, and tomorrow's our first test, so I can't tell you exactly how effective it is, but here goes.
I'm pretty sure my professor is nuts. At the drop of a hat he will stop everything to tell a tangentially related story -- and he did tell us why he does this; he believes in breaking things up with stories to give our minds a rest so we can go back to focusing when he gets back to lecturing. The kooky part is that his stories are frequently crazy :) Everything from one of his students having a water allergy to one of my classmates being having visited a nudist camp as a child, to his dad's work with the top secret government and his belief in aliens, sniper assassins, etc. I can't tell if he's being 100% serious (though if he's acting, he's damned good at it), but he will frequently make remarks in lecture back to one of these crazy stories.
Basically, cooping up 20 people for 4 hours on hot summer nights to lecture about prehistory can get pretty boring for anyone, even people like me who love history, so try to make it entertaining occasionally. Don't be afraid of breaks especially if it looks like everyone's minds are wandering. Let me tell you, it's only two weeks in, and people aren't missing this guy's class. He may be crazy, but we pay attention to his lectures!
posted by asciident at 8:01 PM on July 11, 2010
I'm pretty sure my professor is nuts. At the drop of a hat he will stop everything to tell a tangentially related story -- and he did tell us why he does this; he believes in breaking things up with stories to give our minds a rest so we can go back to focusing when he gets back to lecturing. The kooky part is that his stories are frequently crazy :) Everything from one of his students having a water allergy to one of my classmates being having visited a nudist camp as a child, to his dad's work with the top secret government and his belief in aliens, sniper assassins, etc. I can't tell if he's being 100% serious (though if he's acting, he's damned good at it), but he will frequently make remarks in lecture back to one of these crazy stories.
Basically, cooping up 20 people for 4 hours on hot summer nights to lecture about prehistory can get pretty boring for anyone, even people like me who love history, so try to make it entertaining occasionally. Don't be afraid of breaks especially if it looks like everyone's minds are wandering. Let me tell you, it's only two weeks in, and people aren't missing this guy's class. He may be crazy, but we pay attention to his lectures!
posted by asciident at 8:01 PM on July 11, 2010
Waitwaitwait a second here...
There've been various mentions in this thread of things like evolution and "prehistory". Are those really in the scope of your class?
I mean, history is a word with meaning (as I'm sure you, a history professor, know). Aren't you going to be limited to times and cultures and stories which are part of the written record, or at least contemporary with the written record? Prehistoric cultures and human evolution are usually more in the realm of anthropology.
That should narrow down your area of focus and make it much easier for you to figure out what material to teach. Right?
posted by Sara C. at 8:27 PM on July 11, 2010
There've been various mentions in this thread of things like evolution and "prehistory". Are those really in the scope of your class?
I mean, history is a word with meaning (as I'm sure you, a history professor, know). Aren't you going to be limited to times and cultures and stories which are part of the written record, or at least contemporary with the written record? Prehistoric cultures and human evolution are usually more in the realm of anthropology.
That should narrow down your area of focus and make it much easier for you to figure out what material to teach. Right?
posted by Sara C. at 8:27 PM on July 11, 2010
Sara C., my course calls itself Prehistory to 1500 CE, but begins itself with the state of things right before written history. It does not include human (biological) evolution as part of the course.
posted by asciident at 8:43 PM on July 11, 2010
posted by asciident at 8:43 PM on July 11, 2010
-- teaching it as a history of empire and imperialism. But that approach will not work for the first half --
I think that'd actually be a pretty good approach (taking "empire" to include land-based empires like the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, or the Chinese Empire, not just overseas colonies). Wars and invasions have a great deal of inherent interest, even for college-age students. Everyone's seen 300, right?
posted by russilwvong at 10:44 PM on July 11, 2010
I think that'd actually be a pretty good approach (taking "empire" to include land-based empires like the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, or the Chinese Empire, not just overseas colonies). Wars and invasions have a great deal of inherent interest, even for college-age students. Everyone's seen 300, right?
posted by russilwvong at 10:44 PM on July 11, 2010
Best answer: I'm doing a project right now (linked from my profile) to learn the entirety of British history through films, from prehistory to contemporary times.
For the first time, all the pieces of history, though fictionalized, are falling into place now that the figures are more than just names and dates. The supplemental study, especially to determine what was condensed for film, what was left out, etc. has been the most beneficial part, because now I have reference points.
It's something I wish my teachers had done for me, because though I've always been fascinated by history, it's been the human stories that drew me in, and it was always such a dry subject in school.
Films about prehistory are sparse, but you should definitely show "Quest For Fire" in class, and there's a really great British program(me) called "What the ancients did for us" that is absolutely fascinating, and it goes over the social, technological, agricultural, etc. contributions of all the major civilizations.
Best of luck! I'd love to see your syllabus when it's done.
posted by lhall at 12:09 PM on July 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
For the first time, all the pieces of history, though fictionalized, are falling into place now that the figures are more than just names and dates. The supplemental study, especially to determine what was condensed for film, what was left out, etc. has been the most beneficial part, because now I have reference points.
It's something I wish my teachers had done for me, because though I've always been fascinated by history, it's been the human stories that drew me in, and it was always such a dry subject in school.
Films about prehistory are sparse, but you should definitely show "Quest For Fire" in class, and there's a really great British program(me) called "What the ancients did for us" that is absolutely fascinating, and it goes over the social, technological, agricultural, etc. contributions of all the major civilizations.
Best of luck! I'd love to see your syllabus when it's done.
posted by lhall at 12:09 PM on July 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by that girl at 3:18 AM on July 11, 2010