Unrolling the Map in American History

Cinematic feature films are a big part of youth popular culture. When blockbuster movies are about historical topics, it is reasonable for teachers to be drawn to using them in the classroom to motivate students interest. This article overviews research on film in the history classroom and describes three learning functions that history movies can have fact and ficion; constructing the past and the people in it; and reacting to the past.     

The Tradition of Pioneer Hardships in American History Textbooks

Two middle-school teachers incorporated student creation of historical accounts into their history instruction. During these projects, the teachers instructed their students to (1) summarize information presented during classroom instruction on a topic (e.g., the Great Migration) and (2) explain the significance of that topic to the present day. This second component of the task addressed a curricular standard regarding historical thinking, but students' responses referenced themes from citizenship education (e.g., cultural pluralism, social criticism, and national identification). More than eighty student projects were analyzed and coded for themes. This study presents a portrait of ambitious history teaching and suggests a tactic for a civics-infused history education course.     

The Conclusions and Recommendations of the Commission on the Investigation of the Social Studies in the Schools

ABSTRACT

How can teachers effectively use documentary film to teach history, and toward what goals? This article addresses these important questions by: (1) exploring what we know about secondary teachers' practices with documentary film and secondary students' beliefs about documentary film as a source of knowledge about the past, (2) proposing a rationale for the use of documentary film that supports the goals of history education, and (3) discussing examples of documentaries that can be shown to further the rationale presented. Although there are numerous suitable purposes and methods for using documentary film, we argue that two of the most powerful and appropriate are as a way to explore multiple perspectives and as a way to teach about controversial issues.     

Understanding the dominant discourse of colonialism: A qualitative,single case study of an eighth-grade U.S. History classroom

The purpose of this qualitative, single case study is to investigate how teacher-created curricula addresses key Native American events in early U.S. history and to determine if such curricula provided students with accurate representations of Native American content. To do this, we used discourse analysis to consider the meanings of words and phrases, as well as the underlying assumptions and intentions of the teacher-created curricula and the experiences it claims to represent. Given the presence and use of dominant narratives to preserve power systems, curricula that deconstructs the colonizing narrative and historical representation of Native Americans can encourage the active destruction of such narratives. By analyzing four teacher-created narratives, we found is that even when a teacher creates content with the intent to be more historically accurate, the curricula still reflects a dominant narrative that privileges White settlers over Native Americans. We then provide suggestions for teachers who wish to design more culturally relevant and appropriate curricula on Native American content.     

The American Way

Media consolidation and convergence have increasingly changed the way individuals as both consumers and citizens access, process, and communicate information at the local, national, and global levels. Media industries and institutions influence public perception and occupy our time at work and at home more and more. Media literacy has become recognized as a twenty-first-century skill necessary for civic competence and the development of informed, responsible citizens. Although it has long been established in the curricula of other nations, it is relatively new in the United States. Media literacy is not simply teaching with media—rather, it entails teaching about media. Key frameworks such as the Text, Audience, and Production (TAP) model, which is explained in this article, can be used to help students systematically analyze and evaluate the wide range of media texts they are exposed to on a daily basis. The author discusses how media literacy is also compatible with several of the major strands identified by the National Council for the Social Studies and can be facilitated by the growing range of resources available to teachers.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

The Other Victims: First-Person Stories of Non-Jews Persecuted by the Nazis by Ina R. Friedman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1990. 176 pages. Reviewed by Samuel Totten.     

从“自由电视台”看信息时代美舆论入侵策略

众所周知，美国已经垄断了很大一部分国际新闻话语权，其舆论宣传的触角早已辐射全球，那么，现在为何还要斥巨资设立专门覆盖中东22个国家的卫星电视台?用该电视台负责人的话说，是要向阿拉伯国家提供一个“观点全面和公正的”新闻平台。这无疑是美国对阿拉伯国家进行舆论渗透、文化入侵和攻心伐谋的战略武器，是美国推行整合中东、改造伊斯兰世界政策的重要宣传工具，是一场没有硝烟的战争。     

Science,Invention and Society

Social studies teacher educators highlight the importance of oral stories and histories in the social studies classroom, leading social studies learners to seek multiple perspectives and encourage historical thinking in the classroom. However, preservice teachers are given few opportunities to internalize this idea. In this article, the author examines the collection of oral stories and creation of performances in a social studies methods course. The process involves preservice teachers conducting oral history interviews, choosing material to explore, creating and performing stories, and sharing their representations with peers. As preservice teachers become storytellers of someone's history, they are made aware of their own subjectivity.     

The Function of History in an Americanism Program

This article discusses how local history can be used by teachers to help develop historical thinking skills such as source analysis, the collection of data, and the creation of historical arguments. Using New York City as a case study, this article argues that urban spaces and local communities provide historical evidence that can be read and analyzed. It uses different streets, buildings, and neighborhoods from New York City to show how historical conclusions can be drawn from those resources. It also discusses instructional ideas that teachers can develop in their classrooms.     

Social Work Practice and Education in the US and Canada

This paper discusses shared origins and differences in the social work professions and education programs in the United States and Canada. Consideration is given to how the social work professions in the two countries attempt to resolve the possible inherent conflict between an emphasis on dealing with problems of individuals, with intervention approaches such as casework and therapy, and an emphasis on addressing the problems of society, with social reform intervention approaches. The paper also discusses social work employment in the U.S. and Canada and the structure of social work education in both countries, including consideration of how the profession is legally regulated in each country.     

A Caution on Comparisons

Abstract

The family is the foundation of our society. By learning about family life in other countries, we learn about our own lives and we realize that we all belong to one big family—the family of mankind. … [Studying families of the world] could help us to get closer to people in distant countries and support the knowledge that “we are one.” — Liv Ullmann, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador     

Moments in the Methodology of Meso History

Meso history is that branch of the history of sociology that focuses on social relations, that is, patterns of connection among groups, group members, and group meanings, as explanatory factors in the shaping of sociology. The methodology of meso history consists of strategies for discovering, documenting and patterning connections. This paper explores those strategies in terms of three moments generic to the research process in social science– moments of movement from intellectual curiosity to conceptualization, from research question to data collection and from data to presentation of findings–focusing on the distinctive permutations on this research process that occur in the practice of meso history.     

War and Peace: Social Work and the State of Chemical Dependency Treatment in the United States

SUMMARY

In recent decades, treatment for alcohol and drug problems in the United States has been influenced by a number of factors. This article discusses several of these factors, including the “War on Drugs,” with its emphasis on law enforcement and interdiction, and managed health care, which has compromised access to treatment. In spite of these factors, the U.S. invests a goodly amount in alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services and research. Efforts are being made to ensure that research findings are being translated into improved clinical practice. Among the controversial issues in the treatment arena are recent efforts by the Bush administration to promote public funding of faith- or religious-based groups in delivering chemical dependency services. Social workers commonly see people with alcohol and drug problems in their practices, but only a small number of social workers are well prepared to treat this group of clients.     

奥巴马的中东政策初见端倪

奥巴马总统入主白宫以来,美国对外政策的第一要务是处理自身当前面临的严重金融危机问题,中东问题处于美国对外战略中相对次要的位置。根据奥巴马的外交理念,新政府将更加强调使用外交手段解决中东问题,并吸引地区和世界各国与美国开展安全合作,建立稳定的中东安全新架构。奥巴马中东政策所要应对的主要任务是：尽早解决伊拉克问题,分阶段从伊拉克撤军,卸下包袱;继续视伊朗为潜在战略威胁,但将奉行具有弹性的接触政策;启动多边外交机制来实现美国的国家安全战略目标;积极推动巴以和谈,消除中东伊斯兰世界的反美情绪;探索与哈马斯等伊斯兰组织的对话与交流渠道;积极争取中俄在中东对美国的支持,鼓励两国发挥负责任大国的作用,帮助美国减轻中东外交压力。     

Public diplomacy meets social media: A study of the U.S. Embassy's blogs and micro-blogs

With the evolution of communication technologies, traditional public diplomacy is transforming. This study examines the practice of the U.S. Embassy's public diplomatic communication via social media, namely Chinese mainstream blogging and micro-blogging, sites using Tencent for a case study. This study analyzes the embassy's blog and micro-blog entries and an interview with the embassy's public diplomacy officer. Based on the content analysis and interview, this study discerns the key features of the U.S. Embassy's public diplomatic communication using social media and further suggests that the common values and interests related to the global public as well as experience-sharing and relationship-building might become the focus of new public diplomacy research.     

Economic Crisis and Marital Problems in Turkey: Testing the Family Stress Model

This paper applied the family stress model to the case of Turkey in the wake of the 2001 economic crisis. Using structural equation modeling and a nationally representative urban sample of 711 married women and 490 married men, we tested whether economic hardship and the associated family economic strain on families resulted in greater marital problems. Our results showed a modified family stress model applies to Turkey. In contrast to most previous research, economic strain had a direct effect on marital problems, and the indirect effect of strain, via emotional distress, was only significant for women. The results were interpreted in light of social and cultural factors that condition how economic distress affects marital relations.