World History Book Club 2003-2004 (ORIAS/BAGEP Working Group)

wPrompts, Passages, Lesson ideas, Vocabulary
wLinks

wWorking Groups

wORIAS

wBAGEP

wCalendar

wContacts

WHERE:
U.C. Berkeley
ORIAS
2223 Fulton Street, 6th floor 
Berkeley, CA 94720 
Directions

 

The goal of the book club will be to read and discuss important books in the field of world history with colleagues and historians and share ideas for using them to strengthen K-14 curriculum. We'll look particularly at books addressing the interaction and connections between cultures and civilizations. 

Our first book will be The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History by J. R. McNeill and William McNeill. 

The McNeills start the preface of their book with a statement that probably strikes a sympathetic chord for world history teachers wondering how to teach this vast topic: "This book is written for people who would like to know how the world got to be the way it is but don't have time to read a shelf or two of history books." Arranged chronologically from pre-history to recent events, the book presents a study of the "web of cooperation and competition" that makes up human history. Finally the McNeills end the book with respective commentaries on "Big Pictures and Long Prospects" that take up the question dear to most student hearts: Why study world history? 

I hope our discussion sessions will build our own knowledge of world history and spark new ideas for making connections in the classroom.

Our faculty advisor at the discussion sessions will be Professor Alan Karras. Prof. Karras teaches an introductory survey course in world history at U. C. Berkeley and has been active in the development of world history as a discipline. (He is acknowledged for his assistance in the Preface to the McNeill's book.) Prof. Karras is also a member of the new AP World History exam development team. 

The group is free and open to all teachers. The size will be limited to 20 teachers. We will discuss how best to schedule our subsequent meetings at the introductory session. For further information contact Michele Delattre at ORIAS: 510-643-0868 or orias@uclink4.berkeley.edu

wCALENDAR / LINKS
 
  • November 13, 2003 - 6:00 to 7:30 Introductory Meeting - Frameworks for teaching World History

  • January 15, 2004 - 6:15 PM- 8:30 PM: Chapters 1-V  Guest Speaker: Prof. Jonathan Lipman

Links: 

  • What is World History?: A compilation of definitions of world history and links to journals and professional organizations posted by The World History Workshop ( a "group of younger extra-European historians based in and around Cambridge-UK"). http://pages.britishlibrary.net/world.history/what_is_world_history.htm
  • Contending Definitions of World History: Which One Should We Choose for the Classroom? A collection of articles representing a variety of views on teaching world history. From: Issues in Global Education: Newsletter of the American Forum for Global Education. Issue No. 151, 1999. http://www.globaled.org/issues/151/index.html
  • World History for Us All: web-based model curriculum under development for world history in middle and high schools and is a cooperative project of the National Center for History in the Schools and San Diego State University.
  • California State Standards for History/Social Science http://www.cde.ca.gov/standards/history/
  • World History Connected http://worldhistoryconnected.press.uiuc.edu/ Free on-line journal
    Contents Volume 1 • Number 1 November 2003
    • "An Emerging Consensus in World History" by William McNeill
    • "Navigating World History: A Synopsis" by Patrick Manning
    • "'I'm Here Alive': History, Testimony, and the Japanese Controversy over 'Comfort Women'" by Yoshiko Nozaki
    • "History or Hysteria: Teaching and Evaluating Discussion" by Jack Betterly
    • "The Demography of World History" in the U.S. by Ane Lintvedt
    • Also: columns, classroom ideas, and book and film reviews
  • H-World is posting the current forum with Patrick Manning author of Navigating World History at
    http://www.h-net.org/~world/ .

 

wCONTACTS: 
Michele Delattre, ORIAS: orias@uclink4.berkeley.edu (510.643.0868)
Mary Jo Wainwright, BAGEP: MWainwright@wacsf.org (415.293.4655)
Alan Karras, IASTP: karras@socrates.Berkeley.EDU (510.643-3185)
Click here for Registration

This series is funded by Title VI  from the U. S. Department of Education and the Bay Area Global Education Program at the World Affairs Council of Northern California.

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