Teaching Global History ─ A Social Studies Approach

Teaching Global History challenges prospective and beginning social studies teachers to formulate their own views about what is important to know in global history and why. It explains how to organize the curriculum around broad social studies concepts and themes and student questions about humanity, history, and the contemporary world. All chapters include lesson ideas, a sample lesson plan with activity sheets, primary source documents, and helpful charts, graphs, photographs, and maps. High school students’ responses are woven in throughout. Additional material corresponding to each chapter is posted online at http://people.hofstra.edu/alan_j_singer.

The traditional curriculum tends to highlight the Western heritage, and to race through epochs and regions, leaving little time for an in-depth exploration of concepts and historical themes, for the evaluation of primary and secondary sources, and for students to draw their own historical conclusions. Offering an alternative to such pre-packaged textbook outlines and materials, this text is a powerful resource for promoting thoughtful reflection and debate about what the global history curriculum should be and how to teach it.

Alan J. Singer is professor of secondary education and director of social studies education in the Department of Teaching, Literacy and Leadership at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York and the editor of Social Science Docket (a joint publication of the New York and New Jersey Councils for Social Studies).

Preface
Part I – Designing a Global History Curriculum
1. What is a social studies approach to global history?
2. Debating Curriculum: What is important to know and why?
3. How should global history teachers address controversial or sensitive issues?
4. Why is Global History usually European chronology with tangents?
5. What does a theme-based Global history curriculum look like? Part 1 – BC: Before Columbus
6. What does a theme-based Global history curriculum look like? Part 2 – AD: After the Deluge
Part II – Debating Global History
7. The Grand Narrative of Western Civilization
8. If Chinese Historians Wrote the Global History Curriculum
9. Who and what gets included in history?
10. Religion in Human History
11. Revolutionary Movements in the Twentieth Century
12. Teaching about the European Holocaust and Genocide
Part III – Waves of Global Integration
13. Three Waves of Global Integration
14. Columbian Exchange and the Age of Colonialism (1420-1763)
15. Imperialism: The Eagle’s Talons
16. Globalization: The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse
Part IV - Resources
17. Online Resources for Teachers and Students
18. Autobiographies, Historical Fiction, and Movies
19. Lesson Plan Formats
20. Implementing the Great Irish Famine Curriculum