Western Civilization Course Without a Textbook
I am thinking of teaching Western Civ (European History from the Greeks to the present) without a textbook next year. I already use many outside sources, but I am thinking of just going with outside sources (subscription services, primary and secondary sources, etc.) entirely next year. I want to do this for two reasons: I don't think that textbooks in their traditional form are going to exist much longer, and I really don't think that they are useful because they necessarily summarize information that otherwise is very interesting.
So, I am thinking of having a web-based class, in the sense that students will be given broad guiding questions and links from my website to other websites that they can explore in preparation for class. They will decide what is ultimately important about the people and times we study. I think that other teachers are probably doing this in some sense, and I'd rather not totally reinvent the wheel, so I would like to hear from other teachers. Which online resources do you use to teach Western Civ? If you would like to see the types of materials that I currently use, here is the link to my Unit I page: http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/goto/Western_Civ_I (click on "Unit I (Greece)")
The first guiding question in Unit I might be: "Which aspects of Minoan and Mycenaean life probably influenced the classical Greeks, who lived hundreds of years later?"
My units are:
Greece (Minoans, Mycenaeans, classical Greece)
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Rome (Republic and Empire)
Middle Ages (Early, High, Late)
Renaissance and Reformation
Absolutism (absolute versus constitutional monarchy) and Revolution (the French, of course)
The ISMs (of the 1800s and 1900s - liberalism, nationalism, industrialism, imperialism, feminism - mainstream versus militant, capitalism, socialism, communism - Marxist versus Soviet, fascism, Nazism)
Great War and the 1930s
WWII
Cold War
Post-Cold War
(European, not American, focus of course)
So, I am thinking of having a web-based class, in the sense that students will be given broad guiding questions and links from my website to other websites that they can explore in preparation for class. They will decide what is ultimately important about the people and times we study. I think that other teachers are probably doing this in some sense, and I'd rather not totally reinvent the wheel, so I would like to hear from other teachers. Which online resources do you use to teach Western Civ? If you would like to see the types of materials that I currently use, here is the link to my Unit I page: http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/goto/Western_Civ_I (click on "Unit I (Greece)")
The first guiding question in Unit I might be: "Which aspects of Minoan and Mycenaean life probably influenced the classical Greeks, who lived hundreds of years later?"
My units are:
Greece (Minoans, Mycenaeans, classical Greece)
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Rome (Republic and Empire)
Middle Ages (Early, High, Late)
Renaissance and Reformation
Absolutism (absolute versus constitutional monarchy) and Revolution (the French, of course)
The ISMs (of the 1800s and 1900s - liberalism, nationalism, industrialism, imperialism, feminism - mainstream versus militant, capitalism, socialism, communism - Marxist versus Soviet, fascism, Nazism)
Great War and the 1930s
WWII
Cold War
Post-Cold War
(European, not American, focus of course)
posted by Crosby at 1:22 PM
4 Comments:
A lot of the stuff that you have there looks great! I don't really know of any other resources. But one site I like particularly for general reference is Answers.com. . It sounds cheesy, but it compiles resources from a variety of encyclopedias and reference texts.
Hi there. Great job on this class. I saw your web page and I can only imagine the time it's taking you to rewrite the course. Congratulations!!
You may want to sunscribe to: http://del.icio.us/tag/westernciv to get suggestions to sites. It's not terribly active, but every quality site helps, right? You may be able to think of another tag that could get you ideas, as well. I just guessed at westernciv.
Good luck!
Oh - and if you've not used vivisimo before, give it a try. I like the way it cluisters its sites. http://snipurl.com/1bgz2
This is great! You're so right about the need for more details when telling the story, instead of simple digital summaries. All learning, behavior and change take place at the unconscious level. When we tell a story, and teach through stories, we tap into that part of ourselves and our students which is unlimited.
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