Category Archives: The Past Alive: Teaching History

Ken Burns Defends the Humanities

Posted on May 10, 2016 by

Historical filmmaker Ken Burns delivered the Jefferson Lecture at the National Endowment for the Humanities on 9 May 2016. Inside Higher Ed reports that “Ken Burns, the documentary maker who brought the Civil War, the histories of baseball and jazz, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Historical Film, History in the Media, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

American Historical Association 2015

Posted on January 2, 2015 by

The American Historical Association 2015 Annual Meeting opens in New York City today.  Thousands of professors, instructors, independent researchers, research librarians, and graduate students in history will be attending the largest historical conference in North America over the next several … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Graduate Work in History, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, The Past Alive: Teaching History | Leave a comment

The Problem with Bill Gates and ‘Big History’

Posted on September 9, 2014 by

When Bill Gates heads to the gym, he gets big ideas. One day at the gym, Bill Gates was watching a DVD on Big History by Professor David Christian. “As Gates sweated away on his treadmill, he found himself marveling … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Digital Humanities, Education Policy, Humanities Education, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History | 2 Comments

H.G. Wells and the History of Wargames

Posted on August 4, 2013 by

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of H.G. Wells’s Little Wars, which created modern wargaming. Long before shooter and strategic video games, model lead soldiers were used to simulate battles in miniature wargames. In 1913, just before … Continue reading →

Posted in History in the Media, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Thinking Deeply about MOOCs

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

Once again, technology is being hailed as the solution to all our problems. Entrepreneurs of internet companies—like the advocates of radio and television before them—are touting the transformative potential of technology to educate the masses. Many politicians and pundits are … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Digital Humanities, Education Policy, History in the Media, Humanities Education, Information Management, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment

Faculty Governance and MOOCs

Posted on April 20, 2013 by

The faculty of Amherst College have voted to reject a proposal to join edX in providing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Professors across the United States can appreciate this rare instance of faculty empowerment that affirms the principle of faculty … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, Education Policy, Humanities Education, Information Management, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment

I Quit: A Teacher’s Resignation

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

Another veteran history teacher has resigned. In his letter of resignation, this high school teacher laments that “I am not leaving my profession, in truth, it has left me. It no longer exists.” Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers in History, Education Policy, Humanities Education, The Past Alive: Teaching History, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment