FootNotes

Note to Teachers: I taught a course on the Vietnam War and the antiwar movement at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1980s. Each time I began the very first class with a “pop quiz.” It wasn’t a serious...

Across the world, demand for oil is growing. By 2015, China alone may have to import over 5 million barrels per day. Much of that oil will come from the Persian Gulf, a region graced with unrivaled oil reserves...

As anyone who has tried knows, teaching teenagers about places far away, and in which they have no particular knowledge or special interest, is a challenge. It is especially a  challenge when typical American teenagers—generally affluent, monolingual, and seemingly...

1. It is odd that Jews, a religious group, have Israel as a state. Israel is unique, but not exactly for this reason. In ordinary countries one can distinguish readily between ethnicity and religious affiliation among the people who...

To talk of “Classical Islamic Civilization” is to make three huge leaps of faith: What do we mean by civilization? How do we qualify Islam as a single civilization? And why focus on just the “classical” phase of whatever...

The FPRI’s History Institutes are weekend conferences designed to inspire, stimulate debate, and assist high school and junior college teachers by presenting the perspectives and analyses of leading scholars. The latest Institute, “Multiculturalism in World History,” aspired to give...

An Address by Walter A. McDougall to a History Institute for Secondary School Educators and Junior College Faculty, organized by the History Academy of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, May 1-2, 1999 Nothing in my experience sums up the...

The Cold War has always been the subject of intense debate — was it necessary, was it just, why did it happen, and how did it end — and has been a challenging topic for teachers.  Over 40 teachers...

The Cold War has always been the subject of intense debate— was it necessary, was it just, why did it happen, and how did it end— and has been a challenging topic for teachers. Over 40 teachers from 17...

1. Focus on Social Development We are all aware that not everything learned in school is academic. It is in school that Japanese children confront the paradox inherent in social life: while social existence requires that every person sacrifice...