Which culture invented the zero? Who invented concrete? Which religious culture developed the check and a banking system? Where was the concept of the team sport (rather than individual competition) developed? The answers may surprise some, in order they are a) India, b) the Assyrians, c) Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa, and d) Central American civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayas.
For a long time, World History actually meant European History, with concentrations on the Greeks, the Romans, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, through the World Wars. Other regions were included at the beginning, with the Egyptians and the civilizations of the Tigris and Euphrates. Or, they were included as cultures colonized by the Europeans.
Over the past twenty years, for a variety of reasons, public and private schools have made concerted efforts to incorporate a fuller picture of World History into the curriculum. Due to the obvious limitations of the school year, simply expanding the curriculum is not feasible. So, other strategies have been incorporated to provide students with a better opportunity to learn a comprehensive view of world history.
Adjusting the Curriculum
One strategy, adopted by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools in the 1990's, was to simply begin the required high school World History course with the Crusades. Teachers very quickly had to adapt the curriculum to include a cursory history of Christianity and Islam just so the Crusades made sense. And leaving the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations out of the curriculum put students at a disadvantage taking basic college courses. This strategy was modified in the early 2000's.
Another strategy is to teach World History as a survey course, and to enrich the curriculum with specialized electives on such topics as Latin American History and Asian History. This strategy allows the teacher to expose the students to new material and help the student grasp trends and patterns. For instance, 30 years ago the students would have learned the reasons and results of European colonialism beginning in the 1500's. Today they also learn about Zheng he, who was commissioned to explore the Pacific and Indian Oceans by the Chinese government from 1405 to 1433.
The Chinese government decided that there was no interest in further exploration or colonization. Studying the Chinese government's decision provides students with a comparison between Chinese and European world views. This comparison makes analysis of the consequences of European colonization more effective for the student. It also helps the student understand the colonization of China itself in the 1800's.
Encouraging Self Teaching
The Chinese comparison is one of hundreds of examples of effective comparisons that can be made if the student is exposed to a true World History curriculum. The curriculum can then offer other regional and topical studies classes to fill in the student's own interest. If the analysis skills are effectively taught, the student can develop interest and effectively self instruct topics and trends in World History not addressed in the curriculum.
When students were taught the European concentration of history, they were often overwhelmed or under-interested in the minute details of the French Revolution or the Crimean War. The comprehensive survey approach, when properly taught, gives students a view of the patterns and trends of History, and can be supported by detailed regional studies or the students own self discovery. If the students develop effective analytical skills, they can find large bodies of information on their own, especially with the resources available on the internet.
Donald Marchand - Currently, I am a teacher. I teach Social Studues at a small school in southern Maryland. But I think I've been a lot more in my life. ...
Join the Conversation