Fall Semester 2014
Paul Geck
M.A., University of Missouri~Kansas City
I am a history instructor and a social scientist.
I have been hired by different universities and
community colleges to teach history and instruct
students on how to produce college level academic
work. My primary goal in the classroom is to cultivate
students that can think critically about history & society
and judge for themselves the validity of information and
the subjectivity of academic writings. As a social scientist
I believe history provides universal and real-life examples
to study, analyze, and compare to modern societies. Unlike
other scientists, the social sciences cannot test their theories
by performing experiments: we must make do with history.
History 420 – Dr. Gayle Olson-Raymer
Interpreting History for Teachers
Do you think you may want to teach history? Then
this is the class for you.
We will discuss:
The complexities of teaching history:
What is the history of history as a discipline.
What makes a great history teacher.
How and why teaching good history is
controversial.
How we can intellectually challenge students
through creative and exciting lesson plans
How to teach the constitution through dialog and
debate using creative and exciting lesson plans
How to teach Federal Indian Policy through dialog
and debate using creative and exciting lesson plans
Among the many books and articles we will read and
critically review is James Loewen’s Teaching What
Really Happened and Angela and John Thomas Roddy
Holder’s The Meaning of the Constitution.
ON-LINE
Survey of the major events, trends, structures, and crosscultural
interactions in World History prior to1750. Starts with rise of
“civilization” in Mesopotamia and concludes with the
European Enlightenment. For those planning to teach
Elementary school or social science single subjects.
From beginnings to death of Alexander the
Great. Bronze Age, Homeric epics, rise of the
city-state, Sparta, democracy at Athens, civilization
of the Golden Age, rise of Macedonia. [History
majors must take HIST 210 as a prerequisite or
have consent of the department chair.]
HIST 301. The Era of World War II (3). Social,
economic, diplomatic, political, and military background
before and developments during war.
Emphasis on totalitarianism; appeasement; propaganda;
conduct of war; civilian experiences of war;
post-war settlement; beginning of Cold War. [GE.]
HIST 369. Age of Jefferson & Jackson (4).Battles over constitutional interpretations
from1787 to 1830s. Biographical emphasis. Development of political parties, social
and economic reforms, states’ rights. [History majors must take HIST 210 as a
prerequisite or have consent of the department chair.]
Industrial and urban growth; rise of
big business and big government; US as a world
power. [History majors must take HIST 210 as a
prerequisite or have consent of the department
chair. DCG-d.]