World History Connected Home    
 
 
Home List journal issues Table of contents
Printer-friendly format  Article citation        
   

Editorial

 

     Spring is upon us, and soon we will all begin thinking in earnest about the end of the academic year. At World History Connected, we suggest taking some of the ideas presented in this issue with you into the long summer months, when many of you will be using your extra time to plan for next year. Indeed, the essays in this issue provide some challenging ways to rethink the ways one might teach world history, whether through new conceptual models or via new resources. For example, the essay by Maritere Lopez and Melissa Jordine provides a model of teaching world history that is based on both civilizational as well as thematic approaches. For those interested in transforming regional into global history, Matthew Smith demonstrates the ways that Atlantic History courses can in fact be ‘world' history. Finally, Michael Marcus shows us the many ways we can use art in the classroom to demonstrate global interconnectedness long before the twentieth century.

     In addition to these helpful and inspiring pedagogical essays, this issue features an essay by Jeff Somers that is part historiography, part reflection. Ultimately, he argues that we study world history because its time has come: given the globalized nature of our world, we can no longer answer historical questions adequately without employing a global perspective. To complete the issue, Tom Laichas has conducted a fascinating interview with Merry Wiesner-Hanks, whose publications in the field of world history no doubt feature largely on most of our bookshelves. Of course, this issue also features its excellent regular teaching columns and plentiful book reviews.

     Sadly, we say goodbye in this issue to WHC board member Jack Betterly, who passed away on March 7, 2008. Many of our readers knew him well, and were fondly familiar with his humorous emails and frequent postings on H-World. As a gesture of farewell, we have included in this issue the responses that WHC staff and H-World members wrote in reaction to Jack's passing.

     This issue also marks my last as co-editor. It is difficult to imagine that it has already been five years since WHC was inaugurated. I wish to thank Washington State University, the WHC staff and editorial board, our wonderful contributors and—most of all—you, our readers, for your support and enthusiasm over the years. I hope you will continue to read, enjoy, and learn from WHC as Aims McGuinness of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee gives the journal a new home and takes the reigns as co-editor for the next five years. Happily, Tom Laichas will continue in his position of co-editor to help make this transition as smooth as possible. May the future of WHC be as bright and full of promise as the field of world history itself.

Heather Streets, Co-editor

 

 

 
Home | List Journal Issues | Table of Contents
© 2008 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Content in World History Connected is intended for personal, noncommercial use only. You may not reproduce, publish, distribute, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, modify, create derivative works from, display, or in any way exploit the World History Connected database in whole or in part without the written permission of the copyright holder.


Terms and Conditions of Use