Curriculum Units
Afghanistan
The United States in Afghanistan
Students use primary source documents, readings, and new media sources as they consider the future of U.S. policy in Afghanistan.
American Independence
A More Perfect Union: American Independence and the Constitution
Using primary sources, role-play, and simulations, students examine the context in which the U.S. Constitution was framed.
Brazil
Brazil: From Colony to Democracy
Students explore the choices Brazilians faced as their country transitioned to democracy in the mid-1980s and examine historical forces that informed debate.
China
China on the World Stage: Weighing the U.S. Response
Using readings, documents, statistics, and simulations, students explore the history of U.S. relations with China and consider the global impact of China's transformation.
Civil Rights
Freedom Now: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi
Students trace the history of the black freedom struggle from Reconstruction through the 1960s.
Climate Change
Climate Change and Questions of Justice
Students explore the causes and effects of global warming and delve into questions of who is most responsible for and vulnerable to the changing climate.
Cold War
The Origins of the Cold War: U.S. Choices after World War II
Drawing on primary sources, statistics, a timeline, and selected biographies, students engage in the national debate on the U.S. role in the world in 1946.
Colonization
Colonization and Independence in Africa
Students explore Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and consider the changes colonialism imposed on African governments, economies, and societies.
Cuba
Contesting Cuba's Past and Future
Readings, and simulations, and primary sources help students step into the shoes of ordinary Cubans to consider Cuba's future in the post-Castro era.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Considering its Place in Cold War History
Using primary sources, students explore the dynamics of the Cold War and step into the shoes of President Kennedy's ExComm during the crisis.
Environment
Global Environmental Problems: Implications for U.S. Policy
Drawing on primary sources, graphs, readings, and simulations, students assess global environmental problems and possible solutions.
Fog of War
Teacher's Guide for The Fog of War
This guide provides a series of lesson plans to accompany Errol Morris' Academy Award wining full-length documentary. [Teacher's Guide only; DVD not included]
Foreign Aid
Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Policies
Readings, speeches, statistics, case studies and simulations enable students to examine U.S. aid policy and explore the ethical dilemmas faced by policy makers.
French Revolution
Using readings, primary sources, role-plays, and simulations, students consider the issues facing France at a time of social and political upheaval.
Genocide
Confronting Genocide: Never Again?
Through case studies and primary sources, students trace the international community's response to genocide and consider how to respond in the future.
Haitian Revolution
Readings, primary sources, maps, simulations, and a digital timeline enable students to explore the history of Haiti and consider the legacies of the revolution.
Hiroshima
Ending the War Against Japan: Science, Morality, and the Atomic Bomb
Through readings and simulations, students explore the political, military, and ethical issues involved in the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.
Human Rights
Competing Visions of Human Rights: Questions for U.S. Policy
Students use readings, case studies, and primary sources to examine the role human rights has played in international politics.
Immigration
U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World
Drawing on statistics, speeches, and commission reports, students examine the historical and current dimensions of immigration policy from multiple perspectives.
Imperialism
Beyond Manifest Destiny: America Enters the Age of Imperialism
Readings, primary sources, and simulations enable students to probe the political and ethical issues raised by the Spanish-American War.
India/Pakistan
Indian Independence and the Question of Partition
Students examine the era of British trade and rule in India, the rise of anti-colonial movements, the political negotiations that led to the creation of India and Pakistan.
International Trade
International Trade: Competition and Cooperation in a Globalized World
Drawing on readings, statistics, and simulations, students explore the basics of international trade and consider its role in this era of globalization.
Iranian Revolution
Iran Through the Looking Glass: History, Reform, and Revolution
Using readings and primary sources, students trace the history of Iran, explore the 1979 revolution, and consider the legacy today.
Iraq
A Global Controversy: The U.S. Invasion of Iraq
Students recreate the debate surrounding the decision to go to war, assess the war's impact in the United States, Iraq, and beyond.
Isolationism
Between World Wars: FDR and the Age of Isolationism
Using maps, transcripts, audio, photos, statistics, timelines, and simulations, students examine the inter-war years and recreate the American debate over the Lend-Lease Act.
League of Nations Debate
To End All Wars: World War I and the League of Nations Debate
Using readings, primary sources, and simulations, students explore the causes and effects of World War I at home and abroad.
Mexico
Caught Between Two Worlds: Mexico at the Crossroads
Readings, maps, artwork, documents, and simulations enable students to see the world through Mexican eyes and to contemplate current Mexican policy choices.
Middle East
The Middle East in Transition: Questions for U.S. Policy
Drawing on maps, cartoons, and primary sources, students examine the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East from 1900 to the present.
North Korea
Conflict on the Korean Peninsula: North Korea and the Nuclear Threat
This Lesson helps students better understand the domestic and international issues around North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Nuclear Weapons
The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons
Students use readings, primary sources, and simulations to examine the history of nuclear weapons, explore arguments for and against them, and consider current challenges.
Russia's Transformation
Russia's Transformation: Challenges for U.S. Policy
Using readings, maps, cartoons, and primary sources, students explore Russian history and consider the U.S. relationship with Russia today.
Russian Revolution
Using readings, speeches, political reports, art, music, statistics, maps, and simulations, students explores events leading up to the Bolsheviks' assumption of power.
Slave Trade
A Forgotten History: The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England
With readings, letters, maps, statistics, and simulations, students explore the triangular trade and the nature of slavery in New England.
South Africa
Freedom in Our Lifetime: South Africa's Struggle
Using primary sources, and simulations, students consider the issues faced by opponents of apartheid and recreate the debate among South Africans in 1961.
Terrorism
Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy
With readings, primary sources, statistics, cartoons, and case studies, students prepare for a debate in the U.S. Senate on the response to terrorism.
Turkey
Empire, Republic, Democracy: A History of Turkey
Students use primary source documents, readings, and new media sources as they consider the questions and challenges facing people in Turkey today.
U.S. Role in the World
The U.S. Role in a Changing World
Readings, primary sources, political cartoons, maps, statistics, and simulations draw students into the promise and uncertainty of the modern era.
United Nations
The United Nations: Challenges and Change
Using primary sources, charts, case studies, and simulations, students examine the historical origins of the UN and consider its role in the world today from multiple perspectives.
Vietnam War
The Limits of Power: The United States in Vietnam
Using maps, cartoons, and primary sources, students evaluate how successive U.S. administrations perceived the situation in Vietnam, and implemented policy.
War of 1812
Challenge to the New Republic: The War of 1812
Students use primary sources and readings to immerse themselves in the struggle to establish the new federal government's role in foreign policy.
Weimar
Weimar Germany and the Rise of Hitler
Using political posters, songs, art and literature as well as laws and speeches, students recreate the moment of the Reichstag elections in July 1932 and consider its legacy.
Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion: A New History
Students use readings, primary sources, and an in-depth case study to explore U.S. westward expansion from multiple perspectives.
