Classroom in conflict : teaching controversial subjects in a diverse society / John A. Williams. [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, John A., 1935-

Series:

SUNY series in philosophy of education.

SUNY series the philosophy of education

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

College teaching--Social aspects--United States--Case studies.

College teaching.

Educational sociology--United States--Case studies.

Educational sociology.

Cultural pluralism--United States--Case studies.

Cultural pluralism.

History--Study and teaching (Higher)--Social aspects--United States.

History.

Multiculturalism--United States--Case studies.

Multiculturalism.

Educational sociology--Study and teaching (Higher)--Social aspects--United States--Case studies.

History--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 204 p. )

Place of Publication:

Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press, c1994.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"This book transcends recent debates about political correctness to address the underlying problems of teaching controversial subjects in the college and university history classroom. The author criticizes both sides of the debate, rejecting, on the one hand, calls for a uniform, chronological history curriculum and, on the other hand, claims that only ethnic or racial "insiders" are qualified to teach about their communities." "In chapters on colonial, comparative, and African history, Williams applies the concept of "Gandhian truth" to historical subjects, moving through tentative and flexible perspectives to achieve a complex picture of historical episodes. And in chapters on imperialism, nationalism, racism, and the problem of "the other," he discusses the difficult and contingent nature of conceptual language. In the second half of the book, he addresses framing rules of discussion by which sensitive issues can be discussed with diverse audiences, the relationship of American pluralism to a world perspective, and what can be accomplished through an education in pluralism."--Jacket.

Contents:

One classroom: an introduction

Conflicting views of the classroom revolution

The teacher's pitch and the student audience

Insiders and outsiders

The colonizer and the colonized

The uses of comparative history

Teaching a racially sensitive subject

On understanding the South African freedom struggle

Imperialism

Nationalism and racism: the keywords

Structures of argument in African history

The other: the problem of authenticity

The world context of American pluralism

Learning in the pluralist classroom

The rules of discussion

In pursuit of pluralism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-198) and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

1-4384-2410-8

0-585-04499-6