Teaching Difficult History through Film explores the potential of film to engage young people in controversial or contested histories and how they are represented, ranging from gender and sexuality, to colonialism and slavery. Adding to the education literature of how to teach and learn difficult histories, contributors apply their theoretical and pedagogical expertise and experiences to a variety of historical topics to show the ways that film can create opportunities for challenging conversations in the classroom and attempts to recognize the perspectives of historically marginalized groups.
Chapters focus on translating research into practice by applying theoretical frameworks such as critical race theory, auto-ethnography or cultural studies, as well as more practical pedagogical models with film. Each chapter also includes applicable pedagogical considerations, such as how to help students approach difficult topics, model questions or strategies for engaging students, and examples from the authors own experiences in teaching with film or in leading students to develop counter-narratives through filmmaking. These discussions of the real considerations facing classroom teachers and professors are sure to appeal to experienced secondary teachers, pre-service teacher education programs, graduate students, and academic audiences within education, history, and film studies.
Part and chapter discussion guides, full references of the films included in the book, and resources for teachers are available on the books companion website www.teachingdifficulthistory.com.
Dedications
Section 1: Introduction to Teaching Difficult History and Film as Difficult
History
Chapter 1: Using Film to Teach Difficult Histories
Jeremy Stoddard, Alan S. Marcus, and David Hicks
Chapter 2: Difficult History Means Difficult Questions: Using Film to Reveal
the Perspective of The Other in Difficult History Topics
Ben Walsh, David Hicks, and Stephanie van Hover
Section 2: Human Rights, Trauma, and Contemporary Difficult Histories
Chapter 3: Teaching the History and Contemporary Challenge of Human Rights
through Film
Glenn Mitoma
Chapter 4: From Seeing to Learn to Learning to See: Films on the
Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Brian Britt
Chapter 5: The Torturers Among Us: History, the Film Industry, and its Claims
to Truth
Robert P. Stephens
Section 3: Difficult History, Identity, and Implementation in Curriculum
Chapter 6: Institutional Roles in Using Film to Teach Difficult History: The
Federal Agency for Civic Education and The Lives of Others
Mattias Frey
Chapter 7: "I saw a REAL Indian on TV last night!": Engaging Students in
Historical Thinking for Social Justice
Christine Rogers Stanton, Amanda LeClair-Diaz, Brad Hall, and Lucia
Ricciardelli
Chapter 8: What Does History Have to Do With This?: Youth Filmmaking for
Social Change
Sandra Quińones, Brian Bailey, Joseph Ehman, and Daniel Delehanty
Section 4: Teaching Common but Difficult Histories through Film
Chapter 9: Hollywood Histories: Examining Contemporary Depictions of Race and
American Slavery in Popular Film
Keffrelyn D. Brown and Anthony L. Brown
Chapter 10: Classroom as Memory Workspace: The Educational and Empathetic
Potentials of Twelve Years a Slave and Ask a Slave
Matthew R. Cook and Derek H. Alderman
Chapter 11: Teaching Difficult History with Film: Multiple Perspectives on
the Holocaust
Alan S. Marcus and Gary Mills
Section 5: Difficult Histories from the Margins in Curriculum and Teacher
Education
Chapter 12: Questioning "Normal": Actively Undoing Dis/ability Stereotypes
Through Teaching a Critical Analysis of Films.
David J. Connor
Chapter 13: Invoking Precious Knowledge with Teacher Candidates to Reclaim
the Past, Reassess the Present, and Revolutionize Future Practice
Mark Kohan and Emilie M. Camp
Chapter 14: Finally "Seeing" a Queer Past: The Importance of Film in Teaching
LGBTQ American History
Sharon Ullman
Jeremy Stoddard is Professor of Education and an Associated Faculty Member in the Film and Media Studies program at The College of William & Mary.
Alan S. Marcus is Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut.
David Hicks is Professor of History and Social Science Education (Social Studies) in the School of Education at Virginia Tech.
More info about Taylor & Francis e-books