Welcome to World History Now, an interactive text-based online program for studying the story of our planet, its peoples and cultures.
Perhaps the most difficult task faced by any teacher of history is how to provide an analytical structure within which students can first frame, then investigate and ultimately understand all the myriad questions generated by the story of our past - and in a manner that will impress and inspire them with the relevance of that vast and sweeping story for their own lives. The task is especially daunting for the world historian who attempts to introduce his students to the entire history of humanity not from any specialized perspective but in its broad and general outlines.
The sheer chronological and geographic scope of world history makes it almost imperative to narrow the field of analysis by concentrating on only a few of the possible themes. Thus some historians find themselves emphasizing economic or political history, while others may focus on cultural or social history. A few bold spirits have even ventured into the realm of environmental history as a means of achieving a more 'global' approach. And yet, each of these thematic approaches makes little sense without at least some reference to all the others. For the simple truth is that the history of the world is comprised of and encompasses them all.
Sadly, given the time constraints of the school year and the attention spans of their students, in addition to emphasizing only a few of these themes, most teachers also inevitably concentrate on some regions or time periods at the expense of others. The inadvertent result is a seemingly inescapable bias in favor of some aspects of world history over others - of some groups of humans or some cultures or some methods of human organization. Such a self-selecting bias is most notable in the titles of courses - "World Civilization" for example is a dead give away about where the bias lies.
But is such a bias necessarily inescapable? Is it not possible to find a more integrated approach that will elucidate all of the major themes and how they are inter-related and in a way that will not skew the story towards some and away from others? Worldhistorynow attempts to provide just such an analytical framework. It is a framework rooted in the presentation of human history not simply as a function of economics, politics, culture, or even social relationships, but rather as a function of the underlying source of all of these categories - the universal nature and experience of what it means to be a human being surviving and living on planet earth.
Perhaps the most difficult task faced by any teacher of history is how to provide an analytical structure within which students can first frame, then investigate and ultimately understand all the myriad questions generated by the story of our past - and in a manner that will impress and inspire them with the relevance of that vast and sweeping story for their own lives. The task is especially daunting for the world historian who attempts to introduce his students to the entire history of humanity not from any specialized perspective but in its broad and general outlines.
The sheer chronological and geographic scope of world history makes it almost imperative to narrow the field of analysis by concentrating on only a few of the possible themes. Thus some historians find themselves emphasizing economic or political history, while others may focus on cultural or social history. A few bold spirits have even ventured into the realm of environmental history as a means of achieving a more 'global' approach. And yet, each of these thematic approaches makes little sense without at least some reference to all the others. For the simple truth is that the history of the world is comprised of and encompasses them all.
Sadly, given the time constraints of the school year and the attention spans of their students, in addition to emphasizing only a few of these themes, most teachers also inevitably concentrate on some regions or time periods at the expense of others. The inadvertent result is a seemingly inescapable bias in favor of some aspects of world history over others - of some groups of humans or some cultures or some methods of human organization. Such a self-selecting bias is most notable in the titles of courses - "World Civilization" for example is a dead give away about where the bias lies.
But is such a bias necessarily inescapable? Is it not possible to find a more integrated approach that will elucidate all of the major themes and how they are inter-related and in a way that will not skew the story towards some and away from others? Worldhistorynow attempts to provide just such an analytical framework. It is a framework rooted in the presentation of human history not simply as a function of economics, politics, culture, or even social relationships, but rather as a function of the underlying source of all of these categories - the universal nature and experience of what it means to be a human being surviving and living on planet earth.
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For Students
Are you moving at light speed into the 21st century and wondering why your textbooks are still as heavy as furniture? Wouldn't it make sense for a history book to be as easy to access onscreen as your music, your friends, and your world? World History Now is a complete online program that gives you the freedom to explore and learn an essential subject in your own way, at your own speed – through interactive texts, primary documents, images, maps, video and music clips, and constantly updated links to the vast historical, geographical and cultural treasure-house that is the Internet. See and experience how the world moved from prehistory to the present and get a preview of the future! |
For Parents and Teachers
World History Now is aligned to California and other U.S. state history content standards for middle and high schools. Students anticipating Advanced Placement study will benefit from the more advanced features in the text. Students looking to engage history in a new way will be challenged and supported by a new integration of important facts, themes, and connections. Through the online format, students can learn in familiar ways and can also step aside and pursue particular topics in a connected way. Self-testing features help identify areas of knowledge and comprehension that need reinforcement. |
About the Author
W. Travis Hanes III has been involved in the development of two high school world history textbooks - as general editor and primary author of one, and as chief content and organization consultant for the other - both of which the Thomas Fordham Foundation selected in a recent review as the best two textbooks in the field. His new online program goes beyond these books with updated and greatly improved content and presentation formats designed to address the widest possible range of student needs. Dr. Hanes holds both a master’s and a doctorate in modern history from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of numerous scholarly books and articles. Currently teaching at several universities and colleges in Los Angeles, California, he has also taught in public and private high schools in California and Texas.
W. Travis Hanes III has been involved in the development of two high school world history textbooks - as general editor and primary author of one, and as chief content and organization consultant for the other - both of which the Thomas Fordham Foundation selected in a recent review as the best two textbooks in the field. His new online program goes beyond these books with updated and greatly improved content and presentation formats designed to address the widest possible range of student needs. Dr. Hanes holds both a master’s and a doctorate in modern history from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of numerous scholarly books and articles. Currently teaching at several universities and colleges in Los Angeles, California, he has also taught in public and private high schools in California and Texas.
