The Thinking Past: Questions and Problems in World History to 1750 - Softcover

Cole, Adrian; Ortega, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199794626 ISBN 13: 9780199794621

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2014

Synopsis

The Thinking Past: Questions and Problems in World History to 1750 is based on the premise that asking questions and evaluating sources represents an insightful way to study world history. Authors Adrian Cole and Stephen Ortega believe that the classroom experience of debating different issues, such as the origins of war and the nature of empire, serves as a solid foundation for actually thinking about world history.

FEATURES

* Questions-based approach: Each chapter in The Thinking Past is based on a question that has been generated in an actual class discussion
* Examines major problems and ideas in world history--technology, religion, global trade, participatory politics, and more
* Organized thematically, with a chronological progression that preserves a strong narrative flow
* Uses both primary sources and the latest research to convey the sense that "history" is part of an ongoing debate across many disciplines
* "Flipped classroom" approach asks students to learn material outside of class so they can engage in discussion when they come to class

About this title

About the Author

Adrian Cole is an independent scholar. He was educated at Exeter University and Harvard University.

Stephen Ortega is Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Dual Degree Graduate Program in Archives Management and History at Simmons College. He is the author of Negotiating Transcultural Relations in the Early Modern Mediterranean (2014).

Review

"Accessible-even conversational-in style, this imaginative approach revives an ancient teaching technique: the Socratic method of asking provocative questions and exploring possible answers."--Richard Eaton, University of Arizona

"This is a book that rethinks global history in provocative ways. It asks big questions and provides big answers. It will engage students and make teaching fun, exciting, and satisfying. And crucially, it does so by also rethinking--with real insight and passion--the way that history itself should be done."--Guido Ruggiero, University of Miami

"The Thinking Past has a lot to offer: the 'questions' approach for each chapter is provocative and interesting, and very appropriate for college students, who enter class ready to challenge historical methodology. It also takes a thoughtful thematic approach that highlights what World History can do as a discipline. I also appreciate the authors' insistence that these themes remain relevant today."--Karin Vélez, Macalester College

"The Thinking Past goes beyond the narrative approach of the standard world history textbook and delves into the deeper questions of the human condition that make the study of history important."--Eric F. Johnson, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0199794626
• ISBN 13: 9780199794621
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576