The book’s hallmark focus on social and cultural history captures students’ attention. Students are inspired to study the past when they encounter vivid stories that make up the rich texture of the lives of ordinary people, including peoples’ reactions to the Black Death, a medieval woman’s advice to wives, and an account of middle-class youth and sexuality on the eve of the First World War.
The author team of dedicated teacher-scholars introduces students to the latest research and interpretations. Merry Wiesner-Hanks has updated scholarship on the cultural history of the Middle Ages, such as a discussion of artistic patronage in the Renaissance. Clare Crowston provides new insights into the age of European exploration and expansion. Joe Perry brings his expertise in recent cultural history to three Chapters devoted to post-1945 history.
Strong and coherent Chapter pedagogy goes beyond textbook conventions to focus students on what’s important and to teach historical thinking.
- Each major section starts with a historical question intended to guide students’ reading.
- Definitions of key terms in the margins emphasize major points.
- An innovative Chapter locator at the bottom of each page reminds students where they are.
- Chapter reviews walk students through increasingly complex historical thinking activities: 1. Identify key terms and explain their significance; 2. Analyze relationships among people, events and ideas; 3. Synthesize information and site examples.
Primary sources and special features introduce students to historical thinking skills. Extensive firsthand accounts, visual sources, and primary documents help students understand the past. Documents include an account of Eirik the Red’s saga from the tenth century, a seventeenth-century German appraisal of Russian life, and Simon de Beauvoir’s critique of twentieth-century marriage.
Enhanced media resources give you options for saving time and improving student learning. We know that your classroom changes every year, and so do our resources. Whether you’re interested in substantive lecture presentation materials, free online student quizzing, plentiful upgraded test questions, free primary documents — or all of the above — we have options in PowerPoint, on DVD, or uploadable for integration with your local course management system. And if you want it all in one customizeable course space, check out HistoryClass, at yourhistoryclass.com.