Whether students are learning about world history, European history, U.S. history, or government, my goal is to have them understand and appreciate the context of the pivotal events that have culminated in the current state of our world. Rather than memorizing names and dates, I want them to think about why events happen. Why are certain regimes oppressive? Why do the efforts of extraordinary individuals at certain times start political or ideological revolutions? Why were some peace treaties successful and some just set the stage for worse conflicts in the future?
I want them to think about the interplay of power and security and how the need for one or both are expressed through aggression, or oppression, or legal systems or political parties. I also want them to apply what they have learned to current events, and in that, recognize the recurrence of historical patterns. How similar are the Alien and Sedition Acts, or the Espionage Act to the Homeland Security Act? What did the Marshall Plan do after World War II, and are there any lessons to be learned from that that could be of benefit in today’s world? How has the Cold War shaped our current geopolitical reality? Does an understanding of the religious wars that plagued Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries shed any light on today’s religious conflicts?
Beyond reading and thinking and writing about history, I also want my students to learn about conflict resolution, and practice the skills that can help them resolve the conflicts that they find in their lives. For example, in the World History course I taught my students some of the basic rules for negotiation as promulgated by the Harvard Negotiation Project. They learned to discuss interests to find common ground rather than getting stuck defending a position. We learned about how setting preconditions before negotiation can even commence is counterproductive. We learned that really listening to the other side frequently brings to light common interests or desires, which can then become the foundation for eventual agreement.
We then tried out our new skills by negotiating a peace between Israel and the Palestinians. (Why waste time on something easy?) Following an in-depth study of the Middle East and the history of Israel/Palestine, we divided into six teams: Radical Palestinians, Moderate Palestinians, Progressives, Moderate Israelis, Radical Israelis and the Quartet. Over the course of many negotiations which paired each team with every other team, the class constructed an interesting and creative solution, of which they were justifiably proud. Of far more importance to me was that they learned how difficult it is to negotiate with those whose views are different, and how to listen and find common ground despite these differences. As the news of the Arab Awakening has come to us this spring, I see that the time we took last fall to study this part of the world, and to learn about negotiations, has helped my students make sense of the events and appreciate the complexity of the evolving situation. For me, that’s the most compelling reason to study (and teach) history.