The Education Wonks note a new "Philadelphia Experiment" in social studies class:
City high school students will be required to take a class in African and African American history to graduate, a move that education experts believe is unique in the nation.The requirement in the 185,000-student district, which is about two-thirds black, begins with September's freshman class, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.
The yearlong course covers subjects including classical African civilizations, civil rights and black nationalism, said Gregory Thornton, the district's chief academic officer. The other social studies requirements are American history, geography and world history.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has more. The textbook for the course is The African-American Odyssey, by Darlene Hine. The reviews are few; anyone out there got an opinion on it?
The potential for good with a course like this is immense, as is the potential for harm, because's there's a right and a wrong way to do this. On the one hand, this type of class could indeed inspire some students who weren't previously history buffs to become more interested in the topic. Africa is indeed "the forgotten continent" in a lot of ways, and I don't think a student of any color would be disadvantaged by understanding more of what has happened there. Certainly, African-American students would benefit greatly from their home culture being treated in depth, rather than squeezed into February lessons each year.
On the other hand, topics like "black nationalism" are notoriously touchy, especially if the discussion veers off from history class to current events. It also seems like it would be impossible to adequately teach African history without covering hot-button topics such as slavery, communism, and extremist religions - all of which are in force today on that continent. Will teachers present a critical, balanced approach that focuses on the ills of Africa along with its triumphs?
My concern with a course like this is that it might depend on, if you'll pardon the term, a "whitewashing" of current events, and that it might stick only to those topics that make students "feel good" about African culture and contributions. Such a sanitized or biased approach would do all of Philly's students a disservice.
Posted by kswygert at June 13, 2005 03:47 PM