... LLC ISSN: 0037-7996 print / 2152-405X online DOI: 10.1080/00377996.2011.585551 9/11 in the Curriculum: A Retrospective DIANA HESS1 and JEREMY STODDARD2 1 2 Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA School of Education, The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA This article uses a curricular analysis study to examine how the events of 9/11 and their aftermath are presented to secondary students in supplemental curriculum and social studies textbooks published from 2002–2010. Shortly after 9/11, many political leaders and social studies educators advocated teaching about 9/11 and its aftermath because these events provided a unique “teachable moment,” even though there was often bitter disagreement about what ideological messages related to 9/11 should be promoted in the schools. Within one year, many non-profit organizations and even the United States Department of State developed materials on 9/11 that were disseminated to secondary schools. As the first editions of post-9/11 textbooks came out, it was also evident that content about 9/11 and what happened in its wake would be given special attention. To investigate what was being communicated to young people about 9/11 and its aftermath to students, we analyzed nine curricula from the non-profits and the government in the first few years after 9/11, a sample of nine of history and government textbooks published between 2004–06, and then a subsample of three of...
Words: 4659 - Pages: 19
...9/11: What May Have Gone Unnoticed Should a country be able to trust their government? When asked that question most would reply with yes, or maybe even a “definitely”. What if everything citizens heard from the government through the news and media wasn’t the truth? Would it frighten people? Would it anger civilians who have put all of their trust into their government? Many may not know, but some groups believe that the U.S. government may be deceiving its people. As Americans, we have all probably heard of the disaster that occurred on September 11, 2001. It will live on in the memories of many people forever. When analyzing the death, destruction, and terror, many realize one more thing lies beneath. That something is confusion. Many...
Words: 1882 - Pages: 8
...this taboo section of history, Zinn has paved the way for Americans to look back on their own history, and even modern-day events, and critically examine the truth that we accept so easily, without a second thought, especially since some events today and their justifications mirror similar events seen throughout history. The ongoing debate about drone strikes, their accuracy, and the ethics behind them closely mirror Zinn’s “Strategic Bombing” missions and their effects. While drones may be more accurate than the bombs used in World War II, their effectiveness is still called into question. In an article from the New York Times, it is revealed that “…when operators in...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...9/11 Photo Analysis Reading Guide Name: ________________________ Read the Guardian article by Jonathan Jones, “The Meaning of 9/11’s Most Controversial Photo” and then answer the questions below. 1. What concrete details from the photo (if any) are analyzed explicitly? What details are analyzed implicitly? They analyze the way their facial expressions are and how they are sunbathing on the wall means that these people are happy and not caring about what is going on behind them. They seem to be ignoring the terrors facing them. Through out the article the meaning switches from judging the individuals, but rather more as a way to depict history. They also talk about the water & buildings symbolizing things. 2. How and when was this photo released? Why? The photo was not released until 5 years after 9/11 in 2006. The main reason because it was a controversial picture of 9/11 because the people photographed were smiling and enjoying their day, with the twin towers in smoke in the background. Almost all pictures that had been released and published were very sad and devastating. 3. How was the photo initially interpreted? In what ways was this interpretation flawed according to Jones? The photo was initially interpreted that Americans failed to learn deep lessons from that tragic day, but rather just went on enjoying their own lives without taking into consideration what else was happening. Jones says this...
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...In the past, the United States of America has been through some tragic events that have gone down in history. Two of the most infamous events are that of 9/11 and the Pearl Harbor bombing. Both of these events brought sorrow and frustration to the American people. The presidents at the time of these events gave very famous speeches afterward. Bush, who was president at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Roosevelt, who was president at the time of the Pearl Harbor bombings, both declared war in their speeches. There is however, quite a few differences between the events, the speeches, and the aftermath. September 11th of 2001, is a day that has changed our nation and the rest of the world greatly. On this day, four airplanes were hijacked by al-Qaeda members and were all crashed. There were 19 hijackers total involved in the attacks. American Airlines Flight 11 led by Mohamed Atta crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing all 92 aboard. United Airlines Flight 175 led by Marwan al-Shehhi crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, killing all 60 aboard. American Airlines Flight 77 led by...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...unified because of it. Throughout U.S. history, many people and enemies have tried to ruin our country, but time after time again, we always prevail. The most prominent reason why al-Qaeda attacked the United States of America on 9/11 was to weaken the United States power by trying to ruin their economy so they couldn’t support and help al-Qaeda’s enemies. To start off, radical Islam's have a point to their destruction, and their main goal was to ruin our economy. The reason for this is because of the wealth of America, and how we were affecting al-Qaeda’s plans. An Islamic extremist is...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...Westfall Road Circleville, Ohio 43113 (740) 477-1072 learj15@circlevillecityschools.org Honors English III (Grade 11) Circleville High School 380 Clark Drive Circleville, Ohio 43113 (740) 474-4846 Francis Hopkinson: The True Designer of our Nation’s Flag Francis Hopkinson 2 The story of the creation of the United States’ first flag has always seemed simple enough. The story tells of Betsy Ross designing and sewing the flag for Washington that would fly proudly in the wind of the newly born country. There is only one problem with this story though. It never mentions the man who deserves the credit for creating the first template of the United States flag. Although Betsy...
Words: 812 - Pages: 4
...So, what is American Pluralism? What an opportunity to take American Pluralism at this moment in your life and this historic moment in American history! The American Pluralism course examines the multicultural, multi-ethnic nature of American society. It introduces students to important areas of American experience and culture, including race, class, and gender. We will critically examine American current affairs, contemporary history, and popular culture. Writings by and about Americans of color, women, and people from diverse ethnic, class, and religious groups provide background and context for discussions of contemporary issues. Why Do I Have to Take this Course? * This course provides opportunities for you and challenges you to speak, read, and write about controversial issues related to race, class, and gender in contemporary American life, but the course does not push any particular ideology or philosophical position. * This course examines the history of oppression in the United States and how historical events have affected contemporary issues and your life. * This course emphasizes active, participatory, empowering education that will challenge you to think critically about cultural myths, our society’s core values, and your own existing beliefs and prejudices. What Do I have to Do? ** You will do poorly in this class if you do not read and actively participate. ** Please drop this class if you feel ill equipped to read and participate…a lot...
Words: 1387 - Pages: 6
...Media Influences on American Culture Copyright © 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description The course provides an introduction to the most prominent forms of media that influence and impact social, business, political, and popular culture in contemporary America. It explores the unique aspects of each medium as well as interactions across various media that combine to create rich environments for information sharing, entertainment, business, and social interaction in the United States and around the world. Policies Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Lule, J. (2012). Exploring media and culture. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: The Formative Influence of Mass Media on American Culture Details Objectives 1.1. Identify the effects of mass media on American culture. 1.2. Summarize...
Words: 2017 - Pages: 9
...9/11 I chose the events of 9/11 for my research paper because there has not been any other even in U.S. history that has changed America as much as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Not even when Japan attack Pearl Harbor had such an attack on the U.S. changed the way we live or the way we see things. Yes the attack on Pearl Harbor sent the U.S. to war but the 9/11 attacks have not only changed our thinking but also implemented a new system to alert Americans when there could be another attack on U.S. soil. There has been so much talk on the events of 9/11 from it being another country to it being the work of the government to hide information to wanting to start a war. Which it did, American forces invaded Afghanistan to search for Osama Bin Laden. The thought that someone could hijack commercial airliners (Boeing 767s) and use them to attack high rises, not only high rises but U.S. landmarks and also the Pentagon which houses the military headquarters in the United States. There were four airliners hijacked that day with three of them hitting their marks and the fourth one crashing in a Pennsylvania field. The attacks are the worst terrorist attacks to ever happen on U.S. soil, resulting in more than 3,000 people were killed due to the attacks on New York and Washington D.C. After the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center on the 80th floor, it trapped hundreds of people above the fiery inferno and they started evacuating the north tower. Within...
Words: 2621 - Pages: 11
...Throughout the history of the United States, various races and ethnicities have been discriminated against. In contemporary time, religion, specifically Islam, has received a great deal of coverage due to the actions taken by extremist Muslims. Because of the actions of terrorist groups such as the Taliban and Isis, Muslims around the world, especially in the United States, are viewed in a negative light. Due to this, the rising backlash towards Muslims has raised the question if during the past fifteen years, the resulting prejudice has affected the young/old/new Muslim immigrants in terms of work, daily life, and even their own sense of belonging or identity within the United States. Recently, minorities in the United States have had...
Words: 1520 - Pages: 7
...9/11 Essay Terrorism has been a very influential problem in American history and has had an enormous effect on U.S. From Pearl Harbor, First World Trading Center, Truck Bombing of Federal Building, and last but not least September 11, 2001. September 11th was a very devastating event in the history of America. This was a huge problem and caused depression, mourning, and paranoid many people. Of course, this affected many people and to this day still does. What do you think caused 9/11?.... Let's find out. September 11, 2001 was a very tragic day in American history. It all started when 19 terrorists boarded multiple airplanes, hijacked them, and crashed them into different targets. The terrorists focus was at the Pentagon and World...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...What is economic? Economic is a study of how people make choices among the alternatives. Since the resources that are available to world are very scarce, it is important to study economic in order to make the best choice that can maximize the total profits. Real life cases are the best examples for studying economic concepts. In this paper, there are three real life cases that illustrate economic concepts base on the Case in Point boxes from the Course Reader. The first case will define the economic concepts: choice, scarcity, and cost. The second case will describe how the stock market puts supply and demand to work. The last case will present the effects can be caused by private and external costs. Case in Point: Chapter 1.1-Defining Economics; Section 1-Scarcity, Choice, and Cost What Is Wrong With The Oil Productions? Why is oil harmful? Petroleum or oil had come to the existence about four thousand years ago. Oil is now one of the required resources for every day's activities. For instance, products like mechanical engines, cars, cooking, tar for roads, etc. needs oil to function. Even though oil has many choices of how it can be produced, it is a scarce resource. As a scarce resource, oil is very limited and cannot be reproduced or recycled. As a result, there are many opportunity costs for producing oil. For instance, one of the opportunity costs for producing oil is a healthy environment. Additionally, money is the most costly opportunity cost for the oil production...
Words: 2346 - Pages: 10
...Session of Congress, in the wake of the terror attacks upon America on 11 September, 2001. At this time in history, the United States needed direction and support for how it was going to deal with the most costly and bloodiest terrorist attacks in the Nation’s history: the American people demanded the President address the Nation after the attacks, and nine days later, the President delivered his speech. Across the country, emotions ran high in America and many were in constant fear for their lives and their country. “Is another attack coming?” “What will be the next target?” “Could this be the end of the world?” many pondered. Throughout the country the airlines halted service, the New York Stock Exchange temporarily suspended its operations and nearly every television station around the country relayed the latest news covering the latest developments in those uncertain times. The American people prodded answers from their leaders, “Who’s responsible?” “Why did they do this?” “What’s next?” So when President addressed the nation not only did he have to answer those questions, but he also had to quash fears and reinstill a sense of pride and stability in the American people. Hailed by many, “The speech that made the Bush Presidency,” the President utilized several techniques, explicit and implicit, that had effectively neutralized public fears and persuaded the people toward collective action. To understand why the speech was as effective as it was, one has to look at two major components...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
...Project HIST125-1201B-05 American Culture in Transition March 28, 2012 CTU Online Professor David Markwell Introduction I must say that this assignment has come at a perfect time as I found myself surrounded in History as I toured Pearl Harbor this weekend. I have to admit watching video and listening to some of the survivors take on the events brought me to tears. I was fortunate enough to have my mom on this trip and she gave me some more great family history and explained that her sister was on the island when the attack happened and was able to get back to the mainland 10 days later. I could write 10 pages on what we spoke about the past few days. Our class has made me realize that we speak of history every day even in simple conversations about what we did a year ago or when we were children, the events we witness today is our children’s history and it is made every day. This class has opened my eyes to take a closer and awareness at the things that are happening around us today and in the past. Now that the class is about complete I am not sure how anyone may have negative views on history, no matter what had happened in our history it has been done and we must see it for the positive things we can take from our past. The debate on immigration can be seen and actually felt when traveling to different parts of our country and abroad. Listening to some of the fascinating tales on Hawaiian history it was not that long ago Americans and Europeans were trying...
Words: 3091 - Pages: 13
