Introduction

Facing History and Ourselves is a course unlike any other. It is a course not based on tests or quizzes, only short blogs that you will occasionally be asked to participate in. It is a class not designed to be difficult, but rather a course designed to teach you valuable lessons that you will carry through school and the rest of your life. The class is, in essence, a break from the run of the mill textbook learning. We’ve all read about the battles of World War II in the textbooks, but facing history gets you to look at such events from a different perspective. Rather than just learning that things have happened, we learn more about the why and how things happen. It’s a completely different type of learning, more about understanding certain events in history and understanding why and how they happen. The course is well worth taking, as it causes little stress from work or tests. In addition to this the course brings many social issues to light, whether it is gender or race. Also it makes you think about what you would having been in certain situations in history, which helps greatly to understand why certain things in history happen. One of the main themes of the course understands the past to help prevent certain things from happening in the future. Facing History comes at historic events from several different angles to help students understand. It is by this process that students who take this course will no longer be bystanders or perpetrators, and help prevent such events.