American Culture)

Thoughts on Book Readings

All of the readings included in Beyond Borders: Thinking Critically about Global Issues help us appreciate American culture and U.S. history from several diverse perspectives. The book urges us all to reach beyond comfortable representations of the United States -- who we are, what our role has been in shaping the world, and how we have exercised power through our actions and interactions with others across the globe -- and embrace more complex truths. In short, we should challenge traditional interpretations.

History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History by Dana Lindaman and Kyle Ward helps expose how many American texts are biased in portrayals of the United States' role in world history. By examining the historical record of American history in English translated foreign texts, it is clear that other countries challenge the American depiction of itself in major events...
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