Personalities & Problems: Interpretive Essays in World Civilization, Volume I [Paperback]

Ken Wolf (Author), Ken Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0072565640 | ISBN-13: 978-0072565645 | Edition: 3

This is a unique collection of original essays about real people whose lives or careers demonstrate solutions to problems of their times. Each chapter focuses on a problem or issue by discussing the lives of two historical figures (actual or near contemporaries of each other) whose careers illustrate the richness and variety of human history.

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About the Author

Ken Wolf is Professor of History at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, where he has taught since 1969. He received his B.A. degree from St. Ambrose College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Notre Dame. Professor Wolf helped design Murray State's World Civilizations course and has taught it since its inception. He also teaches courses in the Development of Historical Thinking. Professor Wolf has published articles on European nationalism, historiography, intellectual history, and the teaching of history in The Journal of the History of Ideas, The International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences-Biographical Supplement, Teaching History, the Illinois Quarterly, The Journal of Kentucky Studies, and the AHA Perspectives. For five years Professor Wolf served as a dean of the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program, and has recently helped start The Commonwealth Honors Academy at Murray State. He was selected as a Pew Faculty Fellow in International Affairs for 1993-94. He and his wife, Deanna, a social worker, have three children and four grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 3 edition (March 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072565640
• ISBN-13: 978-0072565645
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable for Teachers, March 15, 2010

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Matthew Watt (TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Personalities & Problems: Interpretive Essays in World Civilization, Volume I (Paperback)

This book has a wealth of essays that compare and contrast leaders and historical figures that most people would have never placed together in the same discussion. It uses this strategy to show the dicotomony between religion, political strength, culture, economic policies, etc. of the different leaders, but also lets the reader know that through it all, there are still some similarities.

This volume includes a great essay on the development of law between Hammurabi and Moses. I use them in the classroom for my students to get a better understanding of how to write an essay, especially a historical essay, and how to compare and contrast. You can have your students read chunks and slowly put together a Venn Diagram, or some other graphic organizer. They could also use the information contained in the essay to have a mini-debate between the two figures. Highly recommended.