Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Politics, Economy And Society In Bourbon Central America, Jordana Dym, Christophe Belaubre

Jordana Dym

Cloth. 320 pages. Illustrations: 4 b/w photos, 1 drawing, 7 maps, 2 tables

Politics, Economy, and Society in Bourbon Central America, 1759-1821 examines how the Spanish policies known broadly as the Bourbon Reforms affected Central American social, economic, and political institutions. Although historians have devoted significant attention to the purpose and impact of these reforms in Spain and some of Spain's other New World colonies, this book is the first to explore their impact on Central America.

These reforms profoundly changed aspects of Central America's politics and society; however, these essays reveal that changes in the region were shaped both …

The Climate Engineers: Playing God To Save The Planet, James Fleming

James R. Fleming

As alarm over global warming spreads, a radical idea is gaining momentum. Forget cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, some scientists argue. Find a technological fix. Bounce sunlight back into space by pumping reflective nanoparticles into the atmosphere. Launch mirrors into orbit around the earth. Create a “planetary thermostat.” But what sounds like science fiction is actually an old story. For more than a century, scientists, soldiers, and charlatans have hatched schemes to manipulate the weather and climate. Like them, today’s aspiring climate engineers wildly exaggerate what is possible, and they scarcely consider political, military, and ethical implications of attempting to manage …

Thoughts On Creative Teaching In The Undergraduate Classroom, Jeffrey Shepherd

Jeffrey P Shepherd

This article discusses several innovative approaches to teaching U.S. History in undergraduate classrooms. It argues that history teachers can engage students in dialogues about the past if they use more interactive forms of pedagogy. Role-playing, historical re-enactment, debate, and other creative formats will simultaneously enrich the classroom experience and strengthen students critical thinking and writing skills. Teachers interested in content do not have to sacrifice "the facts" for dynamic and stimulating--even exciting--approaches to U.S. history.

Various, Daniel Terkla

Daniel Terkla

Selections by the author: Marco Polo, 165-167; William of Rubruck, 357; Ludovico de Varthema, 322-324.