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This is my second day of school for the year (I'm a high school senior), and I have just finished my first World History class for the day (I have it every other day). The class comes with a special textbook and begins with early civilizations like the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia, and ends with the modern era. Today we got into the Neolithic revolution and what defines a civilization. Homework is reading about prehistory to Mesopotamia. We'll probably cover Egypt in a few days.
Our textbook (it's the fifth edition of a manuscript published by a company called Thomas Wadworth) is pretty good for the most part. It even states that the development of Egyptian civilization involved influences from northern Sudan, which is not exactly a politically correct thing to say. It does say however that most Ancient Egyptians lived in the Delta area as opposed to Upper Egypt, the reverse of what I've been told by the posters here. It also says that Axum was founded by southern Arabians instead of merely being influenced by them. I am not surprised by these inaccuracies---textbooks are not always accurate---they're not usually written by trained experts but by well-read laypeople consulting secondary sources.
I'll tell you if there's anything I learn in this class that will be of interest to you.
Posts: 7086 | From: Fallbrook, CA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:It also says that Axum was founded by southern Arabians instead of merely being influenced by them.
I can definitely attest to some of the course's inaccurate material...The world history class i took in sophmore year, for example (about 2 years ago) briefly described Axum's inhabitiants as, on quote: "arabs in Ethiopia".
quote:I am not surprised by these inaccuracies---textbooks are not always accurate---they're not usually written by trained experts but by well-read laypeople consulting secondary sources.
How old is the book?
quote:I'll tell you if there's anything I learn in this class that will be of interest to you.
Don't expect the class to dwelve into anything regarding racial origins of civilizations, though. You will learn everything in a general manner, that's assumed to be best understood by a teenage audience. The subject matter discussed prevalently in this forum is far beyond and completely different from what you will encounter in your class. You'll probably find it boring after you've covered ancient egypt(although i could be wrong).
I'd say you're ahead of them all, in that you can actually see through any false information.
Posts: 214 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I say if the teacher mentions any of this in lecture, challenge him/her with hard questions and see what type of response you can get.
Posts: 4021 | From: Bay Area, CA | Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Tyrann0saurus: Today we got into the Neolithic revolution and what defines a civilization. Homework is reading about prehistory to Mesopotamia. We'll probably cover Egypt in a few days.
Another example of the 'tradition' that I speak of. The notion that civilization and everything that had to do with it began in Mesopotamia. Of course they mention nothing of oldern Neolithic "revolutions" in Africa or in other parts of Asia. Perhaps they are going along with somekind of diffustion concept like "passing of the torch".
quote:Our textbook (it's the fifth edition of a manuscript published by a company called Thomas Wadworth) is pretty good for the most part. It even states that the development of Egyptian civilization involved influences from northern Sudan, which is not exactly a politically correct thing to say.
Since when is anything about the development of Egyptian civilization have to lie in the sphere of "political correctness" unless one really means Eurocentric political corectness? Also stating Egypt has an African "influence" only meets with facts 'halfway' so to speak. If the textbook was going to be correct period, it would state flat out that Egypt was an African civilization and its people were African as stated by many (non-biased) Egyptologists and scholars.
quote:It does say however that most Ancient Egyptians lived in the Delta area as opposed to Upper Egypt, the reverse of what I've been told by the posters here.
Why? Are they to suggest closer kinship to Asia?
quote:It also says that Axum was founded by southern Arabians instead of merely being influenced by them.
Well, don't expect too much from a school textbook.
quote:I am not surprised by these inaccuracies---textbooks are not always accurate---they're not usually written by trained experts but by well-read laypeople consulting secondary sources.
I'll tell you if there's anything I learn in this class that will be of interest to you.
The problem is that textbooks are recieving the update information as they should, or rather they are slow to recieve it. Academia as it pertains to historical findings are slow to change, especially if it is mired in "tradition" that is Eurocentrism. Recall a past thread we had before: OT- Bad textbooks in U.S. education systemPosts: 26286 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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You will learn everything in a general manner, that's assumed to be best understood by a teenage audience. The subject matter discussed prevalently in this forum is far beyond and completely different from what you will encounter in your class. You'll probably find it boring after you've covered ancient egypt(although i could be wrong). 
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