What is the main idea of Lies My Teacher Told Me?
What is the main idea of Lies My Teacher Told Me?
Lies My Teacher Told Me critiques the way that history textbooks systematically avoid representing controversial topics or stories that show Americans doing wrong. The book seeks to understand why, according to the author, high school students in the US are so disinterested in their own history.
What does Loewen argue about why history is taught in this way?
Loewen argues that history textbooks omit information and glorify historical figures because publishing companies are afraid of being sued by angry parents.
Who is James Loewen and what is his reason s for writing Lies My Teacher Told Me?
James W. Loewen is the bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Lies Across America. He is a regular contributor to the History Channel’s History magazine and is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Vermont. He resides in Washington, D.C.
When was Lies My Teacher Told Me published?
1995Lies My Teacher Told Me / Originally published
The book has racked up many awards and sold around 2 million copies since it was first published in 1995. In a new edition out this summer, James Loewen — now professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Vermont — is championing the cause of critical thinking in the age of fake news.
How does Loewen define Heroification?
Heroification: “Heroification is a degenerative process (much like calcification) that makes people over into heroes. Through this process, our educational media turn flesh-and-blood individuals into pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest.” (pg 19)
What is Loewen’s argument about how American history is told in textbooks?
Loewen in 1995 and critically examines twelve popular American high school history textbooks. In the book, Loewen concludes that the textbook authors propagate false, Eurocentric, and mythologized views of American history.
What are the three taboos in textbook publishing According to Loewen Why do they exist?
“There are three great taboos in textbook publishing,” an editor at one of the biggest houses told me, “sex, religion, and social class.” While I had been able to guess the first two, the third floored me. Sociologists know the importance of social class, after all.
How do most textbooks treat the My Lai incident?
To the extent that textbooks mention the massacre, they treat it as an isolated incident—despite the considerable evidence that My Lai is indicative of “crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at al levels of command.” Furthermore, textbooks almost never quote from the opponents of …
What are Loewen’s reasons for the importance of teaching about Vietnam?
Loewen argues that history textbooks should give a sense for the healthy debate among historians on the causes of the Vietnam War, and also the role of business interests, political ideology, and anticommunism in the war.
What does Loewen say was the result of the War of 1812?
Loewen also says most history books miss the key outcome of the War of 1812, that in exchange for the United States leaving Canada alone, Britain stopped supporting the American Indians in its fight against the encroaching settlers.
What was the most important lesson of the Vietnam War?
Perhaps the most observable lesson the US failed to learn from Vietnam is the necessity for the right motivations to intervene in a conflict, as well as the necessity of a structured strategy and clear goals.
What was the result of the Vietnam conflict?
Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.
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