The two strengths of The History of the Modern World are its use of images and its reading level. While the content is unfit for student consumption it is presented in an immensely palatable manner. The writing is concise and uses appropriate vocabulary for a freshman - low level junior in high school. Key words and phrases are written in the margins next to the paragraphs that define them, which helps students identify key sections of the reading when studying for exams. Sub sections are all less than a page and a half, so the student always has the end in sight, which is an invaluable motivation when reading what can be a dry topic. If only the content presented was as pleasant as the writing and layout of the textbook. The real strength
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When proving a survey of human history from every continent and over a period of 500 years certain things must be edited for practical reasons. It is abundantly clear that these practical reasons can quickly become political in the assertion of certain cultural and political agendas. Those in the West desire to tell a story of triumph and the pre-ordained victory of christendom over the other cultures of the world. In response to that egregious telling of history some fall into a trap of ignoring much of european history and falling into a sinocentric narrative, as Marks sometimes does in his work. In a topic area as broad and far reaching as world history what is excluded can be more important than whats …show more content…
A History of the Modern World has no place near young, impressionable minds — a relic of the Cold War; it should have stopped being printed when the Berlin Wall fell (this version was edition in 2014). That said, the figures, graphs, maps, and images are an invaluable teaching tool and if a teacher were to find themselves in possession of this book they would be smart to hold onto it as a source of historical images and visualized facts. Marks on the other hand is difficult to incorporate into a high school class due to its targeted audience. The content is excellent for a world history class, but the way in which it is presented is better suited for the college level. One weakness of both books is their complete lack of primary sources, something that another textbook, Stayer’s Ways of the World, integrates remarkably
When proving a survey of human history from every continent and over a period of 500 years certain things must be edited for practical reasons. It is abundantly clear that these practical reasons can quickly become political in the assertion of certain cultural and political agendas. Those in the West desire to tell a story of triumph and the pre-ordained victory of christendom over the other cultures of the world. In response to that egregious telling of history some fall into a trap of ignoring much of european history and falling into a sinocentric narrative, as Marks sometimes does in his work. In a topic area as broad and far reaching as world history what is excluded can be more important than whats …show more content…
A History of the Modern World has no place near young, impressionable minds — a relic of the Cold War; it should have stopped being printed when the Berlin Wall fell (this version was edition in 2014). That said, the figures, graphs, maps, and images are an invaluable teaching tool and if a teacher were to find themselves in possession of this book they would be smart to hold onto it as a source of historical images and visualized facts. Marks on the other hand is difficult to incorporate into a high school class due to its targeted audience. The content is excellent for a world history class, but the way in which it is presented is better suited for the college level. One weakness of both books is their complete lack of primary sources, something that another textbook, Stayer’s Ways of the World, integrates remarkably