Additional Program Information

Developer and contact

Facing History and Ourselves. National office: 16 Hurd Road, Brookline, MA 02445. Web: www.facinghistory.org. Email: info@facing.org. Telephone: 617-232-1595. Fax: 617-232-0281.

Scope of use

Facing History and Ourselves was developed from 1977 to 1981 with Federal funds that supported efforts to improve secondary education through the teaching of history and ethics. According to the program developer, Facing History and Ourselves currently reaches more than one million students nationally and internationally. Information is not available on the demographics of students, schools, or districts using the intervention. The Facing History and Ourselves program may have changed since the study was conducted. The WWC recommends asking the developer for information about the most current version of this curriculum and taking into account that student demographics and school context may affect outcomes.

Teaching

Facing History and Ourselves begins with self-reflection on questions about identity, group membership, and obligations to others. The curriculum for each course includes class discussions about readings from the Facing History and Ourselves Resource Book: Holocaust and Human Behavior (FHAO National Foundation, 1994), films with Facing History and Ourselves study guides, guest speakers (such as Armenian, Cambodian, and Holocaust survivors), literature, and journal writing.

The typical unit is 4–8 weeks or a semester. Typically, the teacher introduces students to a framework and vocabulary for understanding human behavior and individual decision-making in society. The curriculum encourages the teacher to engage students in discussions about how individual and group identities are formed and the social and cultural factors that influence individual decisions. The teacher tries to foster critical thinking and moral decision-making by guiding students' in-depth examinations of a case study of pre-war Germany and the Holocaust and reflections on the connections between that history and their own lives.

The developer provides curriculum training for teachers through presentations, introductory workshops, and the World Wide Web. A Summer Institute provides an intensive five- or six-day seminar focusing on issues related to identity, violence, bigotry, power, and conformity. Teachers explore ways to apply the content and approaches to their own teaching or school program. The developer also provides follow-up classroom support to teachers during the school year in person, by phone and email, and on the website, as well as through major conferences, seminars, and online discussions. Support resources include lists of guest speakers, videos, a lending library, and technical assistance.

Cost

Facing History and Ourselves has several resource books and study guides. Chapters may be downloaded from the website without charge, and complete copies may be purchased for $15–25 each depending on the quantity. Introductory workshops and one-day conferences for teachers have registration fees ranging from $35 to $250. Online courses, which run for eight weeks, are available for $300. The FHAO Summer Institute costs $650 for commuting participants and $900 for resident participants, who also receive room and board.

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