Developing these educational resources has been an interesting as well as a daunting task. The concept for this television series originated with Nat and Yanna Brandt; the execution of the two 90-minute videos was accomplished through Kroyt-Brandt Productions; the development of the educational materials was left to The American Forum. Coordinating a project of this scope proved to be exciting and we are very pleased with the materials we have compiled.
The focus of the two videos is the 15th and 16th centuries in world history. The series is international in scope but largely looks at the regions-Asia, Africa, the Near East and the "New World"-before the impact of Europeans and the consequent repercussions of the encounters between different cultures and people. This is an approach that does not credit Europe with all the inventions in history nor does it state emphatically that without the influence of Europe the rest of the world would be "uncivilized." Instead, it shows the strong indigenous civilizations that developed around the globe before these contacts, and how those encounters altered the course of world history and, in the long run, became the crucible for the third millennium. This idea appears radical, but current historical research affirms the continuous contact of all areas of the world throughout history. We can no longer say that China was "isolated" just as we can no longer state that Europe is the sole source of all culture and civilization. Interdependence and globalization, two words that we attribute largely to the 20th century, really apply equally well to the 15th and 16th centuries. The goal of this project is to explain how these contacts reshaped the course of world history to become the point from which the third millennium emanated.
It is our hope that these materials and the videos can be the basis for an extended course of study of these two significant centuries in world history. The videos, with their excellent images and imaginative scripts, allow us to enter this world. The accompanying educational readings, both primary and secondary sources, were compiled to enhance and supplement the spoken word. The readings do not always follow the script in strict narrative form. However, the readings, contributed by scholars who are aware of the most recent scholarship in the field, complement the script and allow the educator to combine all aspects of the experience to provide a strong intellectual context for looking at the 15th and 16th centuries. We are grateful to our scholars for their prompt reply to our calls for materials, as well as to Joseph Wilcox who served as the first reader and adaptor of these academic materials. Our next task involved collating these extraordinary resources to the videos. In some cases, we have an exact "fit;" in other cases, we have omissions or inclusions that we believe enhanced the quality of the readings. The final stage is the development of a Teacher's Guide that will assist the classroom teacher in bringing these materials to vivid life in the classroom. Yongling Lu and Nadya Tkachenko played critical roles in assisting in the placement of the documents and in the formatting and presentation of the completed materials. None of this would have been possible without generous funding from the United States Department of Education, International Research and Studies Division. Our most sincere kudos to everyone involved in the project.
It is our hope that this type of research, this collaboration of sight, sound and image, this intellectual pursuit, will help reform students' and educators' thinking about the connectedness of the world throughout history. The contributions of all cultures, as well as the appreciation of other peoples and their cultures, aspirations and accomplishments, will help make teaching more exciting and assist students in a better understanding of the world of the past as well as the world of the future.
Hazel Sara Greenberg
Project Director, The American Forum for Global Education