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Her Story: Important Periods of History From a Female Perspective

This ongoing class helps learners to understand the importance of perspective in history by learning and analyzing historical events and time periods from a female perspective.
Kirsten Bowman JD
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(767)
Popular
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1 hour per week. Optional discussion questions can be provided in case of assessment or grade request.
Assessment
If requested, assessments are available. All assignments must be completed in order to get an assessment.
Grading
If requested, grades are available. All assignments must be completed in order to get a grade.

Class Experience

US Grade 4 - 7
"Each time a girl opens a book and finds a womanless history she learns she is worthless" - Myra Pollack Sadker

We often explore and learn about history from the male point of view.  This ongoing series teaches learners that sometimes the stories of our past have another perspective, as told by the women who lived them. This course will spend each week on a different period of history or historical event - looking both at some of the important females of the time as well as what life was like during the period of time from women's point of view.  There are 10 weeks of historical events and you can join in at any point.  Each week is a stand alone class and does not require any prior knowledge or class attendance in order to get the maximum learning experience that week.  

Each week, we will be comparing and contrasting first-hand accounts and historical events as have been taught and told over and over from the male point of view, to those first-hand accounts of the women who lived those journeys, as well. 

Week 1: Viking Period

Week 2: Renaissance Period

Week 3: American Revolution

Week 4: French Revolution

Week 5: American Civil War 

Week 6: American Pioneer Period 

Week 7: Industrial Revolution 

Week 8: World War II

Week 9: Civil Rights Period

Week 10: Farmworkers Movement

This class encourages learners to question what they know about history... to begin to think that every story has another perspective out there, and that they should strive to think more deeply about the historical information they receive, analyzing it for the possibility of other perspectives.  

My classes are structured to be discussion based in nature.  Readings and audio/visual supplements will sometimes be used in class to further discussion, debate or class projects.  In class projects and socratic method teaching is used to ensure critical thinking as an important part of the learning process. My classes are generally highly interactive.  However, I will never force anyone to participate in my classes, preferring to ensure an inclusive classroom, where shy learners are respected and various learning styles valued.

Other Details

External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined May, 2018
4.9
767reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a human rights lawyer by profession and a university professor and mom by passion. I have my JD with a specialization in international law and completed my PhD in international law in 2023. 

I have travelled the world working for the UN as a human rights attorney and now travel the world with my two children while I consult for the UN and teach at universities around the globe. My home base is in San Francisco, and my University employer is in Sweden. I am passionate about teaching human rights and global issues to everyone from children to adults. No one is too young to understand the importance of human rights and it is never too early to learn about our world, our differences and our shared values as humans on this planet. I love sharing this passion. My children also learn on Outschool and I love sharing my knowledge and passion on Outschool as well. 

My teaching style includes discussion and project style learning. I love interaction, but if you want to sit and soak it all in quietly, that’s ok by me too. 

An important note about inclusiveness:  One of the most important elements of my classes is inclusiveness.  ALL are welcome, accepted and included in my courses.  Part of learning in my classroom includes learning to make space for everyone.  This may mean allowing extra time for learners who need to type answers for example.  It also means allowing for all learning styles and having patience when learners might make mistakes and try again with encouragement and compassion from the whole class.  This tolerance for diversity is provided, respected and expected in my classroom.  

Some important administrative notes:
1) I am rarely able to accommodate schedule requests. Please leave them as when making up future schedules I will try to look at past requests and do my best. However, I work full time for a University, publish and travel to conferences often and usually live in three different time zones a year. On top of that, I homeschool my children and consult for the United Nations. I love teaching on Outschool so much, but am forced to limit my hours during the week in order to fit everything in. I am sorry! 
2) due to the busyness of my schedule and the large number of messages I receive it can take me time to respond. I will likely not respond to schedule requests.  My priority in response times will always be my students. I will try very hard to respond right away to them. My second priority will be parents of current students as they likely have an issue that needs immediate attention. After that I will do my best to respond. However, know that I travel a lot, so it may take some days for me to return your email, I sincerely apologize for this, I am just trying to make it all work, just like we all are. (Too many balls in the air....this juggling act of life is rough, right?)  Thank you for your patience and understanding. It is priceless. 

My Class Offerings:

UPPER ELEMENTARY - these classes are designed to engage upper elementary and middle schoolers in critical thinking skills and civic involvement. They are active in nature and involve project based learning.

LIVE COURSES - these are classes which meet weekly at a specific time.  They are ongoing in nature and can be joined at any time.  They will cycle through and begin again, and you can always check ahead to see where we are in the cycle.

1) Great or Terrible Leaders: You Decide! - an ongoing course which studies global  historical leaders throughout time, this class aims to engage students to think about what leadership means and what traits or characteristics are needed to truly be a great leader.

2)  Micro Nation: Create Your Own Country! - In this class learners get the chance to create their own unique realm while learning about what makes a country a country - from law to government, language to culture, learners explore what it takes to build a nation.  At the end, each learner will have the chance to present their very own Micro-Nation at our 'World's Fair'. 

FLEX COURSES - these are asynchrosus and taught by video and online written interaction.  They include one office hour per class section where you can show up on a flexible or as-needed basis to tough base and have facetime connection if needed.

1) It's All Perspective: History Depends on Who Is Telling It - This 4-week class is designed to help students to analyze historical information and consider the perspective from which it has been reported.  Concepts such as bias, perspective, primary and secondary sources, corroboration and more are explored.

2)  Micro Nation: Create Your Own Country! - In this 8 week class learners get the chance to create their own unique realm while learning about what makes a country a country - from law to government, language to culture, learners explore what it takes to build a nation.  At the end, each learner will have the chance to present their very own Micro-Nation at our 'World's Fair'.  

3) Great or Terrible Leaders: You Decide! - a 10 week course which studies global  historical leaders throughout time, this class aims to engage students to think about what leadership means and what traits or characteristics are needed to truly be a great leader.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL OFFERINGS:

1) Water School: The Ways Water and Humankind Affect Each Other - This 7-week course is designed to teach learners to ultimately respect and understand the importance of water.  It will encourage critical thinking from all aspects - how water effects learners individually, their homes, their families, their communities.  The course comes at the topic of water in an interdisciplinary way, learning about water scientifically, sociologically, economically and culturally in order to ultimately allow learners to critically analyze the importance of water and how our treatment of it impacts themselves and the world they live in.

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$18

weekly
1x per week
55 min

Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
4-14 learners per class

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