History Department Online Resources
The links below contain resources that may be useful to you and your students. I have found the short videos to be superior to even some of our excellent documentaries in that they are easily incorporated into a lesson (instead of replacing the lesson as some long videos do) and they can be easily shared with all students. This has been particularly valuable to online students who do not normally have access to films shown in the classroom. Moreover, audio-visual learners can use these resources to explore many topics covered in your course in the media that is most comfortable to them.
American Presidents (Brief Videos)
http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=53503
This site is sponsored by the History Channel. The videos are short, informative, and cover a wide variety of subjects.
C-Span American Presidents Series (Brief Videos)
http://www.americanpresidents.org/presidents/yearschedule.asp
The actual programs developed by C-Span for their American Presidents series are available here. They include visitis to presidential homes, libraries, and sites as well as interviews with renown historians.
PBS Teachers Resources
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/socialstudies/
This site does not contain as much video as the previous ones but it has a plethora of teaching material that can be used with your class—particularly if you are using a documentary like The Civil War by Ken Burns or Africans in America
.
American Historical Association
http://www.historians.org/teaching/index.cfm#2
This site is maintained by our national professional association. It is really a gateway to other sources but some of the articles are helpful—particularly those directed to historians who teach survey courses at community colleges. One has to join the AHA to use other areas of the site but it keeps you connected to the field.
Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
As you might expect, this site is a cornucopia of resources drawn from their vast collections. These include some video and a treasury of primary materials such as letters, speeches, and images that promote critical thinking through analysis.
Historic Pennsylvania (Great for finding extra credit project or trip)
http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/thingsToDo.pa?area=History
This site is great if you are planning or recommending trips to local places of historic interest in Pennsylvania. It does not have much on Bethlehem and even omits the Cannel Museum in Easton, but it does identify many local places of historic interest.
* This is a work in progress compiled by Sholomo B. Levy, Assistant Professor of History, Northampton Community College. Suggestions and additions are most welcome.
