]]> http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/01/20/german-government/feed/ 0 http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/11/14/the-interview-questions/ http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/11/14/the-interview-questions/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:47:52 +0000 Dan Lazar http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/11/14/oral-history-interview-questions/ Interview Questions: Chapter 1-4

The John F. Kennedy School

Oral history is the dynamic process of gathering and preserving historical perspectives through recorded interviews. This method of historical inquiry gives a voice to people who have been hidden from history and provides researchers with a forum to speak with history face to face.

The John F. Kennedy School Berlin Wall Oral History Project is the culmination of the efforts of fifty students. Each of the students in my two tenth grade history classes played a role in the creation of this book. Thirty students conducted, recorded and transcribed extensive interviews with Germans who lived in a divided country. They interviewed individuals from various backgrounds and encountered a diversity of experiences and perspectives. In all, their interviews amount to over 250 pages of raw qualitative data (the full text of the interviews is available at this page). Adding to this data bank, four students took on the responsibility of gathering quantitative information. These quantitative researchers, armed with the knowledge that numbers can speak volumes, provided the charts, graphs and maps used in the book. Another four students compiled archival photographs of divided Berlin. One student created a video documentary which, through interviews with student participants, offers valuable insights into the process undertaken for this project. Finally, eight students wrote this book. These students synthesized the data gathered by their classmates with published works in order to create a scholarly oral history text. Their collaboration was nothing short of beautiful, their sacrifices are the lifeblood of this endeavor and I admire their devotion.

It has been my responsibility, as the editor of the John F. Kennedy School Berlin Wall Oral History Project, to facilitate a student-directed effort by encouraging and coordinating their efforts. This book is for and by my students and my objective was to support them in bringing forth the voices of those who stood in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. What stands before the reader is the culmination of the efforts of conscientious, compassionate and curious tenth grade students.

It is a pleasure to present Wall in the Minds: An Oral History of the Rise and the Fall of the Berlin Wall

You are encouraged to offer feedback in the “comments” link situated on the bottom of this page.

Alaina Mack documented the processes that we engaged in as we wrote this book. In this video documentary, she captures the challenges that we faced and some of the lessons that we learned:

In addition to documenting the making of our book, Alaina quoted our transcribed interviews as the basis for an historical documentary, titled “Just a Day”, which offers valuable insights into life in a divided city and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On 30 April 2008, we held a book release seminar for all those involved in this process. This gathering served the dual functions of celebrating the release of our book and commemorating the experiences of those who lived in a divided Berlin. We had a panel of interviewees who joined us to elaborate on their experiences.

While Alaina was filming, Chasity Crisp, who contributed to the photos used in the book, took pictures. You can view her photo montage here

The project made a splash at JFKS. Read an interview with Anna Zychlinsky and I from the JFKS student-run newspaper, The Muckraker.

Students utilized various online resources for the this project. Feel free to explore the resources here

The assignment sheets and accompanying rubrics for the various contributors to the project are available at this page

Laying the Foundation: Introduction to Comparative Politics
The United Kingdom
The Russian Federation
The People’s Republic of China
The Islamic Republic of Iran
The Federal Republic of Nigeria
United Mexican States
Supranational Institutions
AP Review

Post AP

Alternative Media Sources

• Introductory Materials
• Constitution Primer
• Political Culture & Political Participation: Apathy & Idiocy
• Public Opinion: Ideology, Socialization and Political Cleavages
• Functional Analysis of Political Parties
• Elections and Campaigns
  • The 2008 Presidential Campaign
    
• Interest Groups: Destroying Democracy or Upholding Democracy?
• Congress
• The Presidency
• The Judiciary
  
• It’s the Economy Stupid: The Politicization of Economic Theory
• Social Welfare Debates
• Summary: Proposals for Change

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• The Emergence of Industrial Capitalism
• The Rise of Nation-States
• Imperialism
• World War One
• The Russian Revolution & The Rise of Stalin
• The Age of Anxiety and The Rise of Totalitarianism
• World War Two

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• The Cold War in the East
• The Cold War in the West
• The Thaw: Legacies and Remnants of the Cold War
  
• The Indian Struggle for Independence
• The Middle East 1945-Present
• African Independence Movements 1945-Present
• Dilemmas in Contemporary Africa
• Dilemmas in the Post-Cold War Global Village
• Summative Review & Prognosis: Peace in the 21^st Century?
• Research Essay Materials

]]> http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/08/29/contemporary-world-history/feed/ 0 http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/08/29/united-states-history/ http://www.daniellazar.com/2007/08/29/united-states-history/#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:16:29 +0000 Dan Lazar http://www.daniellazar.com/united-states-history/

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• The Rise and Fall of Populism
  
• The Other Civil War: Immigration, Industrialization and Urbanization
• The Progressive Era
  
• The Quest for Empire
• World War One: The War to End All Wars?
• Modernism Versus Traditionalism in the 1920′s
• The Market Crash, The Depression and the New Deal
• World War Two

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• The Cold War
• The Vietnam War
• The New Frontier and The Great Society
• Civil Rights: Or Does it Explode?
• Justice Movements of the 1960′s and 1970′s
• The Nixon Years
  
• The Reagan Years
• Research Essay Materials

Here is my résumé

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

The letters of recommendation below have been scanned and imported for the convenience of prospective employers. Original versions are available upon request. The authors of these letters invite you to contact them for further perspective

Dr. Thomas Reale, Principal of the John F. Kennedy School

Dr. Walter Peterson, Social Studies Department Chair at the John F. Kennedy School

Shirley Davis, Director of the Benjamin Franklin International School

Daniel McKee, Principal of the Benjamin Franklin International School

Rita Fischer, Social Studies Department Chair at Grayslake Community High School

Dr. Laurie Kimbrel, Director of Programs at Grayslake Community High School

Dr. Douglas Domeracki, Principal of Grayslake Community High School

Dr. Michael Riggle, Principal of Glenbrook North High School

Dr. Richard Rosholt, Social Studies Supervisor at Glenbrook North High School

Scott Williams, my cooperating teacher and later my esteemed colleague at Glenbrook North High School

William Siavelis, my university liaison while student teaching at Glenbrook North High School

Dr. Bruce Field, Associate Professor of History and Secondary Teacher Certification Coordinator at Northern Illinois University

HONORS AND AWARDS

The Patrick J. White Memorial Scholarship, voted upon by fellow students, and approved by a panel of professors, is an honor bestowed upon one college senior who exhibits outstanding potential as history teacher.

One of my Golden Apple Award Nomination certificates.

OTHER MATERIALS

My teaching certificate with endorsements in World History, United States History, Sociology, and Psychology for Grades 6 – 12 (valid until 30 June 2015)

My undergraduate transcript and my graduate transcript