WORLD HISTORY ASSOCIATION BOOK PRIZE, 2012
Created in 1999, the World History Association (WHA) Book Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of world history. The prize is $500. Formal bestowal of the check is made at the WHA annual meeting, normally held in June. If the author cannot attend, the WHA Executive Director or Treasurer will mail him/her the check following the annual meeting. A one year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

Authors, publishers, WHA members, or other interested parties may nominate books published during a calendar year.  Nominations must be received by February 1 in order to allow time for the Prize Committee to evaluate them. 

Copies of nominated books for the 2012 WHA Book Prize should be sent to the following members of the Book Prize Committee.  Please note that only books published in 2011 are eligible for this competition.  Entries must be submitted by February 1, 2012 to allow time for juror evaluations.

World History Association Book Prize Committee, 2012
Anand A. Yang, chair
Box 353650
Jackson School of International Studies
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-3650

John K. Thornton
891 Belmont St.
Watertown, MA 02472

Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
Dept. of History
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413
Miwaukee, WI 53201-0413

Past Winners

Winners
World History Association Book Prize, 1999-present

2011: Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper, Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference (Princeton, 2010)  

2010: John Chavez of Southern Methodist University, Beyond Nations: Evolving Homelands in the North Atlantic World (Cambridge University Press)

2009: Co-Winner: Adam McKeown from Columbia University with his book on migration Melancholy Order: Asian Migration and the Globalization of Borders, 1834-1929 and Co-Winner: Joachim Radkau from Bielefeld University with his book Nature and Power:  A Global History of the Environment

2008: Stuart Banner, Possessing the Pacific Land, Settlers, and Indigenous People from Australia to Alaska (Harvard University Press)

2007: Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration (Oxford University Press (U.K.) and W. W. Norton (North America)

2006: No prize granted

2005: David Christian, Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (University of California Press)

2004: Victor Lieberman, Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800 – 1830, Vol. I: “Integration on the Mainland” (Cambridge University Press)

2003: Lauren Benton, Law and Colonial Cultures: Legal Regimes in World History, 1400-1900 (Cambridge University Press)

2002: Mike Davis, Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World

2001: Co-Winner: John McNeill, Something New under the Sun: An Environmental History of The Twentieth Century World (W.W. Norton) and Co-Winner: Kenneth Pomeranz, The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy (Princeton University Press)

2000: James McClellan III and Harold Dorn, Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction (Johns Hopkins University Press)

1999: Andre Gunder-Frank, Re-Orient: Global Economy in the Asian Age (University of California Press)

 

Printable version of the Teaching Prize information

PURPOSE: The World History Association is committed to working across all grade levels to maintain the use of current world history research in classroom practice.

THE SOURCES:Current historical research most frequently found in books and scholarly articles is a significant inspiration for our teaching. The WHA is committed to encouraging teachers at all levels to turn to substantive scholarship for content ideas. We are seeking lessons either inspired by or directly related to recent World History scholarship, including but not limited to pieces in the Journal of World History, published within the last ten years.

AWARD:The winning lesson will be published in the Fall WHA Bulletin. The designer of the winning lesson will receive a $750.00 cash award sponsored by Oxford University Press and recognition at the WHA Annual Meeting in June. Educators may have a letter announcing the award sent to their supervisors and local press. A one year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

DEADLINE: Send one copy by MAY 1, 2012 to each of the committee members listed below. Submissions from all grade levels are welcome. All applicants must be members in good standing of the WHA.

Please note: Submissions for the Teaching Prize must be from current members of the WHA.

PAST WINNERS

World History Association Teaching Prize
Past Winners

2011: Michael A. Marcus, “Endless Cloth: Lessons from India for a Cross-Cultural Approach to World History,” Berlin High School (Retired), Berlin, Connecticut

2010: Suzanne Litrel, “Before the Opium Wars: Panel Discussion and Debate,” Bay Shore High School, Bay Shore, New York

2009: Daniel Greenstone, “Teaching the Axial Age Through a Biographical Comic Book of Buddha’s Life,” Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois

2008: Sharlene Sayegh, “The Logical Fallacies of Nationalism: Critical Thinking in the World-History Classroom,” Department of History, California State University, Long Beach

2007: Cedric Beidatsch, “Gateway to the Seventeenth Century: Dutch Shipwrecks on the West Australian Coast,” University of West Australia, Perth, Australia

2006: Maggie Favretti, “Bound by a Silver Chain: 1571,” Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, New York

2005: Monica Bond-Lamberty, “Is There Really Something New Under the Sun?” James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, Wisconsin

2004: Michael A. Marcus, “Steppes to Civilization: Tracing the World History of ‘Global Systems’ Through Textiles and an Interdisciplinary Approach” Berlin   High School, Berlin, Connecticut

2003:
Co-winner: Jessica Young, “A World History Research Education Project Adaptable for Honors, Advanced Placement, or Collegiate World History Classes” Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois
Co-winner: Linda Black, “The Economic Role of Women in World History,” Cypress Falls High School, Houston, Texas

2002: Linda Karen Miller, “Japanese Colonialism in Korea 1910-1945” Fairfax High School, Fairfax, Virginia

 

So as to encourage new recipients, winners from anytime in the past three years, as well as committee members, are ineligible. All competitors must be members in good standing of the WHA.

These are suggestions to guide your thinking. Feel free to add to the prompt questions below.

1. Brief introduction
   For whom is the lesson intended?
   What is the purpose of the lesson?
   How does it fit into your curriculum, or larger plan?
   What are the lesson's links to current research?
2. Procedures for implementation
   What preparatory work is assigned?
   How does the lesson work? (procedure, number of sessions, etc.)
   How do you know that students have "gotten it?"
3. Conclusion
   Reflections on how it went in your class?
   (Student work and/or student reflections are encouraged)
   How might you adapt it to more advanced or lower level students?
   What other possible conceptual links do you see?

Possible Appendices:

1. Appendix of relevant handouts or supporting materials used
2. Annotated list of available resources for students and teachers

Send one copy to each of the following Teaching Award Committee members by MAY 1, 2012:

Jen Laden
47 Arapaho Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
murphyladen@aol.com

Carol Adamson
Gumshornsgatan 7
114 60 Stockholm
SWEDEN
carol.adamson@glocalnet.net

Deborah Johnston
2126 N. 86th Street
Seattle, WA. 98103
Deborah.johnston@lakesideschool.org

Linda Black
P.O. Box 13018
SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3018
Tel.: 936-468-2908, x1847
blacklj@sfasu.edu

Jonathan Reynolds
Associate Professor of History
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Sagiru@gmail.com

Omar H. Ali
Associate Professor
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Foust Building, 200-E
Greensboro, NC 27403
Office 336-334-4246  Cell 212-226-5712
ohali@uncg.edu

Entries must be e-mailed or postmarked by June 30, 2012

Printable PDF

Phi Alpha Theta and the World History Association, with a generous subvention from Oxford University Press, a publisher of history textbooks, co-sponsor two student paper prizes in world history, each of $500, for the best undergraduate world history paper and the best graduate-level world history paper composed in the 2011-12 academic year. A one year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

A world history paper is one that examines any historical issue with global implications. Such studies can include, but are not limited to, the exchange and interchange of cultures, the comparison of two or more civilizations or cultures, or the study in a macro-historical manner of a phenomenon that had a global impact. For example, world history topics might include a study of the trans-cultural impact of Eurasia's Silk Road; a comparative study of the Ottoman and British empires; or the worldwide impact of the Influenza Pandemic of 1919.

To be eligible, students must be members of either The World History Association (www.thewha.org) or Phi Alpha Theta (www.phialphatheta.org) and must have composed the paper while enrolled at an accredited college or university during 2011-2012.

The Committee will judge papers according to the following criteria: world historical scope; originality of research; depth of analysis; and prose style.

Submission guidelines:

• Submissions must be no longer than 30 typewritten, double-spaced pages of text, exclusive of the title page, endnotes, and bibliography.
• Number all pages except for the title page.
• Endnotes must conform to standard historical formats. Do not use parenthetical notes.
• The author's identity is to appear nowhere on the paper.
• A separate, unattached page should accompany the paper, identifying the author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, college affiliation, graduating year and status (undergraduate or graduate student), and the association (WHA or PAT) to which the person belongs. Phi Alpha Theta members must indicate the institution at which they were inducted and the year.
• A one-page (250-word) abstract must accompany each submission. Abstracts of winning papers will be published in all announcements of competition results.
• Additionally, a letter or e-mail from a relevant history faculty member (the supervising professor, the Chair of the department, or the Phi Alpha Theta chapter advisor) must attest to the fact that the paper was composed during the 2011-2012 academic year.
• Papers that do not adhere to these guidelines will be disqualified.

Submit the paper either:

• Via MS Word e-mail attachments of
  1) the paper;
  2) the page with identifying information; and
  3) the abstract.
  The faculty member’s letter must be e-mailed or posted separately.
• Email to the Committee Chair, Merry Wiesner-Hanks, merrywh@uwm.edu

OR

• Via hardcopy to the Committee Chair, below. Hardcopy submissions must include four (4) printed copies each of the paper, the page with identifying information, the abstract, and the faculty member’s letter.
• Mail to:

Merry Wiesner-Hanks
Department of History
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI  53201
 
Winning papers are eligible for consideration for publication in the various journals of the World History Association and Phi Alpha Theta, but no promise of publication accompanies any award.

Entries must be e-mailed or postmarked by October 1, 2012    (click here to download printable PDF)

The prize for each award is $500.00. Each competitor will submit an essay that addresses the issue: “In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?”
These awards are presented in conjunction with the World History Association.
The committee will judge papers according to the following criteria:
1) Clear thesis
2) Elaboration on the thesis with specific, concrete, personal example(s)
3) Evidence of critical-thinking, such as synthesis and evaluation, when reflecting on the essay question
4) Organization and fluency
5) Overall effectiveness of the student’s ability to communicate his/her personal connection with the study of world history. In other words, how well has the student described the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history?

Submission guidelines:

Length: 
Submissions for the K-12 World Historian Award should be approximately 1,000 words.
Submissions for the Community College World Historian Award should be approximately 1500 words.
Formatting:
Number all pages except for the title page.
All pages are to be double-spaced.
Use 12 pt. Times New Roman Font.
Margins are to be 1” left and right, and top and bottom.
Submissions must be composed in Microsoft Word.

All submission entries must be from current WHA members.
The author's identity is to appear nowhere on the paper.
A separate, unattached page should accompany the paper, identifying the author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school.
Papers that do not adhere to these guidelines will be disqualified.

To submit your material by e-mail:

Send the following as separate attachments on the same e-mail:

1. The paper
2. A page with identifying information (author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school.)

All attachments must be formatted in MS Word.
Send the e-mail to
merrywh@uwm.edu
In the subject line of the e-mail write either:
“Mark Welter K-12 submission” or “Mark Welter CC submission.”

To submit your material by mail:

Send five copies of the paper and five copies of the page with identifying information. In the lower left hand corner on the front of the envelope write either
“Mark Welter K-12 submission” or “Mark Welter CC submission.”

Send the envelope to:
Merry Wiesner-Hanks ,  Chair of Mark Welter Committee
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Dept. of History
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413
Tel: (414) 229-4529
Email: merrywh@uwm.edu

Winning papers will be announced in early September to early December, 2012.

The WHA reserves the right to publish in the World History Bulletin any essay (or portion thereof) submitted to the competition. It will do so solely at its discretion, but full acknowledgment of authorship will be given. If someone’s essay is published in whole or in part, the author will receive five (5) free copies of the Bulletin. A one year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

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K12:David Kim, "History - The Shadow of the World," Wydown Middle School

K12: Elizabeth Mello of Dartmouth High School: "Out of Many Threads, One Cloth"

Community College:(no prize given for 2010)

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About Dr. Mark Welter:

Dr. Mark Welter began teaching world history in 1963. He has been a member of the World History Association since 1984.  After instructing at the secondary level for seven years, he earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota.  He then began teaching his self-authored world history course at St. Cloud State University. Today, he instructs world history and world religions courses for the University of Minnesota Senior Citizen Program.
Dr. Welter’s teaching is predicated upon the philosophy articulated by William H. McNeill that “Teaching world history is a high and noble undertaking” because only world history offers the sufficient dimensions of space and time to elicit needed awareness of the world we all share.”

The World History Association is a community of scholars, teachers, and students who are passionately committed to the study of the history of the human community across regional, cultural and political boundaries.

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 (click here to download printable PDF)    -    Model Activity Sample #1   -    Model Activity Sample #2

Announcing a New WHA Teaching Award for Innovative Classroom Activities

Dr. Mark Welter has agreed to offer, through the agency of the World History Association, two awards for innovative activities that reach students, especially in challenging situations. One will go to a K-12 teacher and one to a community college instructor.  Applicants, who must be members of the WHA, should include the following information and answer the overarching question:

How does this activity help students understand more fully the world history concepts of human diversity, interdependence, and cultural interaction?

            Specifically, applicants need to include a 3-5 page overview of the activity in which the following questions are addressed, insofar as they are relevant:

1. What is the specific socio-economic, academic, and/or cultural context in which the activity took place?
2. Who are the students for whom the activity was crafted?
3. Were the students heterogeneously or homogeneously grouped?
4. Is the school located in a poor or affluent area?
5. Does the activity meet state curriculum standards?
6. How, if at all, is the activity interdisciplinary in nature?
7. What instructional techniques did you use?
8. How did you assess students’ performance?
9. In what ways have you reflected on your practice as a result of this lesson? What, for example, went well?  What challenges did you encounter?

In sponsoring these awards, Dr. Welter seeks to encourage teachers and instructors to show how they have employed a variety of activities that sharpen perspectives, provoke discussion, and expand curiosity about aspects of world history. He wishes to reward those innovative teachers who transmit the message of world history through activities that promote exploration, as well as deeper understanding of human diversity, interdependence, and cultural interaction -- the commonalities and mutual borrowings among the human community. Such activities will enrich and supplement, not supplant the standard curriculum and other pedagogical means.  They are an attempt to introduce students to the human diversity, interdependence, and cultural interactions (often by way of mutual borrowings) inherent to world history.

Each winner will receive $500 and a one-year membership in the WHA.

Submissions for the 2011 award competition should be submitted electronically to Jen Laden, chair of the WHA Teaching Prize Committee, at murphyladen@aol.com, no later than 1 June 2012. Model activities can be found at the WHA web site www.thewha.org.

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K12: Fran Brock of Burlington High School, 52 Institute Road, Burlington, VT 05409: "20th Century Genocides"

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About Dr. Mark Welter:

Dr. Mark Welter began teaching world history in 1963. He has been a member of the World History Association since 1984.  After instructing at the secondary level for seven years, he earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota.  He then began teaching his self-authored world history course at St. Cloud State University. Today, he instructs world history and world religions courses for the University of Minnesota Senior Citizen Program.
Dr. Welter’s teaching is predicated upon the philosophy articulated by William H. McNeill that “Teaching world history is a high and noble undertaking” because only world history offers the sufficient dimensions of space and time to elicit needed awareness of the world we all share.”

The World History Association is a community of scholars, teachers, and students who are passionately committed to the study of the history of the human community across regional, cultural and political boundaries.

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