By Cassandra Hendry<\/p>\n
Throughout history, some of the greatest empires have risen and sometimes fallen, like Rome, Britain and the Ottomans. All empires have one thing in common; they changed the world we live in today. But Danielle Kinsey, a history professor at Carleton, thinks there\u2019s another similarity: there\u2019s so much to learn from them.<\/p>\n
That idea is what has translated Kinsey\u2019s teaching into award-winning work. As the recipient of a 2014 New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, she\u2019s lived up to her accolades by showing her students just how interesting the history of empires can be, sometimes in unorthodox ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very interested in popular culture today and how empires are depicted in our pop culture,\u201d Kinsey says. \u201cI let students do projects that critique that. I get a lot of [papers on] Star Wars and the video game Age of Empires.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reason why Kinsey strays from the usual history-based teachings is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory is full of facts and I de-emphasize the facts and am more interested in structures, how power works and these larger concepts. Students get more into it this way, instead of just memorizing a bunch of facts,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
In the classroom, clarity is key. Kinsey tries to be as creative as possible while still being direct with students as to what will be on a test. She says it\u2019s very satisfying for students that this teaching style gives them peace of mind while still keeping them interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents appreciate clarity and, if nothing else, that\u2019s what I deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Examining ancient empires isn\u2019t her only specialty. Kinsey focuses on empires that are a bit closer to home, too, giving her students another way to relate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to teach in the U.S. and there it\u2019s easier to convince students that the British empire may have made a few missteps,\u201d she says. \u201cIn Ontario, it\u2019s a little more pro-empire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teaching students that are surrounded by the remnants of the former British empire\u2019s strong influence in Canada has produced results. Kinsey says she\u2019s received a much more diverse spectrum of opinion about empires with her students at Carleton than in other places. Opinions have led to discussions, which have led to better-informed and engaged students. And for Kinsey, that\u2019s exactly the outcome she had in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Cassandra Hendry Throughout history, some of the greatest empires have risen and sometimes fallen, like Rome, Britain and the Ottomans. All empires have one thing in common; they changed the world we live in today. But Danielle Kinsey, a history professor at Carleton, thinks there\u2019s another similarity: there\u2019s so much to learn from them. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[488,377],"yoast_head":"\n