(2002-05-10) b

Making Stimulating Learning Projects out of any Conspiracy Theory (Marcus Li Brizzi). What a great idea! Each student in my American Studies course picks a theory and, using information obtained from several disciplines, attempts to assess its credibility and social function. Were the moon landings faked? To write about that one, you have to get into history, astronomy, physics, photography, and political science... They do a pretty good job, most of them, at exploring and assessing their chosen theories. Many learn in the process to unmask bias in scholarship and to perceive events from multiple perspectives. These are hallmarks of educated people, skills that will serve them throughout their lives.