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Common Ground: Latin American History in the First-Year Experience

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Title: Common Ground: Latin American History in the First-Year Experience
Language: English
Authors: Julia C. O'Hara
Source: History Teacher. 2026 59(2):139-164.
Availability: Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Latin American History, Undergraduate Study, International Relations, First Year Seminars, History Instruction, Stereotypes, Perspective Taking, Food, Art, Political Divisions (Geographic), Instructional Effectiveness, Mexicans
Geographic Terms: Ohio (Cincinnati)
ISSN: 0018-2745
1945-2292
Abstract: The field of Latin American history has gained prominence in American higher education over the past several decades, yet its integration into undergraduate curricula remains uneven and the absence of sustained engagement with Latin American perspectives reinforces flawed assumptions about whose knowledge matters and which people and places deserve serious scholarly attention. This article explores a pedagogical response to these challenges through the author's teaching of an interdisciplinary first-year seminar (FYS) at Xavier University called "Common Ground: Mexico and the United States." The course addresses the shared FYS theme of "the greater good" by studying the long arc of U.S.-Mexico relations. The course was designed to use anchored instruction, an approach that structures learning around sustained engagement with full-length texts that serve as "anchors" for extended inquiry. This study demonstrates that this approach achieved its goals, as students acquired substantial historical knowledge, sharpened their analytical skills, and persisted in college at rates exceeding their peers. These outcomes suggest that the counterintuitive strategy of assigning more reading rather than less, when paired with appropriate scaffolding, can be precisely what students need to develop intellectual depth and academic confidence.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Access URL: https://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/F26Preview.html
Accession Number: EJ1505650
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/
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  Data: The field of Latin American history has gained prominence in American higher education over the past several decades, yet its integration into undergraduate curricula remains uneven and the absence of sustained engagement with Latin American perspectives reinforces flawed assumptions about whose knowledge matters and which people and places deserve serious scholarly attention. This article explores a pedagogical response to these challenges through the author's teaching of an interdisciplinary first-year seminar (FYS) at Xavier University called "Common Ground: Mexico and the United States." The course addresses the shared FYS theme of "the greater good" by studying the long arc of U.S.-Mexico relations. The course was designed to use anchored instruction, an approach that structures learning around sustained engagement with full-length texts that serve as "anchors" for extended inquiry. This study demonstrates that this approach achieved its goals, as students acquired substantial historical knowledge, sharpened their analytical skills, and persisted in college at rates exceeding their peers. These outcomes suggest that the counterintuitive strategy of assigning more reading rather than less, when paired with appropriate scaffolding, can be precisely what students need to develop intellectual depth and academic confidence.
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 26
        StartPage: 139
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Latin American History
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Study
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: International Relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: First Year Seminars
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: History Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stereotypes
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      – SubjectFull: Perspective Taking
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      – SubjectFull: Food
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      – SubjectFull: Art
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      – SubjectFull: Political Divisions (Geographic)
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      – SubjectFull: Instructional Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Mexicans
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      – SubjectFull: Ohio (Cincinnati)
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