The online version of the May 2012 issue of Perspectives on History is now available, and features a forum on the “Possibilities of Pedagogy,” which explores the current state of history education and thought-provoking ideas for the classroom. The issue also includes articles on the importance of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a recent report on history salaries, Brazilian film as a cultural lens, and more.

As always, thank you for reading, and be sure to take the Perspectives on History Reader Survey to help shape the newsmagazine’s future.

Read on for an overview of some of these articles, and check out the May 2012 issue online for yourself. Please note that some articles are available only to AHA members. To read these articles, you will need to log in to AHA online services.

From the President and the Executive Director
AHA President William Cronon begins this month’s issue by considering historians’ use of analysis or synthesis, or “depth over breadth.” He asks, “which should we prefer?” and then goes on to examine the qualities of both.

On March 22, 2012, AHA Executive Director James Grossman and a diverse group of other humanities supporters advocated for the humanities and NEH funding by testifying before the House Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Read the transcript of Grossman’s testimony, reprinted in this month’s issue.

News
Robert B. Townsend reports on history salaries and how they compare to other fields in the humanities and considers book reviewers’ resistance to e-books in his two articles this month. Also learn about the AHA Professional Division’s new statement on online publication of dissertations and the OAH’s report urging the National Park Service to “recommit to history.”

In other news, Debbie Ann Doyle explains what sessions, tours, and other events are being planned for the AHA’s 2013 annual meeting in New Orleans.

Then, reporting from Washington, National Coalition for History Executive Director Lee White explains how “Advocacy Begins at Home,” and provides a checklist so you can get started. Marian J. Barber describes how the National History Center is a most useful virtual intellectual destination—especially for teachers, students, researchers, and others interested in current historical scholarship—in “A Global Forum without Walls.”

Possibilities of Pedagogy
The bulk of this month’s issue is taken up by a forum on the “Possibilities of Pedagogy.” This series of articles tackles the current state of history, using history to improve student literacy, the California History-Social Science Project, two pieces on history in elementary schools, grammar and history, world history, teaching with primary sources, preparing history teachers, and history writing.

Masters at the Movies
The Masters at the Movies series, which features historians offering their perspectives on film, continues this month with an introduction from Robert Brent Toplin, followed by Marshall C. Eakin’s discussion of the Brazilian film Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.

More
In this issue you’ll also find recent news from AHA members, letters to the editor about professional boredom and getting facts right, our social media roundup, and memorials for Bernard Bellush, Paul Boyer, and Domenico Sella.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.