Resources for Teaching American and Hawaiian History

Institution: Kapi'olani Community College

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Participant: Kelli Nakamura

Date: 2016


This course revises traditional understandings of American history and examines issues of race, gender, and class in understanding the histories and contemporary experiences of Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders to foster greater multi-cultural respect and understanding. Using multidisciplinary approaches (literary/historical analysis of primary and secondary sources), students will explore early encounters between whites, Native Hawaiians, and later Asians that would ultimately transform these societies and historical understandings of each group. This course will cover key events in American and Hawaiian history such as overseas exploration, colonization, migration, and war, and reexamine traditional historical accounts to include voices of women, minorities, and indigenous authors.