The Fight Against Misrepresentation: A pragmatist critique of the American education system through the Oregon Trail CD-ROM
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Date
2020
Authors
Dennen, Alexandra Lorraine
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This paper critiques how American education system—as it applies to history—fails to provide students with a proper representation of all perspectives of the past. An overview of The Oregon Trail CD-ROM highlights this lack, despite both being prominent in American classrooms for five decades and influencing millions of American children who are now citizens. It is those students who are now the government officials, teachers, and parents of a new generation. This generation continues to struggle with a divisive political climate that can be ameliorated through an education that provides all perspectives of each event in history. Using John Dewey’s pragmatism presented in his work Democracy and Education as a lens, we see that providing contentious perspectives of the past, encourages authentic and beneficial discourse on topics that allow individuals to see the present for what it is. The juxtaposition of differing points of view allows students, and therefore all citizens, to find commonality in humanity rather than division in the details. It is this education structure that emulates democracy.
Description
47 pages
Keywords
Philosophy, History, Pragmatism, Dewey, The Oregon Grail, American Education, U.S. History, Democracy