Curriculum Books: The First Hundred Years

by William H. Schubert, Paul Middleton McCartney

A substantial revision of Curriculum The First Eighty Years , this new volume is a comprehensive presentation of curriculum books that have contributed to theoretical and practical discourse about curriculum throughout the twentieth century. Following an introduction that explains the book’s purpose and how it was constructed, the authors present each decade in a chapter that provides contextual reminders about the social, political, and cultural events of the time period, discussion of salient events in curriculum discourse, and a comprehensive bibliography (by year) of curriculum books. More than 3,000 curriculum books are weaved into this presentation. The original and updated conclusions are offered to provide interpretative perspective on curricular trends, state of the field, and possibilities for the future of curriculum studies.

608 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The difficult thing about Curriculum Books: once finished, you have over 3000 more books you ought to read!

Schubert and co-authors mix depth with breadth, allowing for a complete image of the field to creep hazily into view. I found myself more than once making mental note of a text worth pursuing. In all, the picture forms as a love letter to curriculum studies itself. Schubert et al. are creating a historical foundation for what they also admit is an ahistorical discipline… well, it was, and now it’s not!

A book like this not only makes you want to read more. It also has you wishing that you could join those who’ve made a mark in this special field of education.

So, what’s its use? Framing curriculum studies as a manageable field of inquiry, something one can get a handle on. I wish that every field had a book like this… maybe they do.