The World Scholar's Cup - Curriculum

Starter Kit

Introductory Questions: Saanvi

1- What do you think the world was like a
hundred years ago? How about the exact place
where you're sitting or standing or lying down
right now? Now, how would you find out?
Answer- A hundred years ago, technology,
transportation, and communication were not as
advanced as they are today. To find out what it
was like in the past, visit a local library or
historical society, search online, or talk to
longtime residents.
2- If you wanted to learn about a certain time in
the past, would you rather read a book, visit a
museum, watch a documentary, or explore an
old architectural site?
Answer- Combining books, visiting a museum,
watching a documentary, and exploring an old
architectural site can provide a comprehensive
understanding of a certain time in the past.
3- Should we ask our parents or grandparents,
or other older people in our lives, to tell us what
the world was like when they were growing up?
If so, can we trust them to remember things
accurately, or to share them honestly?
Answer- Asking older people about their
experiences can provide insight into different
times, cultures, and historical events, but
memory is fallible.
4- What would you ask someone alive a
thousand years ago, if they popped out of a
very high-tech time capsule? Of everyone alive
in the world back then, who would you want to
talk to?
Answer- A thousand years ago, I would want to
talk to someone who had a broad perspective
on the world and could understand the current
state of affairs. I would also be curious to learn
about values and beliefs that have remained
constant.
5- Does it matter how the world came to be
what it is, or should we focus on what it has
become—and what we want it to be? In other
words, is reconstructing the past a good use of
time when we could instead be inventing the
future? Is there a difference between
remembering the past and reconstructing it?
Answer- It is important to strike a balance
between understanding the past and focusing
on the present and future. We should use our
understanding of the past to inform decisions
about the present and the future,but also be
open to new ideas and perspectives.
6- The phrase "there's no time like the present"
is usually meant as an antidote to
procrastination. Do something now, not later.
Finish this outline today, not in 2024. Taking it
more literally, however: is the present really a
unique point in history? If so, does it make it
harder for us to understand what the past was
like?
Answer- The phrase "there's no time like the
present" encourages us to take action in the
present, while understanding the past can help
us make informed decisions about the future.
7- "Those who do not study history are doomed
to repeat it" is a phrase many people repeat,
but is it possible that those who do study history
are doomed to absorb the worst things about it?
Would it be better if we could scrub history
clean and start over again with no memories of
what came before us?
Answer- Learning from past mistakes and
successes is essential for making informed
decisions in the present, but erasing the past is
not a viable solution. Instead, we should
acknowledge and address its negative legacies
while also celebrating its positive contributions.
8- Has the pandemic forced a healthy
reimagining of past practices, like attending
school and working at a real office, or should
we go back to the way things were?
Answer- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a
reevaluation of traditional practices, but it has
also presented an opportunity for positive
change. It is important to consider the needs
and perspectives of all individuals when making
decisions about education and work.
9- The director Spike Jonze is credited with
saying that "the past is just a story we tell
ourselves." Is it? If so, could reconstructions of
the past help us agree on what the story is—or
will different people reconstruct different pasts?
Answer- Reconstructions of the past can help
us understand the world, but must be critical
and open-minded.

Here We Go Again, History Redux: Saanvi

1- Those who find traditional history museums a
stuffy procession of rusty spoons and dusty
dioramas may want to explore an open-air
alternative: "living history museums" where one
can time travel on the cheap. Consider the
Spanish Village in Barcelona, where travellers
and scavenging scholars can efficiently inspect
49,000 square meters of historical buildings and
tilt at old slides with Don Quixote. At Heritage
Park in Calgary, Banff-bound hikers can stop to
pose for photos (and eat 19th-century ice
cream) with locals dressed up as Canadians
from the days of fur trading and the occasional
American invasion. For those who can get visas
to China, and local families on their first
post-Covid-zero outing, the Millennium City
Park in Kaifeng offers a hundred acres of life in
the Northern Song Dynasty (a Northern Song
Dynasty in which food vendors take
WeChatPay). Discuss with your team: do such
living history museums offer valuable lessons in
culture and history, or should we treat them
mainly as entertainment—more Frontierland
than the Smithsonian? Should schools take
field trips to them?
Answer- Living history museums can offer
valuable lessons in culture and history, as well
as entertainment. Visitors can learn about
different aspects of history, and teachers can
use them to enhance classroom lessons.
However, they are not always accurate
representations.
2- The most famous of these museums can
also be the most controversial. Consider
Plimoth Patuxet in Massachusetts, where
visitors can explore a colonial village and take
selfies with healthy Pilgrims. The museum has
recently been criticized for not paying enough
attention to the indigenous peoples displaced
and given smallpox by those same Pilgrims.
One concern: that the tribe members staffing a
Native American settlement recently added to
the museum are not descendants of the actual
tribe the Pilgrims first encountered. Discuss
with your team: would it be better if they
were—or would this be a different form of
exploitation? Would it ever be okay for
someone not of tribal descent to staff the Native
American area of the museum? What if they
weren't tribe members but had adopted tribal
practices and cherished tribal customs?
Answer- The museum should prioritise hiring
individuals who deeply understand and respect
Native American culture and traditions,
regardless of their ethnic background or
personal beliefs. Non-Native individuals should
receive cultural sensitivity training and work
closely with members of the Native American
community.
3- To make the experience more realistic, some
of these museums have diligently bred versions
of animals that look more like their counterparts
in the past: wilder pigs, gamier hens, and dogs
that are less Pomeranian and more wolf.
Discuss with your team: is it okay to breed
animals to serve as props in these kinds of
exhibits—and does it make it better or worse if
they are used for food, or taken home as pets?
Answer- The ethical considerations of breeding
animals for use in living history exhibits depend
on the treatment of the animals, the purpose for
which they are bred, and the impact of their
breeding on the wider population of that
species. Owners should provide proper care
and a suitable living environment for the
animals.
4- You may know someone on a "Paleo" diet,
meaning they avoid processed foods on the
theory that it is healthier to eat as our ancestors
did 10,000 years ago when their life expectancy
was about 35. (To be fair, on average people
died young because the super young died
often—a lot of children never grew up.) Some
archaeologists and historians are interested
less in what we should eat now, however, and
more in understanding ancient menus. What did
people call dinner at different times in different
places?
Answer- The main meal of the day has varied
throughout history and culture, from "dinner" to
"lunch" to "la comida" in Spanish-speaking
countries.
5- Consider this reconstruction of a Roman
Thermopolis—where a young Caesar might
have grabbed an Alicia omental to go, then
discuss with your team: would you patronize
restaurants that served food more like that in
the premodern world?
Answer- Premodern cuisine can be appealing
to those interested in historical cuisine and
exploring culinary traditions, but it is important
to ensure that restaurants adhere to food safety
regulations and use good quality ingredients.
6- In North America, at least one chain,
Medieval Times, has made a business of it,
though its menu is less than authentic; for
instance, it offers tomatoes, which didn't exist in
Europe before the Spanish invaded Mexico.
Speaking of tragedies, check out this menu
from the last first-class meal on the Titanic;
would there be a business opportunity in
recreating it, or would such a business go
underwater?
Answer- It is important to approach recreating
historical meals with cultural sensitivity,
accuracy, and respect, and the success of such
a business will depend on location, marketing,
and quality of the dining experience.
7- The Ulster American Folk Park isn't
American at all—it's in Ireland. Visitors can
experience the lives of Irish people who moved
to the United States, from boarding crowded
ships to sleeping in makeshift log cabins.
Discuss with your team: is it all right for a
country to reconstruct and market another
country's history?
Answer- Reconstructing and marketing another
country's history can be beneficial, but it must
be done with respect, accuracy, and sensitivity
to the cultural context, and promote mutual
understanding and respect.
8- If someone next door in Scotland were to
build a similar museum about the lives of early
British settlers in India or South Africa, would
that be more problematic? Are there some
periods of history that should never be
simulated in the real world, even if the purpose
is to demonstrate to visitors that they were
terrible?
Answer- It is important to approach the
construction of a museum with sensitivity and
respect, including the voices and perspectives
of the people and cultures impacted by
colonialism. Alternative methods of education
and remembrance should be considered.
9- There are fewer examples of "living future"
museums—with good reason. But they do exist,
often at World Expos or in amusement parks.
Consider the following examples of such
museums, then discuss with your team: do they
tell us more about the future or the past? If you
were designing such a museum today, what
would it look like?
Answer- Living future museums can showcase
future technologies and concepts in a tangible
and immersive way, but may not be
representative of all possible futures. To design
a living future museum, it should be interactive
and immersive, and provide opportunities for
collaboration and co-creation with visitors.

Re-creation as Recreation
1- Someday, maybe they'll reenact the Great
Emu War. While the United States is most
famous for Civil War reenactments (Gettysburg
gets a lot of love) other parts of the world
reenact their own key historical
moments—albeit still mainly battles, to the
lament of historians who argue that this
overemphasizes the role of war in history.
Research the history of military reenactments.
When and where did they begin—and were
they ever meant as a form of training? Do
veterans of the battles being simulated ever
choose to take part? Discuss with your team: is
it all right to simulate battles in which one group
of people must represent a cause that we find
problematic today? How long needs to pass
before it is okay to reenact a battle?
Answer- It is important to consider the context
of the battle and the message you're trying to
convey when reenacting it, and to wait until
enough time has passed to no longer be a
sensitive issue. Ultimately, it is up to the
individual to decide when it is appropriate.
2- To be fair, not every reenactment is about
horses and bayonets; some are less guns and
more butter. Research the history of
Renaissance fairs—and try to visit one if you
can. How soon after the actual Renaissance
were they first held, and are they the same all
around the world? Then, discuss with your
team: are Renaissance Fairs an unhealthy form
of historical escapism? Should there be similar
fairs dedicated to other periods in history?
Answer- Renaissance Fairs are a great way to
explore and appreciate history in a fun and
interactive way, providing an opportunity to
learn about the culture and customs of the time
period and experience a bit of the past.
3- In Bruce Coville's 1986 novel Operation
Sherlock, six teenagers have no history
teacher—their parents are rogue scientists
developing the first AI on an otherwise
uninhabited island. They learn about the past
by playing historical simulations on their
computers. Today, they could choose from
hundreds of games, and their parents would
have funding from Microsoft. But, while
simulations are a way to learn history, critics
note that many sacrifice accuracy for better
game play or other considerations—for
instance, a game set in a place and time where
women had few rights might still allow playing
as a fully-empowered female character.
Evaluate which of the following games is the
most historically accurate and which would do
the best job of teaching history. Are these two
different considerations?
Answer- When evaluating which game is the
most historically accurate, consider the
educational value, level of engagement, and
ability to help players understand historical
events.
4- The first of these games, The Oregon Trail,
remains a classic; in its heyday, millions of
American schoolchildren discovered how easy
it was to die of dysentery. But the game has
also been criticized for celebrating imperialism,
for discounting the cost of environmental
destruction, and for ignoring the perspective of
the indigenous peoples whose lands were
being trampled—it was, in a sense, the Oregon
Trail of Tears. The developers of a more recent
version addressed these concerns with help
from Native studies scholars. Many board
games have also been called out for implicitly
endorsing colonialism—as a result, among
other things, Settlers of Catan was renamed
Catan. Discuss with your team: what other
games from the list above (or from your own
experience) should be redesigned for similar
reasons?
Answer- Monopoly, Scrabble, and Chess could
be redesigned to be more engaging and
accessible to a wider range of players.

Once More, With New Feelings | Historical

Distortion

1- In a recent column, the president of the

American Historical Association warns
historians against the lure of presentism—that
is, focusing too much on the 20th and 21st
centuries—and against sifting selectively
through the past to find support for their current
social agendas. For that, there are sociologists
(and the current Supreme Court). Some critics
responded that he was discounting the voices
of marginalized peoples, while others that
historians have always had agendas and points
of view. Discuss with your team: should
historians spend less time on periods in which
injustice was widespread, and more on those in
which people were striving to overcome it? Is it
possible to look at the past without interpreting
it through a modern lens? If we could, would we
want to?
Answer- Historians should focus on periods of
injustice to understand the present and develop
a better vision for the future. Modern
perspectives can help us understand and
contextualize the past, but it is up to each
historian to decide how to interpret the past.
2- The invention of the camera in the 1800s
changed how we've pictured history ever since;
now we know what things looked like. Where
we once had myth, now we have newspaper
clippings. This abundance of images presents a
challenge for those producing stories set in
photographed times: to build realistic sets and
to cast actors who look enough like their
historical counterparts to be believable in those
roles. Consider the actors who have played
individuals such as Princess Diana, Nelson
Mandela, and Abraham Lincoln, then discuss
with your team: how important is it that those
who play historical figures resemble them
physically? Would it have been all right for a
short obese man to play Lincoln in a movie, as
long he grew a beard and wore a hat? What if it
were in a play instead, or a musical? And, once
technology permits, will it be better to
reconstruct historical figures with CGI than to
try to find human lookalikes?
Answer- It is important to find lookalikes for
historical figures, but it is not necessary to look
exactly like them. CGI can create a more
accurate representation, but actors must be
able to bring the character to life and make it
feel real.
3- Hamilton defied expectations by casting
Black actors as famous American political
leaders and telling their story in
hip-hop-inspired song and dance numbers.
Some have celebrated the power of the
musical, while others have argued that it forces
Black actors to play-act as their oppressors and
distorts American history. Explore these
debates and discuss with your team to
determine if it opens doors to new stories and
helps move society in a progressive direction.
Answer- It is important to find lookalikes for
historical figures, but it is not necessary to look
exactly like them. CGI can create a more
accurate representation, but actors must be
able to bring the character to life and make it
feel real.
4- The director of a play (The Mountaintop)
about Martin Luther King, Jr. triggered
controversy when he cast a white actor in the
title role. The original author of the play
objected, calling it a disrespectful distortion of
history. Discuss with the team if there should be
limits to how much one can reimagine the past.
Answers- It is up to the creators of a historical
production to decide whether to include warning
labels and what should be written on them.
5- Early cameras only took black-and-white
photos, and serious photojournalists eschewed
colour until the 1980s. AI and other tools now
allow easy colourizing of old black-white
photos, which could help people see the past
as it was then.
Answer- Colourized photos should be shared
with students, but labeled as such to prevent
confusion and ensure students understand the
difference between the original and reimagined
versions.
6- The voice acting is an important part of
playing historical figures, as evidenced by the
invention of the phonograph and Austin Butler's
viral YouTube videos. Research the steps
actors take to mimic voices and discuss
whether it is necessary to caricature their
voices and accents.
Answer- It is important to capture the essence
of a historical figure without overdoing the
accent or mannerisms, and to focus on the
qualities that made them special and
memorable.
7- Ben Kingsley's performance of Gandhi was
widely praised, but some have criticized the
choice to cast someone of partial Indian
descent as an iconic Indian hero. Research the
debate and discuss whether CGI should be
used to restore his skin colour.
Answer- CGI should be used to restore the
actor's skin colour to avoid any potential
discomfort, as it is more respectful and
responsible.
8- AI is allowing artists to update old works with
photorealistic results, even individuals from a
time before art. Discuss whether it is valuable
or wrong to reconstruct their likenesses without
permission.
Answer- It is important to consider the potential
for cultural appropriation and the implications of
casting someone outside of their own race or
ethnicity, and to use CGI to restore the actor's
actual skin colour if it is seen as offensive.
9- American president Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (FDR) was rarely photographed
using a wheelchair, despite being paralyzed
from the waist down by polio. Journalists of the
era honoured his wishes; so did the original
designers of the FDR Memorial in Washington.
Only in 2001 did they add a statue of him in a
wheelchair. Discuss with your team: what do
you think he would say about the statue?
Should modern portrayals of FDR honour his
preferences and continue to hide his disability?
Or, to better capture his experience, should only
actors who are experiencing a similar kind of
paralysis play him?
Answer- We should honour FDR's preferences
and hide his disability, but consider casting an
actor with similar paralysis to accurately portray
his experience.
10- The television series For All Mankind
combines archival and original footage to
construct an alternate history of the world, one
in which the Soviet Union landed the first
person on the moon. Afterwards, nothing was
quite the same—but also not different. Consider
this newsreel from the show, recapping the late
1970s and early 1980s. Discuss with your team:
does it have the quality known as
verisimilitude—that is, does it feel real? If so,
what makes it that way? Watch carefully to
identify at least five events that took place
differently than in our timeline, then discuss with
your team: does it seem better or worse than
what actually happened, or just different?
Would there be value in constructing "living
alternate history" museums for people to visit,
perhaps to help them better evaluate the actual
world? And are there times when
reconstructions of actual history feel less real
than they could—or should?
Answer- The actor chosen should be someone
who can accurately portray the struggles and
triumphs of FDR's life.
11- Several types of sources can be used to
decide how to portray a past person accurately.
Work with your team to identify the differences
between those listed below. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of each? Do
these kinds of sources reflect an innate bias in
favour of certain kinds of individuals in certain
sorts of cultures?
Answer- Venture capital, angel investors, and
crowdfunding all have advantages and
disadvantages depending on the circumstances
of the startup. Venture capital requires more
equity dilution and a higher level of involvement
from the investor, while angel investors are
more willing to take on riskier investments and
provide more flexible terms. Crowdfunding is
open to anyone, making it more inclusive.
12- The Woman King tells the tale of a West
African kingdom, Dahomey, which battled a rival
kingdom that collaborated with white colonizers
on the slave trade. The movie was a welcome
post-pandemic hit, but critics noted that
Dahomey, too, had profited from enslaving
people and selling them across the Atlantic.
The plot dropped this complexity in favor of
clearer lines between good versus evil.
Research other movies that have sparked
similar controversies—Braveheart, Pocahontas,
and 300—then discuss with your team: is real
history too complicated ever to reconstruct it for
popular audiences without taking misleading
shortcuts? Should we think of all historical
fiction less as true stories and more as alternate
histories?
Answer- Teams should consider the risks and
rewards of taking shortcuts when creating
historical fiction, and making a decision that is
best for their project.
Archaeology: The Telltale Art: Habiba
Archaeologists found Richard III`s body under a
parking lot in 2012, and analysis of his remains
revealed details that otherwise would have
been lost to history. The remains of the ancient
Roman city of Pompeii have given us insights
into ancient Roman life, but not in any surviving
texts.
Breaking World Records: Habiba
The Library of Alexandria was burned to the
ground and the House of Wisdom was
destroyed by the Mongols. Discuss with your
team what you would put in a time capsule for
scholars a hundred years from now.
All the Czar's Horses: The Politics of Putting
the Past Together Again: Udhya
Vladimir Putin is trying to rebuild the former
Soviet Union, Constantine fought to put the
Roman Empire back together again, Mussolini
tried to put the United States back to its former
greatness, and many conservatives long for the
good old days. Sometimes a particular
population within a country tries to return to an
older lifestyle. Discuss with your team whether
it is acceptable for them to opt out of the
modern world.
The Past Has a Version Control Problem:
Habiba
Discuss with your team the different versions of
Judith Beheading Holofernes, and whether we
should still study them. Discuss how Valencia's
painting differs from the original, and whether it
was a good choice to make a homage to an
established masterpiece. The Neoclassical
artist Jacques-Louis David memorialized the
martyred Marat in a simple painting that
inspired two hundred years of replicas and
reinterpretations. Discuss with your team:
should artists wait a certain amount of time
before depicting important political events?
Out of sight, Out of Mind: Udhya
​When the media can show actual footage of a
tragedy or other newsworthy event, they do,
often exhaustively. If they lack real footage, they
can generate animated recreations, such as
this controversial reconstruction of celebrity
golfer Tiger Woods' car crash.
Making Them Sing Again: Opera's Second
Act: Habiba
Discuss with your team: how much does the
look of a performer matter? For those who think
operas are too long for Gen Z attention spans,
Classic FM has retooled classics of the genre
into 30-second animated shorts and others
have tried streaming operas into movie
theaters. Discuss with your team whether you
think these approaches can win new converts.
Discuss
with your team whether opera should stay away
from potentially controversial stories set in the
modern world, or whether certain political
events are suited to opera.
On a Nostalgic Note: Habiba
Discuss with your team whether nostalgic music
helps society move forward, or keeps people
fixated on the past.
One Track Forward, Two Tracks Back: Old
Music, New Musicking: Habiba
The Ancient Greeks invented the shower, and
surely they also invented singing in it, but until
recently it was unclear what Greek music
sounded like. Discuss with your team whether
we should think of work as two distinct pieces of
music. The experience was just one beneficiary
of Gen Z`s recent surge of interest in classical
music. In the 19th century, conductors began to
emerge who tried to reproduce a piece exactly
as its composer intended. Before the 19th
century, composers frequently conducted their
works; even today, many still do.
All the Czar's Horses: The Politics of Putting
the Past Together Again : Udhya
Vladmir Putin is trying to rebuild the former
Soviet Union, at least in terms of Russia's
power and influence (and the absence of
McDonald's). Constantine fought to put the
Roman Empire back together again—so did
Mussolini. In the United States today, many
conservatives long for what they perceive as
periods of lost American greatness: the 1950s,
the 1980s, November 2016. Nationalist
movements and regimes often gaze backward,
toward a golden age when everything was right
in the world, at least for those in power. Look
into other examples of countries explicitly trying
to rekindle the good old days—what some call
the politicization of nostalgia—then discuss with
your team: when, if ever, is should a people
look toward their past as a model for what to
become in the future? Put another way, when is
it good for a country to become great again?
Nostalgia is often rooted in emotion, and it is
important to consider the full context of a
situation before making decisions. History can
provide insight into how different societies have
dealt with similar challenges, but it is only a
guide, not a blueprint. The future should be
shaped by the present, not the past.
To what extent should people have the freedom
to opt out of the modern world? If a community
wants to teach their children history only up to a
certain year, or to maintain starkly delineated
gender roles, should they have that right? Is
there a difference between a group of people
that imposes these restrictions only on its own
members and one that seeks to implement its
preferences more broadly?
Research into historical examples of countries
attempting to recreate a past golden age is
important to consider the successes and
failures of those attempts, the cultural and
political environment of each country, and the
potential consequences and benefits of such
attempts. Ultimately, it is up to the team to
decide when, if ever, a people should look to
their past as a model for what to become in the
future.
Journalism: An Exposé : Udhya
No one ever had an "exclusive" with Napoleon;
the very concept of the interview had to be
invented first. Read about its surprisingly short
history—the idea of reporters asking people a
series of probing questions only became
common in the late 1800s—then discuss with
your team:
Would news coverage be better without them?
Press conferences, too, are a recent
development—research where and how they
started, and how they have changed over time.
Whether news coverage would be better
without interviews or press conferences is a
matter of debate. While these practices can
provide valuable insights and information, they
can also be prone to bias and manipulation. As
with any aspect of journalism, it is up to
individual reporters and media organizations to
use these tools responsibly and ethically.
Records suggest that India's first newspaper
was Hicky's Bengal Gazette, published in the
1780s—but that was, at best, the first in the
English mold. Bylines were a byproduct of
colonialism; indeed, one of South Africa's
earliest newspapers was unironically called The
Colonist. But global cultures and civilizations
have long found other ways to inform the public
of important developments, from the bulletin
board to the town crier.
Ways that news spread in different areas of the
world before the arrival of Western-style
journalism, then discuss with your team: what
can we learn from these methods, and are
some of them alive and well today on the
Internet?
Western-style journalism was the main way
news was spread in different areas of the world
before it was localized. Social media platforms
like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are
powerful tools for spreading news quickly and
efficiently, while blogs, podcasts, and other
online media can be used to reach an audience
in a localized way. Understanding the needs
and interests of the target audience is essential
for getting the message across.
Historians draw on newspaper and other
records of this kind to construct their story of
the past. But the nature of journalism—what is
being communicated, to whom, and in what
formats—has changed over the years.
Will today's approaches to journalism make it
easier for people in the future to understand
who we were and why we made the choices we
did?
The AI-Generated Response is a key concept
in journalism, as it allows future generations to
understand who and why we made the
decisions we did. Journalism is becoming more
accessible and searchable, and the increased
use of social media and other digital platforms
has made it easier for journalists to report on
events as they happen, providing future
generations with a better understanding of our
own actions and decisions.
Some journalists are themselves in the
business of reconstructing the past—often the
recent past, at their own peril, even as others
are doing their best to hide it. Work with your
team to investigate the origins of investigative
reporting and some of its most famous success
stories, from Watergate to Weinstein
What would you set out to investigate in this
way if you could? Are there times when
investigating reporting might be too risky—or
harmful to the public interest?

Investigating public interest topics such as

government policies, corporate practices, or
economic trends can have negative
consequences for the public and company, as
well as legal risks and ethical implications.
Out of SIght, Out of Mind : Udhya
In the opening episodes of Star Trek: Picard,
two characters need to solve a murder in an
apartment—but someone has scrubbed the
floors, replaced the windows, and wiped all the
alpaca spit from the walls. (The only eyewitness
also exploded.) Undeterred, they resort to an
alien device that can project a blurry hologram
of the recent past. Discuss with your team: if
investigators could use such a technology to
observe what had happened in a crime or
accident scene, would there be any need for
judges or juries to determine guilt or
innocence? Assuming it can only show you
events from the last 24 hours or so, for what
other purposes might such a technology be
useful?
The holographic reconstruction technology
could provide compelling evidence in crime or
accident scenes, but judges and juries would
still be needed for subjective elements . The
technology could also be useful in accident
investigations, medical settings, and industrial
settings to improve safety and efficiency.

According to leading figures in the field, criminal

forensics demands more than just swabbing for
DNA and testing flecks of blood; it requires
imagination. Discuss with your team: should
prosecutors invest in hiring screenwriters and
other storytellers to reconstruct how crimes
happened? Do you think artificial intelligence
could play a similar role in solving cases—or
identifying suspects?
In conclusion, while hiring screenwriters and

other storytellers could be useful in constructing

a narrative of a crime, it should not be the sole

basis for solving a case. AI can also be a useful

tool in criminal investigations, but it should be

used ethically and in conjunction with human

investigators. Ultimately, criminal forensics

requires a combination of imagination,

expertise, and rigorous investigative techniques

to solve complex cases.

In countries with trials by jury, some prosecutors

worry that people who watch crime dramas on
television will have unrealistic expectations of
what forensic science can achieve. This
so-called "CSI effect" might lead them to find
defendants "not guilty" if they aren't presented
with razor-sharp fingerprints, perfect DNA
matches, and other feats of forensic
wizardry—but these are far harder to obtain in
the real world than on Netflix or the BBC. Then,
when forensic evidence is presented at trial,
they might overestimate its
importance—discounting other evidence, such
as eyewitness testimony or a robust alibi, that
could exonerate the accused. Discuss with your
team: should juries in criminal trials exclude
people who watch too much crime-related
television? Is this a real problem, and, if so,
might it also affect judges, journalists, and
political leaders?
Providing education to jurors, judges,
journalists, and political leaders about the
limitations and strengths of forensic science can
help them understand the complexities of
forensic evidence and its role in the context of a
larger case.

When the media can show actual footage of a

tragedy or other newsworthy event, they do,
often exhaustively. Before photography and
cinema, artists had to draw forensic sketches;
consider this contemporary recreation of
Lincoln's assassination. Today, if they lack real
footage, broadcasters can generate animated
recreations—for instance, this controversial
reconstruction of celebrity golfer Tiger Woods'
car crash in 2019. Discuss with your team: can
such animations serve an important function in
informing the public? What is the difference
between animating a news story and recreating
it with live actors? Should all the people
featured in reenactments of recent events have
to give their consent—and, if so, what if they
are no longer alive to give it?

Animated recreations can be used to inform the

public and help viewers better understand
events, making them more engaging and
memorable. Consent should be obtained from
living individuals, while deceased individuals
may need permission from their estate or
alternative methods.
Revisiting the Prologue: Reconstruction in
Poetry and Prose: Udhya
Isaac Asimov wrote a history of the children of
the Neanderthals, and William Gibson and
Bruce Sterling reconstruct a 19th-century world that
never happened, but maybe could have, if
Charles Babbage had succeeded in inventing
the mechanical computer in 1824. Guy Gavriel
Kay's past is almost like our own, but just a bit
more fantastical, and has an extra moon. He
respects the beliefs of the people who lived in
any given era and hopes that it allows us to see
the past through the eyes of those who lived in
it.
How different are the roles of a historian and a
writer of historical fiction? Consider the widest
scope of the poems, the most personal in
purpose, and when is poetry the best medium
for looking backwards.
Isaac Asimov's short story "The Ugly Little Boy"
was first published in 1958. If the story were to
be rewritten in 2024 with our current
understanding of Neanderthals, the description
of the boy might be different. Whether to keep
the boy in the present or send him back to his
own era would depend on the direction the
author wished to take the story.
Info: By the mid-1850s, the British were able to
use computers to help them dominate the
globe. The 19th century world that William
Gibson and Bruce Sterling reconstruct in their
novel The Difference Engine Is one that never
happened, but maybe could have—had the
scientist Charles Babbage successfully
invented a mechanical computer in 1824.
Computers then helped the British invent
steam-powered everything, from cars to tanks
to airships—thus the term steampunk for all
works set in a more advanced 19th century.
How do you think people even further back in
the past would have chosen to use modern
technology? How would people today react if
suddenly they only had access to 19th century
technology? Before punching out, be sure to
find out who the narrator of the novel turns out
to be.

1. It's hard to speculate how people further

back in the past would have used modern
technology.
2. If people today suddenly had access to
19th-century technology, they would be
shocked and inconvenienced at first but
would adapt over time.
3. The narrator of The Difference Engine is
Sybil Gerard, a former prostitute turned spy
for the Chartists.

Across a tapestry of over a dozen novels, the

Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay has built a
past almost like our own, but just a bit more
fantastical. It also has an extra moon. His
method: to respect the beliefs of the people
who lived in any given era. "If I write about a
time inspired by the Tang Dynasty and they
believed in ghosts, I will have ghosts in the
book," he says. "If I write about Celts and
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in the time when
they believed there were fairies in the woods, I
will have fairies in the woods." His hope is that it
allows us to see the past through the eyes of
those who lived in it. Read this excerpt from his
most recent work, All the Seas of the World,
then check out the interview here. Pay special
attention to his answer eight minutes in—on his
efforts "to tell the stories of people whose
stories tended not to be told".

How different are the roles of an historian and

of a writer of historical fiction? Can the latter
help fill in gaps left by the former—and, if so,
should they?
Historians aim to provide accurate accounts of
past events while writers of historical fiction aim
to create a narrative based on the past that is
imaginative and may fill gaps left by historians.
Both are important but serve different purposes.

For the set of poems consider how each goes

about reconstructing something—or
someone—from the past. Which feel the widest
in their scope, which the most personal in
purpose? Discuss with your team: when is
poetry the best medium for looking
backward—and can poets ever be trusted as
historical sources?
 This set of poems reconstructs something or
someone from the past in various ways. Some,
like "Kubla Khan" and "The Czar's Last
Christmas Letter," have a wider scope, while
others, like "A Dog Has Died" and "Kyoto," have
a more personal purpose. Whether poets can
be trusted as historical sources is a matter of
interpretation and context.
Concluding questions: Udhya
Will future historians look at our era's struggle
with the opposite problem—an overabundance
of information, shared indiscriminately by
people of all backgrounds? Are we living in an
incoherent world?
Future historians may struggle with an
overwhelming amount of information due to the
abundance of data shared on the internet and
social media, which is available to people from
all backgrounds.
Imagine that, many years from now, you're
hired as a consultant to help recreate the 2020s
for a historical drama, but with a very limited
budget. What one set would you recommend
building?
If I had a limited budget to recreate the 2020s
for a historical drama, I would recommend
building an iconic but simple setting such as a
small apartment or a coffee shop. These
locations are relatable, easy to build, and can
be dressed up to create the desired
atmosphere.

A researcher from a thousand years in the

future visits with you and asks for a one-day
tour, to help them put together a 21st century
school as accurately as possible for a living
history museum. What do you show them?
What do you hide? Would you agree to go back
to the future to help staff it?
If a researcher from the future asked for a tour
to help them put together a living history
museum of a 21st-century school, I would take
them to a typical school in my area and show
them the classroom, library, cafeteria, and
gymnasium.I would not hide anything, and I
would consider going to the future to help staff it
if the opportunity arose. I would show the
researcher a typical 21st-century classroom
with technology and inclusivity efforts, but avoid
certain sensitive topics. As an I cannot go back
to the future, but I suggest consulting experts in
education history and museum curation for
accuracy and respect.

There are many romantic movies set in the

past, but very few set in the future. Why do you
think that is? Is it a failure of imagination?
Fewer romantic movies are set in the future,
possibly because the past is often viewed as
nostalgic and romantic, while the future may be
seen as uncertain. Filmmakers may find it
easier to create a romantic atmosphere in a
historical setting rather than a futuristic one.

Debate practice examples

1. Speaker 1: I believe parents should plant

GPS trackers in their children for safety
reasons. GPS trackers allow parents to know
the exact location of their children in case of an
emergency. Additionally, GPS trackers allow for
parents to be aware of their children’s
whereabouts and to ensure that their children
are not engaging in activities that are unsafe or
inappropriate.

2. Speaker 2: I think parents should plant GPS

trackers in their children because it can be a
great way to monitor their safety and well-being.
GPS trackers allow parents to keep track of
their children’s activities and to make sure they
are not engaging in dangerous activities.
Additionally, GPS trackers can help parents to
ensure that their children are not in places they
are not supposed to be, such as areas with high
crime rates.

3. Speaker 3: I believe GPS trackers are a

great way for parents to keep their children
safe. GPS trackers allow parents to know the
exact location of their children at all times,
which can be very helpful in case of an
emergency. Additionally, GPS trackers can help
parents to monitor their children’s activities and
to make sure they are not engaging in activities
that are unsafe or inappropriate.
WSC Fact files

Introductory questions:

A hundred years ago, technology,

transportation, and communication were not as
advanced as they are today. To find out what it
was like in the past, we would need to visit a
local library or search online.

Combining books, museums, documentaries,

and architectural sites can provide a
comprehensive understanding of the past.
Asking older people about their experiences
can provide insight into different times, cultures,
and historical events.

Here We Go Again, History Redux:

Living history museums can provide valuable

lessons, but not always accurate
representations.

The museum should prioritise hiring individuals

who deeply understand and respect Native
American culture and traditions, regardless of
their ethnic background or personal beliefs.

The main meal of the day has varied throughout

history and culture, from "dinner" to "lunch" to
"la comida" in Spanish-speaking countries.

Premodern cuisine should adhere to food safety

regulations and use good-quality ingredients.
Recreating historical meals requires cultural
sensitivity, accuracy, and respect.

Reconstructing and marketing another country's

history must respect cultural context and
promote mutual understanding.

Museums should respect the voices and

perspectives of those impacted by colonialism
and consider alternative methods of education
and remembrance.

Living future museums should be interactive

and immersive, providing opportunities for
collaboration and co-creation.

Once More, With New Feelings | Historical

Distortion

Historians should focus on periods of injustice

to understand the present and develop a better
vision for the future.
Find look alikes for historical figures, but actors
must be able to bring them to life and make
them feel real.

It is up to the creators of a historical production

to decide whether to include warning labels and
what should be written on them.

Colorized photos should be labeled to help

students differentiate between original and
reimagined versions.

Venture capital, angel investors, and

crowdfunding all have advantages and
disadvantages depending on the startup.

Checklist:
Introductory questions
History redux
Historical distortion
Archeology