HISTORY

 

The following two classes are available for U.S. history credit.  Students should take U.S. history by their junior years at the latest and earlier if possible.  It is best to take these sequences in chronological order.

 

DESIGNING AMERICA II:  The Nation Divided               

Erin Victoria Egan

As we continue in this yearlong U.S. History course, we will look at the formative development of our nation.  We will begin by continuing our look at the Constitution and the beginnings of the Federal Government as it tackles foreign policy, minor outbreaks of war, the Native American question and the exploration and expansion of our country. We will look at the rise of the industrial North and the continuation of that “peculiar institution” slavery in the South. Throughout this trimester, emphasis will be placed on the individuals who made innovations, gained and suffered from the consequences of expansion and growth and those who fought to change the lives of all Americans for the better.  We will watch a great David Macaulay presentation and excerpts from 500 Nations, Africans in America and The Civil War. In order to earn credit for this course, students should be prepared to complete reading and writing assignments, participate in class discussions and debates and complete the mid-term and final exams/projects. 

Students may elect to take this class for Honors credit. Honors candidates will complete specialized exams and must earn a minimum of 85, do additional readings of a more historiographic nature and research and present an oral report on a relevant topic of their choosing. If you are interested, sign up for Designing America Honors when enrolling. You cannot switch into it after the first week of the trimester. Earning honors will improve your evaluations and transcript as well as your knowledge of U.S. history.

 

AMERICAN AFFAIRS II: A House Divided                                

David Higgins

Students taking this class will become active historians.  A historian is not a memorizer of irrelevant facts but a researcher, questioner, debater and analyst.  Students will research crucial turning points in American history using both first hand accounts by people who were there and later analyses by historians who studied them.  After reading about these events, we will write and debate about them, always considering the forum - executive, legislative or judicial - that made these decisions. A constant focus will be on understanding how our government makes decisions.  This trimester will cover the nineteenth century, and we'll consider who gets to decide what the Constitution means, how important this power is and the sneaky way it was created; the hardships and ethics of westward expansion, including Manifest Destiny, the Trail Of Tears and a bit of cannibalism; and the centrality of slavery, the Civil War and the changes it brought about (and failed to bring about) in this nation's history.  We will also look at spiritualism and its connection to the women's movement in the mid-19th century.  This is a great class for those of you concerned about the essay, punctuation, reading comprehension and U.S. History sections of the competency exam.  We will read Frederick Douglass's autobiography and the case of Marbury vs. Madison.  We will watch excerpts from the video series 500 Nations (about Native American history), Africans In America and Ken Burns's documentaries The Donner Party and The Civil War.  Careful work and good attendance will lead to credit.  Punctuality of students and assignments will be vital.  In addition to essays and reading homework, there will be three quizzes that can get you excused from the final exam.

 

Elective History Credit

 

BRITISH LITERATURE II: Shakespeare and Early Modern England                        

Cary Honig

See English section for complete description.  Fewer essays are required for students taking this class for history credit.

 

SHAKESPEARE’S HISTORY II                                           

Erin Victoria Egan

The plays of William Shakespeare are as popular today as they were in the 16th Century. Shakespeare himself continues to be the subject of heated debate and modern cinematic splendor. Audiences continue to be mesmerized by his wit and compelling stories. This course will explore the Golden Age of Elizabethan England as well as Shakespeare’s life to learn how these plays came together and what they mean for us today. This year we will concentrate on the plays about Ancient Rome and the Renaissance.  This trimester we will read Antony and Cleopatra and Titus Andronicus.  Both plays center on powerful generals with personal problems dealing with girlfriends, children, assorted prisoners of war and former comrades who turn on them at inopportune times.   We will explore the influence these men have on their times and how they affect Roman power and politics.  We will see how these plays reflect Elizabethan England, the bloodthirsty nature of Elizabethan audiences and Shakespeare’s views about war, politics and power.  We will read these plays aloud and discuss the action and the meaning as it reflects not only the Elizabethan outlook but also our own. Students should be prepared to maintain a notebook for the play and their notes, complete reading and written assignments, and actively participate in reading and discussing the plays if they wish to earn credit for this course.

 

WATERGATE, DISCO AND THE GIPPER                         

Erin Victoria Egan

This is the second course on modern US History that will span the ‘70s and ‘80s. We will begin with the downfall of Richard M. Nixon and the scandal that rocked the nation and to some proved that the government could not be trusted: Watergate.  We will also look at the presidencies of Ford and Carter and the beginning of the Reagan era.  We will concentrate on both foreign and domestic issues: the changes in culture, business and our position in the world.  We will be reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States as well as many primary sources to come to an understanding of what people were thinking, how their points of view were changing and how we continued to struggle with our own recent history.  In order to earn credit for this course, students should be prepared to maintain a notebook and take excellent notes, complete reading and written assignments, participate in class discussions and debates and complete a final project for the trimester. 

NAMING NAMES: McCarthyism, Red-Baiting and Communism in America

Phil Goldman

What if the U.S. Government threatened to destroy your livelihood, even put you in prison, if you did not turn in your friends or acquaintances?  Would you do it? This was a real situation that many American citizens, obscure and famous, faced during the so-called Communist Witch-hunts of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s.

This course will cover the background and history of these hearings: from the Red Scare to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC); from The Communist Manifesto to Hollywood and the Blacklist; from Robert Oppenheimer to Edward R. Murrow and the Army-McCarthy Hearings. We will also explore multiple sides of the issue, from the people who refused to talk to those who had to make the very real and very difficult ethical choice to name names.

It is easy to look back and make moral judgments about those involved, but what if it was you? What if you had a family to take care of?  Would it make a difference if a name you named belonged to a friend or a total stranger, knowing his or her life could be destroyed?

To earn credit for this course, students should be prepared to complete reading and written assignments and participate in class discussions. There will be take-home tests and a research paper. As the final exam, the course will culminate in a mock-hearings in which students will act out actual scenarios but perhaps draw different conclusions and outcomes.

 

THE HISTORY OF FASHION AND DÉCOR                      

Erin Victoria Egan

Medieval Style, Renaissance Hairlines and Monumental Buildings

During trimester two, this course will continue to look at the development of personal and public adornment. We will look at the development of Western Europe as it crawls out from the Dark Ages. In fashion circles we will see how clothes, jewelry and accessories really make the man…and woman.  We will discuss the development of the aristocrat and how wealth and political status was reflected in land holdings and sumptuary laws.  We will see how faith in God could build great Cathedrals and how trade and commerce help to define not only fashion but also castle design. We will explore the reclamation of ancient knowledge as it is reflected in architecture.  We will also tackle such subjects as underwear, personal hygiene and lack of both as we move from medieval to Renaissance to the Early Modern world of hoop skirts, panniers, leggings and very short pants for men…not to mention the welcome addition of the suit.  We will spend an afternoon looking at arms and armor and several different ways to whack people!  We will continue to discuss the idea of fashion and how we move away from the practical things needed to survive to the expression of wealth and status through clothes, accessories and buildings both public and private. This course is for anyone who enjoys discussing the finer things in history.  Students should be prepared to maintain a notebook, complete both reading and writing assignments, including various projects, and be willing to express their thoughts in class discussions if they wish to obtain credit for this course.

 

Trials V: Civil Rights                                                                            Cary Honig

See English section for complete description.