History

James Rosengarten, Department Chair

An appreciation of historical context is central to understanding the world around us. Our study of history is an exploration of human experience; the ways diverse peoples have differed in their ideas, institutions and cultural practices, the ways experiences vary by period and nationality and social circumstances, and the ways people(s) have struggled with each other. We ask our students to make connections between the past and the world they now inhabit and to ponder the question – How did we get this way?

All Upper School students take Religions and Revolutions in grade 9 and U.S. History in grade 11. Most students also take Contemporary Global History in grade 10, and virtually all take a history elective in grade 12. See below for a listing of our broad range of electives. Our history courses emphasize the analysis of primary sources in the development of critical thinking and original argument. Grade 11 students complete a capstone, primary source-based piece of original research as part of the U.S. History course.

Interested students may also join clubs such as Model United Nations, History Bowl, World Affairs Council, the Debate Team, and Mock Trial, where knowledge and a deep understanding of the origins of current events is essential.

Religions & Revolutions

This course introduces students to the Upper School history curriculum. First, we address Chinese philosophies, Hindu ism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We then examine periods in history covering themes, ideas, and movements beginning with the Reformation in the 16th century and ending in the late 19th century. Themes include: the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the Atlantic revolutions, industrialization, class and gender, along with 19th century movements such as nationalism, liberalism, and imperialism. The course emphasizes analytical reading and writing and the analysis of primary sources. In addition to traditional quizzes, tests and writing exercises, students will complete two research projects. They will also participate in a conflict resolution role-play exercise and a character project where they use their research skills to play a historical character. This course is required for all grade 9 students.

Contemporary Global History

To understand the present and contemplate the future, it is essential that we attempt to discover what caused the world to be the way it is today. This course covers events and ideas from the last 100 years that have shaped the world we live in now. Students will examine the 20th and 21st centuries closely as they begin doing more of their own analysis of primary sources and practice looking at events through particular historical lenses. Students will study social and political movements of the century, such as nationalism, communism, feminism, and environmentalism. They will learn some of the basics of micro and macroeconomics, along with studying major 20th century events, such as World Wars, ensuing treaties, and the changing face of the world during and after the Cold War. In addition to written sources, examples of 20th century art, architecture, and film are viewed as historical artifacts. Scheduled current events days help students make connections between the past and the present. Six historical role plays flesh out the dynamics of international issues. Students will improve their argumentative and persuasive writing, as well as their online research skills, with historical databases offered through the Blackburn Library. The themes of conflict resolution, civil disobedience, and reconciliation permeate the entire course.

Though this course is not required, it can be helpful in preparing students for the grade 11 course while also providing engaging opportunities for students to connect events from the recent past with current situations.

U.S. History

The objectives of this course include exposing students to a wide range of primary sources relating to U.S. history, giving them an opportunity to work directly with the sources, sharpening their communication skills – both oral and written – and improving their ability to see the present in terms of the past. The course encompasses the period from the early colonization by England in the 17th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Particular emphasis is placed on the Constitution in the latter part of the fall. The middle of the course surveys the 19th century from the election of Jefferson in 1800 to the War with Spain. The final study covers a series of units on 20th century topics, among them, the World Wars, the Depression, the Civil Rights Era, the Cold War, and Feminism. During the second half of the year, each student works on a primary source-based research project beginning in January with topic selection and continuing to the beginning of May when final drafts of the papers are due. This course is required for all grade 11 students.

History Elective Courses

(most are open to grade 11, and all are open to grade 12)

With the exception of Modern European History Seminar Advanced, all history electives are one semester long. To take an advanced history course, students’ performance in previous history courses (especially grade 11) will be considered, along with an in-class writing exercise and paragraph of intent. Rarely are grade 11 students eligible.

Capitalism and Consumption: "Getting and Spending"

This semester-long class looks at consumption in history: how we buy and sell, what is made for buying and selling, and what goods mean to a society. The focus is on the period since industrialization, with some emphasis on the contemporary United States. Readings, discussions, and written assignments will cover topics like advertising, manufacturing, and the depictions of goods in literature and film. In addition, students engage in more focused individual study and research on a topic of their choice and examine their roles as shoppers and consumers.

Constitutional Identity Advanced

This semester-long course covers the 230+ year history of the Supreme Court of the United States and its role in shaping and, ultimately, providing protections for identities in the U.S. Source material will predominantly be federal caselaw, and students will be asked to write analytical research papers regarding the Court’s jurisprudence. By studying the precedent and highlighting the good and the bad of the Court’s history, we aim to answer the questions: Has the Supreme Court served the U.S. citizens regarding racial, gen der, and socioeconomic inequity? A foundational knowledge of the Court allows for a deeper exploration of identity politics in the United States, providing a greater perspective of the competing aims of the Court and the structures that hold up institutional bigotry.

Creating Africa Advanced: European Racism, the Diaspora, Colonialism and Identity

This course seeks to recenter our dialog about the role of Africa and its representation in history. Beginning with the classical world, we will explore the integral role that Africa and Africans played in classical Mediterranean civilization and trade, observing an ancient world where race didn’t carry a great deal of significance. We will also observe the apparent continuity of these assumptions into the European Renaissance period. The focal point of the course is a period of extraordinary divergence that takes place between about 1600 and 1800, when most of our legacy of race and racism was founded. We will explore some of the religious, political, economic and cultural factors that served to create and define “race” during this period and the resulting creation of one of the largest diaspora communities in history. We will highlight the voices of Africans who spoke their own stories, pursued their own goals and sought to influence events around them.

This is an advanced course. The scope of its focus is broad and the reading load is relatively heavy. Students will be expected to engage with their own assumptions and consider the many ways that history has rarely been a benign tool for representing cultural values.

Intro to Philosophy: the Good, the True, and the Beautiful

This semester-long course is a theme-based introduction to philosophy. The study of philosophy allows students to explore their own views as they encounter many of the ideas from the traditional western canon. We tackle classic questions, such as how we explain existence (ontology) and how we know anything in the first place (epistemology). We also address proof of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul. We examine selfishness as we do a broad theoretical and practical examination of ethics. Political philosophy is examined, as well as the philosophy of art. Themes are examined historically to see how philosophers have built on each other’s ideas throughout the ages. Our main text, Donald Palmer’s Does the Center Hold? is supplemented by various writings by philosophers from ancient to modern times.

International Relations

It is critical to understand how the world works. This international relations course introduces the core theories of the discipline. To make these theories less abstract and divorced from the way the world actually operates, students spend 8-10 weeks playing an in-depth online roleplay called Statecraft. The whole class is transported to an online world where students are grouped into countries and take on the roles of world leaders. Statecraft creates situations which allow students to understand course concepts on a personal level; they must apply the lessons they’ve learned in class to succeed. Parallel to the simulation, we look at big patterns of globalization and global challenges, and international systems to give students a framework to make sense of this complicated and interconnected world. We also look at “hot-spot” issues on an ad-hoc basis. If an international crisis arises, we stop everything and dive deep into understanding the crisis.

The basics of Model United Nations are also taught in this course so students can play the role of expert and learn more about the essential institution that is the United Nations. Finally, students are given 20% of the semester to work on a passion project. Students need to make a product. They also need to interview an expert in the field and in lieu of a final test, we host a Ted-talk style evening in which students share their findings with parents and others in the community.

The Sociological Imaginations: Race, Class & Gender in an Unequal World

This course offers students the opportunity to develop their sociological imagination to understand social stratification and inequality. The sociological imagination highlights the intersection between our individual experiences and the larger movements of history. Through this lens, students study social stratification, a social process whereby people are sorted into categories such as class, race, and gender. Students begin with a core understanding of the history and theory of sociology. They develop their sociological imaginations applying these concepts to issues of stratification and inequality in their lives and in society. Students have opportunities to examine their own experiences and those of others in the classroom, in the community, and in the larger world. Each unit advances student knowledge through classroom experiences and independent application of social scientific research skills and methods. This is a semester-long course.

Modern Africa Advanced

This semester-long course will explore the development of independent African states in the aftermath of WWII and some aspects of the complex colonial legacy. This course will address issues of national identity, as well as cultural, social, economic, and political themes. We will also look at Africa’s changing role in the world through the Cold War and its growing significance in the 21st century world. Semester one, Creating Africa, is not a prerequisite for this course.

Modern Chinese History

This semester-long course covers modern Chinese history, starting with the rise of the Qing Dynasty in the mid-17th century to the end of the 20th/beginning of the 21st century as the Chinese Communist Party shapes and reshapes itself, opening doors to international trade and interaction. It will be a survey course of important internal events in China, as well as foreign interactions, both of which shape Chi na as an independent country and as a player on the world stage. After building the scaffolding of knowledge about events in China, students will use the skills they have already acquired to interpret various primary sources. We will find ways to utilize art, performance, and religion to enhance our understanding. David Kenley’s Modern Chinese History, as well as other secondary sources, will be used. We will also read primary sources, many coming from David G. and Yurong Y. Atwill’s book Sources in Chinese History: Diverse Perspectives from 1644 to the Present.

Modern European History Seminar Advanced

This yearlong course surveys European history from the era of absolutism and the Enlightenment through the end of the Cold War. Traditional landmarks of the period (the French and Industrial Revolutions, Imperialism and the New Imperialism, and the Great War among them) form the core of our progress through the last three centuries. We also examine smaller and human-sized phenomena, such as the development of the modern family and the changing nature of work. Readings for this class include a text, primary sources, and several brief works on the history of culture and technology. Active participation in class discussions is expected, and students write several short research papers. Open only to grade 12 students.

Women's History in the United States

This class will roughly follow the grade 11 American History course but focusing on American women, moving from Colonial America to the present day. Along the way, we will look at women’s health, clothing, writing, sexuality, marriage, and activism. We will focus on primary sources that reflect women’s experiences, as well as the movies and documentaries that will give us a clearer sense of what society demanded of women. Our readings will be split between the historical and the present day; we will read a woman’s studies text to help us discover what is happening in the United States today.