History

Class I

After acquiring basic skills in geography, students will explore how geography has helped to shape history and how to evaluate historical evidence. Their first project will focus on using primary-source evidence, in this case artifacts, to learn about the Anasazi Indians of the American southwest. The class will then examine United States history from Jamestown through the Civil War. We will continue to develop research and study skills, learn how to read texts actively, and begin to think critically about historical events. There will be many opportunities for group work and collaborative projects with an emphasis on teamwork and presentation skills. The students will do an extensive study of the town of Concord in the 18th Century this fall, using both primary and secondary sources, as well as a study of 19th Century history in the United States in the spring that focuses on secondary sources and online research.

Class II

Ancient Cultures
Classical Greece, the Roman Empire, and ancient China serve as the backdrop for this course. Students in Class II will explore how geography influenced the development of these civilizations. As the first course in a four-year world history curriculum, Ancient Cultures provides a foundation for the study of both the medieval and modern worlds.

Class III

Cultural Traditions, Cultural Encounters
The conduct or behavior of individuals, societies, states, and nations is influenced by the values and traditions that have shaped them. Values are the ideas, actions, or items that people believe are or are not desirable, useful, important, or worthy of praise. Traditions are practices, beliefs, and customs that have been handed down from generation to generation. People carry their values and traditions with them to every encounter in an “invisible suitcase”, which has had a powerful influence on how people of different traditions interact. This course will explore important cross-cultural contacts among China, the Middle East, and Europe that shaped the world's history in the 6th through 13th centuries.

Class IV

Birth of the Modern World: Wealth and Power 1300-1800 CE
This is a course that builds upon the themes students examined in Class III, namely cultural traditions and encounters. Over the course of the year they will traverse the Eurasian continent and study a number of meaningful interactions (both peaceful and violent) that helped to shape the “Modern World.” Kingdoms and empires will rise and fall, and students will investigate why and how that happens. Wealth and power will shift across national boundaries and among groups of people; students will need to understand the forces at work causing such changes. Groups and individuals will challenge existing norms, and we will study their motivations and the results of their actions.

Class V Required Course

Revolutions and the Rise of Nationalism
In this course we pick up the story of the modern world in the post-Enlightenment period and focus primarily on an expansive Western civilization and the impact–both positive and negative–it has had on the rest of the world. While “the West” has certainly made some impressive contributions–in terms of science and technological innovation, human rights and democratic politics, economic development and material comforts–its legacy is more complicated. Democratic politics and universal rights have competed with Fascism and totalitarian forms of government; peace and prosperity have been followed with catastrophic wars; the generation of wealth and material resources is often coupled with worker exploitation and environmental degradation. We assume in this course that appreciating Western civilization and its alternatives is a necessary step toward understanding ourselves.

Class VI Required Course

US History
This course is designed to explore topics and themes related to the history of the United States from colonial times to the present. We will examine various social, political and economic factors that have shaped the United States, the emergence of this country as a world power and the issues that confront the United States as it continues the 21st century. This course explores questions such as “What does it mean to be an American?”, “Are there values that define the “American’ character?”, “How has the pursuit of liberty, equality and justice influenced the history of the United States?” and “What should America’s role be in the world?”

Class VII Non-Western Courses

African History
Our aim in this course is to balance Africa’s vast and diverse past with the events, cultures, and practices that define Africa today. We begin the course with the popular but skewed images of Africa found in much Western history writing and culture. Students are then asked to consider how such ideas have shaped African history, particularly in the colonial and post-colonial periods. In order to reflect the diversity and vibrancy of African culture, history texts are coupled with ethnographic writing and film. The final weeks of the course are dedicated to an investigation of contemporary events and dynamics–which include South Africa’s truth and reconciliation commission, the struggle for democracy and free markets, and Africa’s role on the world stage in the 21st century.

Indian History
Our aim in this course is to explore the history of the world’s largest democracy through the lens of current events. Rather than starting with India’s ancient past and moving slowly forward through more than 5000 years of history, we begin this course with the critical events–such as the 2002 communal conflict in Gujarat or the 2004 election–shaping India today. India’s diverse history is then used to explain contemporary Indian society, politics, religion and culture. Students are asked not only to use a variety of disciplinary perspectives–including literary criticism, political science, social anthropology, and religious studies–but also to engage on a critical level with the history and historiography of the Indian subcontinent.

History of the Middle East
This course is designed to introduce students both to the complex history of the Middle East and to the events and “revolutions” that are shaping the region today. Specific attention is paid to the birth of Islam and its subsequent influence on Middle Eastern culture and politics, as well as to the legacy of European colonialism and its role in determining the region’s political boundaries and conflicts. Students will be asked not only to use their knowledge of history to explain contemporary issues facing the region, but also to engage in a critical discussion of how the history of the Middle East is written.

Modern Chinese History
The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics is considered by many to be China’s “coming-out party,” announcing China’s arrival as a major power on the world’s stage, but will China succeed in reclaiming its former greatness in the 21st century? Will the 21st century be the “Chinese century,” as some have predicted? To explore these questions, we will examine the legacy of Imperial China that shapes China today, the 20th century’s wars and revolutions that still have a profound influence on Chinese society, and the diverse challenges that China must meet to establish itself as a dominant world power.

Class VII Electives

Human Culture, Human Rights
The aim of this course is to explore–through a variety of case studies–a daunting problem at the heart of social justice work and the concept of global citizenship: How can we uphold our commitment to human rights and the dignity of every individual and yet maintain a respect for other cultures and social practices? This apparent contradiction between human rights universalism on the one hand, and cultural pluralism on the other makes the job of the social justice activist and human rights advocate both morally and practically challenging. Moreover, the disjuncture between human rights and human culture has allowed communities and resistant governments to claim that local practices–from headscarves and marriage practices to torture and murder–trump foreign conceptions of individual and human rights. The sources of resistance and the sheer weight of human rights violations around the globe suggests that universal human rights as currently conceived ought to be re-evaluated, revamped or abandoned altogether.

Class VIII Electives

AP Macroeconomics
This course is a college level introduction to macroeconomics that examines how the national economy functions as a whole. Understanding basic economic concepts is vital in today’s globalized world, and this course will provide students with a solid foundation for further Economic studies. The students will develop the skills necessary to become well-informed decision makers and to apply an “economic way of thinking” to their everyday lives. The course builds on basic concepts to facilitate a broader economic view as we analyze determinates of economic progress and decisions made by policymakers. Students will express their analyses using both written and graphical explanations. This course will prepare students for the AP Macroeconomics Examination, which is administered in May (with review sessions running before the test).

Genocide and the State during the 20th and 21st centuries
This course explores the emergence, evolution and underlying causes of genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries. How should genocide be defined? What factors can explain this recurring phenomenon that has resulted in the deaths of nearly 20 million people within the past century? What is the role of the state and the individual in these genocides? How compelling are these explanations when applied to different cases of genocide such as the Turkish campaigns against Armenians, the Holocaust during World War II, the killing fields of Cambodia and more recently, massacres in Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur? As we explore a variety of examples, we will ask whether genocide can be prevented and what constitutes “justice.”

The Politics of Identity: An Examination of Race, Class and Gender in the 21st Century
Race, class, and gender, and the inequalities associated with them, affect all of our lives but often go unexplored or challenged. This discussion-based seminar will examine how the social construction of race, class, and gender affect the political, economic, and social life of the contemporary United States. Through the use of essays and newspaper articles, films, music and literature we will explore how these inequalities shape the individual and collective identity. Throughout the course, the American experience will be compared and contrasted with societies throughout the world. Some of the questions/topics we will explore are include “the concept of “race”-- fact or fiction?”, “Are men and women really that different?”, “The politics of race relations in the 21st century”, and “What causes poverty?”. Each student will develop possible approaches to addressing social inequalities by “taking a stand” on an issue of importance to her and her local, state, or national community.

Government, Contemporary Politics and the 2012 Election
This course will focus on America's system of government with an emphasis on contemporary politics and the election of 2012. How does the American political system work? What are the major issues facing this country, and what is the position of the political parties on these issues? Who will be the next President of the United States and why? Each student will be expected to take initiative in this course and lead class discussions, as well as be informed about current events. Students may be required to participate in the 2012 election by direct involvement in a candidate’s campaign.