History

List of 13 items.

• Global Studies

  This course thematically surveys significant events and trends in human history. Using an interdisciplinary approach to study the historical origins of contemporary issues, students will examine various spheres of human activity in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Physical and Human Geography topics are embedded into every unit of study. Throughout the year, students will participate in a series of combined Humanities Seminars that combine the content of English I World Literature with that of this history course. These seminars will provide context for the materials covered in both courses with the goal of facilitating deep‑level, relevant learning. Our scope will be global in order to encourage first‑year students to sample the breadth of what human beings have thought and encountered across cultures and through the ages.

• World Societies

  World Societies is a course focusing on the cultural, technological, social and political growth of human civilizations from their rise in ancient river valleys through events in the twentieth century. The objective of this class is to help students understand how the peoples, cultures, religions, political systems, regional interactions and trade networks in the world came to be. Students are asked to evaluate historical materials, weigh evidence, and develop critical thinking skills. Throughout, students are encouraged to ask probing questions and make connections to the modern world. How are situations and regions today reflections of the past? Students use a wide range of both primary and secondary sources in their studies from multimedia and journal articles to first‑hand accounts and period artwork. In addition to traditional tests and quizzes, presentations, debate, writing and discussion are all emphasized methods of assessment.

• Advanced World History

  Prerequisite: History teacher recommendation and teacher evaluation of student writing.
  Advanced World History is designed to help students develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and the interactions between people in different types of human societies. Students gain an understanding of world history through learning factual knowledge and using analytical skills to examine varying types of historical evidence from multiple perspectives. Focusing on the past 1,000 years of the global experience, the course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional and technological precedents that serve as the foundation of the modern world. Continuities and changes over time and place, comparisons of societies and situations, and document‑based evaluations of issues are all heavily emphasized. Students are expected to fully participate in class dialogues, complete collaborative projects, and create multimedia presentations in addition to critical writing and content assessments. This advanced level class is designed so that a student who completes additional work outside of class will be prepared to take the AP World History exam.

• United States History

  This course integrates interdisciplinary study with a thematic approach to the history of the United States from the age of exploration to the present day. Students examine how history and culture reflect the evolution of America as it wrestles with race relations, religious and ethnic diversity, gender discrimination, the successes and failures of democratic capitalism, the tensions between individual liberties and civil rights and the rise of the U.S. as a world superpower. With an interpretive and analytical perspective, the class reads, writes, debates, produces and performs, using a variety of learning styles.

• Advanced United States History

  Prerequisite: Grade of B+ or higher in World Societies
  . A chronological course, Advanced United States History surveys American history from the time of the first significant European contact with indigenous peoples to the present, preparing students to take the Advanced Placement exam in May. Students read a demanding college‑level text, write interpretive essays, work with primary documents and produce a short paper or two focusing on a theme from the 19th or 20th centuries. In addition, students are responsible for reading and outlining the first unit of the text over the previous summer, as the course leaps right into the American Revolution in September and covers the entire curriculum before the exam.

• Decision 2020: Politics, Identity, And the Election of a Lifetime

  This senior-level elective course will immerse students in the essential elements of electoral politics leading into the 2020 presidential election. In addition to diving into the hot topics most on voters’ minds (nationally and regionally), students will examine the factors leading to America’s current hyperpartisanship and the outsized role of media and money. Students will not only examine the 2020 election; they will dive into the historic role of presidential elections and politics in American culture through film studies, the production and critique of political advertising, and the creation of original student editorials, speeches, and multimedia artwork reflective of the 2020 election.

• Honors Freedom and Authority

  Through careful reading of classic philosophical texts and foundational political documents, this semester‑long class investigates the development of western political thought and the variety of political solutions that balance the freedom of the individual and the authority of the government in any given political association. Through reading assignments and in‑class discussions, students will examine different conceptions of justice, private property, legitimate political power, human nature and political structures. Major political theories will be placed in historical and cultural context. This seminar‑based course requires students to engage in close reading of primary and secondary sources, participate in class discussions, follow lectures and complete writing assignments frequently.

• Islam and the West

  This course is designed to expose students to various perspectives of the world of Islam and how it affects and is affected by the West. Students will investigate the cultural, religious and political dimensions of the interaction between Islam and the West at several historical moments. The aim is to go beyond superficial characterizations of Muslims and to understand the nuances of their beliefs, traditions and behaviors. Students will attempt to gain a better understanding of the rhetoric regarding "Islam" and "the West" and the interest this rhetoric has served.

• International Relations

  This course will explore various ways in which modern nation‑states interact with one another. Topics will include, but not be limited to, U.S. foreign policy from the 20th century until today, the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and various trade partnerships in which the United States has participated. Course readings will involve the study of international relations theories, institutions and current events.

• Advanced United States Government & Politics

  This course investigates the theory and practice of government and politics in the United States while offering the opportunity for AP credit. Students learn how families, schools and the media perpetuate political beliefs and influence political participation. They discover why some segments of the population, such as the elderly, are more effective than others in shaping the national policy. Students become knowledgeable about the powers of Congress and the presidency and develop an appreciation for the Supreme Court as a defender of civil rights and an agent of social change. In addition to reading a primary text, students are expected to examine weekly political newspapers, and selected movies reflecting American political culture.

• War and the Soldier

  When examining war from the macro view of the state and other regional actors, we are often left asking “Why?” and “How could this happen again?”. How we come to make sense of war is often through what we see and whom we listen to. In this course, we will widen our perspective of war through the eyes of soldiers, victims, journalists and others by watching films and reading primary texts. We will seek to understand the impacts of war on the individual by examining the characteristics of war, how it is presented, and questioning who is impacted most by war. Readings of short stories, poems, letters, memoirs, novels, will be paired with cartoons, interviews, movies, and guest speakers as a way to examine the complexities of war through multiple lenses and its varied impact on the individual. At its core, this class will survey how one manages war and conflict across time (1800s to 21st Century) and cultures (America to Asia). The major conflicts we will study in this course are The American Civil War, World War I, The Vietnam War, and the more contemporary American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• ESL: U.S. History: Origins to 1877

  This class is designed to provide international students with an understanding of the people, events and principles that define the American experience. Students develop research skills and investigate the major themes of early U.S. history including settlement, building a nation, sectionalism and civil war, westward expansion. Additionally, there is a focus on the organization of the 3 branches of government, election practices, and the Constitution. This class fulfills the history requirement in U.S. History.

• ESL: World History and Geography

  This class is designed to provide the international student with an understanding of the people, events and principles that define a general background of world history. Students investigate the major themes of world history. Students develop their analytical writing and research skills through projects, presentations, and essays. Students will explore a wide range of multimedia primary and secondary sources to develop their critical thinking and research skills. This class fulfills the graduation requirement of Global Studies.