Description and Objectives

This course will guide students toward a deeper understanding of the historical trends that have shaped the modern world through “the American century.” Having completed foundational courses in world history prior to 1789, and in U.S. history through at least World War II, Heights students should be ready to think independently about the distinct and sometimes countervailing currents that have combined to make our world the way it is. These are the trends they will need to understand as they become responsible adult citizens.

One of the most distinctive features of this history course is that it is only secondarily chronological; the primary organizing principle is thematic. Why has the struggle for racial equality been so fraught with difficulty and conflict, from the late nineteenth century to the present? How has industrialization shaped our lives, for better and for worse, from the late nineteenth century to the present? In what ways, specifically, have we become more “globalized” than our forebears, and what have been the consequences for the movement of people and goods across national borders? Thus, instead of marching through the twentieth century decade by decade with an ever-shifting focus, we will examine eight important narratives that have shaped the modern world and trace each from its origins in the nineteenth century to its significance in the present day.

Outline of Topics Covered:

• Unit 1:  The Principle and Practice of Equality
• Unit 2:  The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
• Unit 3:  Socialism and Communism
• Unit 4:  Progressivism
• Unit 5:  Global Exchange
• Unit 6:  Global Conflict
• Unit 7:  The Cold War
• Unit 8:  The Mystery Unit (usually dictated by current geopolitical events, but often involving Nationalism, Decolonialism, or competing theories of great-power action in the world)

Textbooks

Nightly reading will consist almost entirely of primary source materials selected and edited by Mr. Grannis, with some secondary materials added as necessary to do justice to the history of each conflict. When secondary materials are necessary, we will usually use Wilfred M. McClay’s Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story (2019), which is on hand in the classroom. We will rely more heavily, however, on primary sources and other supplemental readings that Mr. Grannis will select and discuss with the students in class.

In addition, each student will have the inestimable opportunity to read up to three more substantial historical works (per semester!) that delve more deeply into the periods covered by our survey. Because these books vary greatly in length, we will divide them roughly into small, medium, and large, and each student will be able to choose one large, one small plus one medium, or three smalls. Naturally, this is a floor, not a ceiling.

Course Requirements

Students should expect daily reading assignments, frequent low-stakes quizzes, and two or three unit tests per quarter. We may also incorporate seminars at the end of some units. Students must also read one or more historical works each semester, chosen from a list provided by Mr. Grannis. Students may read more than the required amount for extra credit. Whenever reading is assigned, it is the student’s responsibility not just to do the reading but to reflect on the important issues raised and prepare to engage thoughtfully and constructively with other students during class discussions.

Quarterly grades will be based the low-stakes quizzes; the unit tests; and class participation. Semester grades will be based on quarterly grades plus the mid-term or final exam. With class participation (as with many things), too much is as bad as too little; like Goldilocks, we are aiming for “just right.”

The low-stakes quizzes will be designed to keep all students familiar with the basic facts we will need to support robust classroom discussion. The unit tests will require deeper thought across different historical periods. All unit tests will be open-note, so take good notes.

Successful Students

The successful student will come to class prepared, listen attentively to the lecture material, and participate constructively in class discussion. He will develop and exhibit curiosity about the world in which he lives and the times when it was different. He will grow both in knowledge and in understanding as he acquires more information about the past.

At all times, the successful student will be acutely aware of his own fallibility, which will make him humble about his own opinions, moderate in his language, and eager to learn from others. He will be charitable in his presuppositions about others and his interpretations of what they say and do, and this will make him very slow to take offense. At the same time, he will love truth enough to be courageous about defending it even when he stands alone in his opinion. Needless to say, he will be courageous enough to listen at least as much as he speaks. Such a student will be successful not just in this course but throughout his happy life.