History and Social Science Courses

Students in this class cover the same material in Economics 3080, but in greater depth and with greater rigor. Students who have done strong work in honors-level U.S. history and have a strong interest in public affairs should enroll in Economics 3081, which prepares students to take the Advanced Placement Examinations in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Read more

This course is designed for students who have a strong interest in history and who may wish to sit for the Advanced Placement Examination. The level of sophistication of this course is set at a standard freshman college survey course in American history, with more reading than in 3030 or 3031, and greater sophistication of thought expected. The course covers all of American history from Colonial America to the present. Read more

China has always seen itself in the “center” of the globe, and today more than ever it remains a pivotal player in the world’s affairs. One fourth of the globe’s humanity resides in the People’s Republic of China, and at 4,000 years and counting, China constitutes the world’s longest continuous civilization. But where is China headed? What do the Chinese think is best for China? In order to wrestle with these questions, students investigate through a variety of sources — written, visual and aural — the weight of the Chinese cultural tradition, cultural continuity and change in the face of foreign invasions, the impact of Mao Zedong and the Communist Revolution, Deng Xiaoping and the Chinese democracy movement, and the significant role China now plays in the global community.
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The Great War of 1914–1918 provided a catalyst for major transformations in Europe (and much of the world) throughout the 20th century: the collapse of the old intellectual, moral and political order; revolution and the rise of new communist orders in Russia and beyond; depression and the rise of new fascist orders in Germany and elsewhere; a second hot war succeeded by a long cold war; division on the continent and decolonization around the world; the reality of diminished power, the insufficiency of revived prosperity and the possibility of enhanced unity. This course probes the modern European experience through several personal as well as historical perspectives expressed in selected novels and films along with more conventional texts.
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This course investigates the rise of Hitler and the Nazi state, the implementation of the Holocaust and its aftermath. To understand the roots of anti-Semitism, the course begins with a brief look at Europe’s Jewish population over the past five centuries, and continues with a serious examination of the political, social and economic factors following World War I that made Adolf Hitler’s rise to power possible. The course analyzes Nazi racial and political policies, Germany’s involvement in World War II and the mass annihilation of Jews and others. Students examine the role of bystanders and rescuers, resistance movements, the aftermath at Nuremberg and the lasting legacies of the Holocaust today. The term concludes with a look at examples of modern hatred and genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries.
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This course seeks to examine the historical basis for various infringements upon basic human rights around the globe and what actions are being taken in order to bring abuses to a halt. Students investigate the definition of “human rights” and whether a singular standard, which would be applicable across varying international and cultural traditions, can be reached. From the treatment of native peoples throughout the Americas, to a paucity of women’s rights throughout areas of the Islamic world, to apartheid and slavery in Africa and human rights violations in China and elsewhere, the world has seen many cases of people being denied their human rights. Students explore the background history of these abuses, the framework within which both governmental and nongovernmental agencies are attempting to address these issues, as well as the role of international law and economic sanctions in the process of ending human rights violations and spreading political, social and economic justice throughout the world. Read more

Free trade and globalization can be viewed either as opportunities for greater wealth or as threats to jobs, human rights and the environment. American, European and Japanese farm subsidies, for example, protect a traditional way of life, but these handouts might do great harm to West African cotton farmers. Using such case studies, this course considers an extension of market economics to the world: pros and cons, winners and losers, and alternative solutions drawn from a variety of perspectives. In the final analysis, students consider fundamental questions of social and economic justice in the global community. Read more

Students look at the great variety of immigrants from all over the world who came to America during the 19th and early 20th centuries searching for the fabled streets of gold and lush green earth. The course focuses on several topics: historical patterns of immigration including very recent trends, nativism, immigrant life in America and the impact of immigrant culture on American society. The class considers whether America is a melting pot, in which original cultures disappear, or a mosaic, in which old ways and traditions continue to play a special role in the lives of American citizens. Read more

All citizens face an essential problem: there are not enough resources to satisfy all our wants and needs. Such scarcity requires difficult choices in the United States and the world, and this course examines the mechanisms for making these choices and the consequences of them. After an introduction to the basic principles of economic thinking, which helps students think from an economist’s perspective, the course examines real and complex problems: the causes of the business cycle, successes and failures of markets, the function of financial markets in the economy, the proper role of government, the benefits and dangers of globalization for the many and the few, and the ever-increasing gap between rich and poor. These topics add up to one overriding question: How can free societies establish a balance between an economy that is efficient and vibrant while at the same time being just and attentive to basic human needs and the environment? Of special interest to those interested in history, politics and public affairs, this course emphasizes discussion and debate, and requires little math.
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To be a citizen of the world necessitates an understanding of Islam and the role the religion has played in the Middle East, past and present. Has the West become embroiled in what Samuel P. Huntington first called a “clash of civilizations,” or might democracy be compatible with Islam? This course addresses a number of vital topics including: the rise and spread of Islam as a world-wide religion; the evolution of Arab-Islamic civilization; the influence of Western imperialism on 20th century Islam and the Middle East; the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in the contemporary Middle East and the historical conditions that have brought about extremism, and in some cases terrorism; and the chances for future peace and stability in the region. Read more

“What China took from India, she passed on to Japan.” With the reputation of cultural borrower, Japan has for centuries adapted imported ideas to fit her own needs. With the second largest economy in the world, and China’s fast approaching, the Japan of today continues to examine its own character and psyche. What is the proper form that Japanese nationalism should take? What of Japan’s role in the Pacific Rim? How can the Japanese reconcile the paradox of human behavior to be found in the symbols of the chrysanthemum and the sword? Has the younger generation become disenchanted with traditional Japanese values? In this study of cultural identity, students view the Japanese of the present and of the past as they see and have seen themselves.
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Using historical works, case law and recent articles, this course introduces the legal system in the United States. Students explore the background of international systems, the Constitutional framework for the judicial branch of the government, and the Bill of Rights to learn how legal systems have evolved from the teachings of Hammurabi to the Kobe Bryant case. Issues in both constitutional and criminal law are considered.
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Latin America is a vast, vital and not very distant area of the world, often viewed with indifference if not ignorance. The Caribbean, itself not quite so vast but just as diverse, encompasses and intermixes indigenous American, African, European and Asian peoples and cultures. This course studies this remarkable region as a whole as well as its component cultures, primarily the central islands (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico), and also the peripheral countries of Central and South America (e.g., Belize and Guyana). These places and peoples, interesting and important in themselves, offer an introduction to historical and contemporary issues, significant in Latin America as well as elsewhere in the non-Western world.
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This course examines the historic art, artifacts and architecture of The Loomis Chaffee School and the Connecticut River Valley. Engaged in hands-on learning with these objects as well as oral history and documentary research, students master the skills of material culture studies. Independent research and group projects allow students to arrive at original conclusions about the significance of these objects in local and school history. Read more

Modern African History introduces students to central topics, themes, theories and debates in African
history since 1800. European colonization and decolonization is discussed from a variety of African and European perspectives. Various national independence movements in Africa, primarily since WWII, along with Cold-War allegiances, ethnic and national conflict, public health issues, human rights, and pan-Africanism form the topics of the latter half of the course. Students explore regional case studies involving the Congo, Eritrea, South Africa and Sierra Leone, and supplement their historical analysis with literary considerations, among them the Negritude movement. Works by Conrad, Achebe, Beah and Paton may also be read. Read more

This course analyzes significant political, cultural, economic and social movements in Europe from 1450 to the present. By examining the relationship between major themes and trends in European history, students consider the role each played in shaping the development of contemporary institutions, traditions and conflict. Topics include: Reformation and Enlightenment, Absolutism and Revolution, Industrialization and Imperialism, War and Diplomacy. Prerequisite: World History, The World After Columbus or the equivalent. Read more

Winston Churchill once referred to Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Students in this course will investigate the contemporary history of this unique and complicated country, and its role as a major world power during the 20th century. Topics include Marxist-Leninist ideology, the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalin’s totalitarian regime and World War II. Particular emphasis is placed on a study of the Cold War and the collapse of communism during the Gorbachev years, concluding with an examination of the post-Soviet policies of Yeltsin and Putin.
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What do you think of when you hear these words: Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Woodstock, Alice’s Restaurant, Black Power, Counterculture, or Women’s Liberation? Historian Todd Gitlin calls the ’60s “years of hope, days of rage.” To what extent did the ’60s explode our popular myths? What legacy have the changes wrought by these turbulent years left to those who have grown up in the ’90s? Drawing upon a rich variety of source material, both firsthand and interpretive, this course examines these and other issues, with particular focus on the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam experience.

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The American Civil War was a defining moment in American history. This course examines the causes of the conflict, the war itself, the period of Reconstruction up to 1877, as well as the meaning of the conflict today. Topics discussed in the course include the political developments in both the North and the South, the question of race and slavery, emancipation, the participation of African Americans in the war, military developments, and advances in medicine. Students will read a mix of primary and secondary source material. Read more

This course — which blends history, political philosophy, and current events — examines the organization and operation of the United States government, both in principle and in practice. Students consider the relationship between the executive, legislative and judicial branches through an investigation of major themes and events in American political history, from the Constitutional Convention to contemporary public policy. Read more

How are our leaders elected? Does the election process produce the best candidates and the most desirable ends? Why do so few eligible voters exercise their right on election day? Do the American people really have a voice? What roles does money play? How do the media effect the election process? While addressing these questions, this course explores the major domestic and foreign policy issues of the campaign and the candidates’ positions on each. Students engage in extensive campaign research and take an integral part in the mock election process that envelops Loomis Chaffee every four years. They also undertake thorough analyses of the election results. Read more

This course examines world history between 1492 and 1750. Using case studies of encounter, interaction and change in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, students learn about the emergence of a new world system. Also, to understand the roots and implications of these changes, students look back from this watershed period of European expansion as well as forward into the modern world.
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This course differs from the standard U.S. history survey course in that not all periods of American history are studied. It is a thematic course rather than a chronological course. The objective, therefore, is to inquire into the nature of the American character and the fundamental characteristics of American civilization. The course emphasizes a multicultural perspective on the American experience through the close study of selected events and themes in American history: the closing of the frontier, immigration, images of nature in American literature and art, and citizens’ impact on the political structure. The third term gives special emphasis to America in the 20th century. Read more

After an overview of Colonial America and the Revolution, this course surveys American history from the founding of the Republic in 1789 to the present day, with some review of the U.S. Constitution. Students approach the history of the United States by concentrating on certain eras: the Federal period, the Early National period, the Jacksonian era, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, The World at War and post-World War II America. Throughout the course students are introduced to the nature of history and to the tools of analysis used by historians.
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This course aims to cultivate the notion of world citizenship; that is, to help students develop a global vision whereby they may make reasoned and informed opinions about the world. Because cultural interaction represents the driving force behind world history, the course focuses on significant points of cultural encounter and exchange to help students better understand how, why and with what consequences the world became so interconnected. On this journey students also compare geographic and cultural perspectives of various societies within the global community into the 20th century. Read more