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History Department
To the extent that history is the organization and interpretation
of past human experience, almost any event, trend or aspect of
history might be viewed as relevant. Of course, traditional
emphasis on "macro" history - the ebb and flow of whole
societies' military, political, economic, and cultural influence -
provides the organizational concept for our courses, but the study
of varieties of social history and even popular culture often add a
refreshing and colorful, challenging and revealing new dimension.
History at Moravian is studied for two main reasons: 1.)
to understand well-inspected examples of human experience that
reveal principles of human interaction; and 2.) to understand
how the evolution of past forces, be they strengths or problems, has
helped form present society (and how they point to the
future). There is also a third reason, no doubt less
academically rigorous but possibly the most valuable as a point of
entry for high school students: history as "time
travel," as stories that were real yet invite a romantic
involvement in another time, place and type of society, that is, not
as material that relentlessly points to the hard realities of the
present.
As students move through our three required courses - Ancient
History, World History and United States History - and into
electives, they are urged to analyze materials in class discussion
and in writing at increasingly high conceptual levels and with
increasing argumentative rigor. The aim of the department is
not so much to have the students accumulate the facts of history per
se as it is to help them develop the interest in and habit of
understanding any information about human experience and then
reconciling it to an analytical framework.
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| Course Descriptions |
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Ancient
History
(9th grade) |
2 Semesters, 1 Credit |
| Building on the study of ancient
civilizations in the lower grades, this course focuses on
classical civilization: the origins of Hellenic
culture,
Greece
in the Golden Age, the Hellenistic world, the
Roman
Republic
, and the
Roman empire
to the decline of the west. Attention is given to
social, economic, and political history, but special
emphasis is placed on discussion of ideas, especially the
ideas of classical civilization that still influence and
challenge us today. The course also emphasizes the
development of skills in conversation, critical thinking,
analytical reading, and expository essay writing which will
be fundamental to later courses. |
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World History
(10th grade) |
2 Semesters, 1 Credit |
| This course will present a
conspectus on the major ideas and events that have shaped
world history. The course begins with an examination
of ancient Asian cultures. Students are then presented
with an overview of medieval civilization of the West.
Special focus is given to the transition to the modern world
by covering the Renaissance and Reformation, the rise of
capitalism, the evolution of nation-states, and the rise of
modern science. The course concludes with a study of
revolution and an examination of the challenges facing the
world in the 21st century. |
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United States
History
(11th grade) |
2 Semesters, 1 Credit |
| The basic structure of this
course, a traditional survey of the American experience from
colonization to the present, is substantially complemented
by a variety of more sophisticated, interpretive approaches,
including analysis of themes and focused inspection of
issues in constitutional, political, social and cultural
history. Additional materials such as prominent
primary documents, scholarly articles, personal letters and
excerpts and diaries are assigned frequently to provide
detailed examples and to stimulate discussion. |
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AP United States
History
(11th grade) |
2 Semesters, 1 Credit |
| In comparison to the regular
sections, in AP the basic facts and themes are reviewed but,
within each unit, even more quickly become assumed
knowledge. Thus, the class turns to a substantial
variety and quantity of additional materials and types of
history, as noted above, and to the analytical discussions
they engender. Historiography, the evolution of
differences in interpretation among professional historians,
is therefore an important part of the course.
Prerequisite: A minimum grade of "B" in
World History and departmental approval. |
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AP European
History
(Senior Elective)
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2 Semesters, 1 Credit |
| The study of European history
since 1450 introduces students to cultural, economic,
political, and social developments that played a fundamental
role in shaping the world in which they live. Without this
knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the
development of contemporary institutions, the role of
continuity and change in present-day society and politics,
and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression
and intellectual discourse. In addition to providing a basic
narrative of events and movements, European History AP
further develops (a) an understanding of some of the
principal themes in modern European History, (b) an ability
to analyze historical evidence and historical
interpretation, and (c) an ability to express historical
understanding in writing.
Prerequisite: A minimum grade of "B' in United
States History. |
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| China:
20th Century History |
Fall Semester (Honors), ½ Credit
Spring Semester (Honors), ½ Credit |
| This course examines the Great
Chinese Revolution which changed China from a medieval
empire to a modern nation. Topics include the Qing
(Manchu) Dynasty and its problems, the encounter with the
West, the Self-Strengthening Movement, the Boxer Rebellion,
the Republican and Nationalist Revolutions, Mao and the
Communists, WWII and the "Rape of Nanking," the
Communist takeover, the Great Leap Forward, the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the death of Mao, and the
transition to a mixed socialist/capitalist economy under CCP
leadership.
Prerequisite: B in U.S. History and departmental
approval |
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| Latin America:
20th Century History
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Spring Semester, ½ credit |
| Since the promulgation of the
Monroe Doctrine, Washington’s planners have considered
Latin America to be within the US sphere of influence.
This, of course, is a vision that Latin America’s
inhabitants have consistently contested in ways as varied as
their complex cultural tapestry. The long reach of US
policy through local proxies and elites has been
increasingly challenged in recent years as the citizens of
one Latin American democracy after another bring to power
men like Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia,
or Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, leaders the likes of whom
have often solicited violent reactions from local US-backed
groups in the past. In other nations like Mexico or
Chile, long-ruling party machines have been cast off or
once-unlikely candidates like Michelle Bachelet have come to
the fore confirming the resurgence of long-oppressed
elements. In still others tremendous tensions simmer
just below the surface, ready to explode.
In short, we now sit at a critical juncture in American
(and throughout this course we will use this term in its
broadest sense—as they do in Latin America—to encompass
the Americas) history. In this course we will strive
to make sense of recent developments by examining key
precedents in Latin American history—the 1973 coup in
Chile, the Cuban revolutionary experiment, the Mexican
Revolution and the Chiapas Rebellion of 1994, the cocaine
trade and attempts at its suppression, or the Sandinista
Revolution in Nicaragua. Using a variety of lively
sources, from press accounts to recent histories and memoirs
to films, we will discuss today’s Latin America with an
eye both to US planners’ roles in framing the legacy of
the Monroe Doctrine and reactions against this legacy.
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| Challenge
20/20: |
Fall Semester, ½
Credit |
| Twenty Global Problems and 20
Years to Solve Them (Open to Seniors)
Sponsored by NAIS and based on Jean Francois Rischard’s
book High Noon, this course will be based on reading
and comprehending the nature of the 20 problems facing the
world during the next 20 years. Upon its completion students
would be expected to step away from the text, do team-based
or independent research on one of the issues and develop
solutions based on the context in the US. Throughout
the course students at Moravian would be teamed via the
internet with students in another school in the
international community who would be working on the same
problem from the perspective of their own country/culture.
Research papers, in-class presentations, an assembly or
chapel presentation, and global communication with the
partner school are required and form the primary basis of
evaluation. |
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| European
Art History |
Spring Semester,
½ Credit |
| This course exposes
students to the three most significant painters of each
century and how they influenced each other, beginning with
the Early Renaissance and concluding with the beginning of
the 20th century. Students will examine, for example, how
Rembrandt, Rubens, and Velazquez contributed to each
others’ artistic development and to the great achievements
of the 17th century. As we compare and contrast the great
artists and their contemporaries, we will look at how the
classical, or Apollonian, approach differed from the more
emotional, or Dionysian, stream in artistic expression. In
addition, we will examine how the more expressive approach
of artists beginning with 17th century, such as Franz Hals,
influenced later artists such as 19th century painter
Delacroix and 20th century great Francis Bacon. The course
grade will be based on weekly or bi-weekly quizzes, two
major tests, one major presentation on a selected artist,
and a final project in which a student may create an
original artwork based upon the artistic principles studied
or a presentation about an artist of the 20th century based
upon a research paper. Students will go on an excursion to
the Allentown Art Museum and to the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City. No prior artistic experience is
required to take this course. |
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| Modern
Middle East |
Spring Semester, ½ credit |
| This course will
examine the region of the Middle East in the twentieth
century and the early twenty-first century. It will begin
with a religious background on Islam, Judaism, and
Christianity as well as the political structure of the
Ottoman Empire of the nineteenth century. With those two
areas as a base, the course will examine the effects of the
First World War on the formation and transformation of the
modern nations of the region and the roots of the conflict
between the various groups in the area. The course will
focus mainly on the conflict between the Arab nations and
the state of Israel through the examination of the three
Arab-Israeli wars and the subsequent armed conflicts. In
addition, the class will explore the competing movements of
Pan-Arabism and Pan-Islamism, as well as the rise of
terrorism in the region. The students will read in a general
text, historical documents, and literature of the various
perspectives in the region. |
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| Economics |
Fall Semester, ½ Credit |
| Economics pertains
to scarcity and is inspired by the theory that we cannot
always have everything we would like to have causing
difficult decisions to ensue. This introductory course will
explore a variety of concept in both microeconomics and
macroeconomics. Students will learn about basic concepts
such as opportunity cost and supply and demand; they will
apply them to current national and international issues like
outsourcing, monetary policy, government’s role in a
market economy, and the wealth gap. Students will also have
the opportunity to participate in the “Stock Market
Game”, a real-time simulation that teaches students about
the stock market and how to invest wisely and
conscientiously. In addition, regular tests, writing, class
participation, and group work will play significant roles in
course assessments. |
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| Contemporary
Issues: Race Relations in the United States |
Spring Semester, ½ Credit |
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| This course examines the cultural
and social development of race relations within the context
of US history. The course examines the political,
economic, and social consequences of racial discrimination,
industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and cultural
diffusion in the United States. Through primary
materials, secondary resources, art, and music, the course
explores the challenges that various racial groups currently
face in the 21st Century. The reading materials focus
on the choices of historical actors; transitions in
political, social, and economic conditions in the United
States; and notable intellectuals, religious leaders, labor
organizers, and artists. The course offers a
discussion of race and difference in the late nineteenth and
into the early 21st century. This course will discuss
issues of race and class as seen though selected events such
as the Katrina hurricane disaster, Jena 6, Pat’s Steak
House language debate, Rutgers Women’s Basketball
controversy and Senator Obama’s speech on race relations.
The current events selected for study in this course will
enable students to develop a perspective on race relations
within political, cultural, economic and social contexts.
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