History   

This course proposes to examine the Gettysburg Campaign of June and July of 1863. Gettysburg was the largest battle ever fought in North America and occupies a prominent place in the popular view of the Civil War. The overarching goal of the course is to show how several rapid and critical battlefield decisions likely made the difference between victory and defeat for the Union Army. The course will be divided into four sessions. The first will discuss the status of the Civil War in the summer of 1863 and the historical context of the Civil War. Each of the other sessions will deal with one different day of the three-day Gettysburg battle and the critical decisions made that day that set the stage for the next day’s fighting. There is no required reading but any of the following are recommended prior to class: the Ken Burns PBS documentary “The Civil War,” the movie “Gettysburg” (1993), and/or the historical novel “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara.

“Ancient science fiction, paleontology, free-thinkers, and eats” sums it up well. The course covers four distinct topics, knitted together by a common background in the Greco-Roman world. Did the Greeks and Romans have memes and stories that echo down into modern science fiction? What did they make of the giant bones that were cropping up all over the Mediterranean? Is it true that philosophical atheism in the West dates back not to the Enlightenment, but to the 5th century BCE? How did the ancients eat, drink, and party? These topics have been chosen not because they are important to the grand sweep of history, but because they are intrinsically interesting and lead us down byways of ancient history that we normally miss. Although they are not taught in “classic” Classics courses, they reveal a great deal about the depth and sophistication of ancient thought. This PowerPoint-assisted lecture course includes short videos, Q and A, and discussion. No previous experience or study is required.

Most Americans have heard of the “shot heard ‘round the world” in 1775 at Lexington, MA; the frozen 1777 winter camp of Valley Forge; the 1776 Christmas surprise attack on Trenton; and the set-piece siege of Yorktown in 1781. Without question these were high points in the American Revolutionary War. However, they’ve been placed in such high esteem in American history courses that there’s been little room left for other important battles. Many more are worthy of consideration, especially in the South. The massacre of Waxhaws, the disaster of Camden, the exquisite victory at the Cowpens, the destruction of a loyalist force at King’s Mountain, the narrow escape in the “Race to the Dan,” and the siege and capture of Charleston, to name a few. America’s second-most important battle commander, Nathanael Greene, came into his own in this period. This lecture course will present many of these consequential battles and events in the American Revolutionary War. Neither Part 1 nor prior knowledge is required.

Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films on PBS for more than 40 years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students and introduce new ideas and perspectives. Using the documentary “US and the Holocaust” by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein as a starting point, the course will use video clips and a discussion guide to consider the US response to the Holocaust. Lesson topics cover the impacts of Nazi ideology, US immigration law in the period of 1924-1941, US media coverage of the Holocaust and its role in shaping what America knew, the varying symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, an examination of how people make choices during times of crisis, and an inquiry inviting students to consider if US public opinion influenced US response to the Holocaust.

NOTE: Be warned that this film and the course contain material that may be sensitive for some students. Watching the documentary before the course is recommended, but not required.

JFK’s assassination in broad daylight on a street in Dallas has been described by many as “the crime of the century” and, for many of our generation, was the most shocking public event in memory. According to the Warren Commission appointed by LBJ, the murder was committed by a lone gunman firing three shots from the window of a book warehouse overlooking the motorcade route. Others have demurred, suggesting multiple shooters and a conspiracy. This course is a nitty gritty evaluation of the crime scene, touching on larger political and social issues that directly affected what happened in Dealey Plaza. The instructor has no preconceived “position,” and students should not expect simplistic, prepackaged “answers.” The course will be in lecture format, with questions and comments welcome. There will be plentiful maps, diagrams, and contemporary and vintage videos; some materials may be disturbing. No prior knowledge or outside reading is required.

Let me tell you the story about the CBI (China Burma India) Theater of operation in WWII, often called the forgotten theater. It is a story of ingenuity, bravery, suffering, and finally success in the jungles and mountains of Burma. Lecture and discussion will include the beginnings of WWII, what was happening in China and Burma, the Japanese takeover, why it was important to supply the Chinese, stories about the Flying Tigers, General Stillwell, Flying the Hump, Merrills’ Marauders, the supply chain and the difficulty in keeping it going, details in building the Ledo Road from India to link up to the Burma Road in northern Burma, getting over large rivers, and surviving Japanese bombing attacks. Many personal experiences will be shared from letters and stories told to the instructor by his father, as well as material from his father’s collection of over 1,000 photographs taken during the war. Curiosity about the history of WWII is the only requirement for this course.

In the year 750 AD, there was a revolution which, over the next five centuries, profoundly transformed the Islamic world in such diverse areas as politics, theology, law, philosophy, and more. The leaders of this far-reaching transformation were a ruling dynasty called the Abbasids. This lecture course on Zoom will introduce you to them, their history, and some of the amazing people and events that occurred under their rule. Along the way we will investigate the early history of Islam and a number of related issues, including the Sunni-Shi’a division, the rise of Shari’a and the schools of the law, and the surprising role of Western philosophy in the development of Islamic thought. No prior background in this subject is needed. Detailed lecture notes will be provided, and questions are always welcome.

The Korean War (or Conflict) encompassed the collision of post-WWII China, the Soviet Union, North Korea, and the US. The war was waged against a background of fear in the US over the rise of Communism. New technology was pitted against a massive force of battle-hardened Chinese soldiers. An aged Douglas MacArthur ignored Harry Truman, General Walton Walker, and his own intelligence corps to send US soldiers to the Korea/China border, and into a deadly trap. Korea was this country’s reckoning with its own exceptionalism. Were lessons learned? We shall see. While this course has been previously taught, new information will be added. Prior to each class, a lecture outline will be sent via email; after each class, a printed version of the lecture will be distributed (minus the interesting in-class discussion), also via email. Each class will include time for questions and discussion, and a full range of viewpoints will be covered. No background, knowledge, or outside reading will be required.