History

The History Department emphasizes the thematic approach to the study of history. We see history not solely as a continuum of time but also as a continuum of competing and complementary values and ideologies. We also pay special attention to the role of place and environment in determining historical narratives, so that history is seen as a confluence of both human motivation and environmental contingencies. To that end, we focus on the following four themes: The Good Life, The Covenant, Space as Place, and Historical Archetype.

We teach history in order to inculcate in our students the power of analytical thinking, to foster personal reflection, and to gird the larger stories that inform our students’ individual lives. World Geography (9th grade) provides a value-based platform in which students are asked to reflect upon world events in a personal yet informed manner. History of the Western World (10th grade) provides the historical backdrop to much of what can be considered modern history’s ancestry. Students are exposed to the historical interplay that exists between philosophical thought and human action, literary reasoning and historical result. American History (11th grade) is divided into four thematic units: American Conquest, The American Other, The American Dream, and The American World. This course also includes the research and writing of a 12- to 14-page term paper, with special emphasis on creating an original and workable thesis statement that moves beyond capable summary into thoughtful analysis. The 9th, 10th, and 11th grade history courses share interdisciplinary themes with their English counterparts. The 12th grade (senior history electives) then addresses a culmination of all these skills in various adaptive forms.

The art of discussion among students—as opposed to a question-and-answer format—is the methodological approach of history teachers at CRMS. In addition, emphasis is placed on the following core skills: reading, retention, crafting, and expression. Ultimately, these skills demand an active and dynamic partnership between teacher and student, between thought and delivery, between inquiry and result.

History 9 - World Geography
This course is an introduction to global issues, providing students with a geographic approach that enables them to better understand the relationships between people and the environment. We examine world problems, conflicts, the unequal distribution of wealth and power, environmental concerns, and the locations and distribution of these issues, as well as relevant cultural components.

ESL History Intermediate
International students examine American customs, government, and history. Students develop reading, writing, and research skills and complete two major research papers. Students also develop discussion, presentation, and debating skills, which enable them to better participate in all of their classes.

History 10: History of the Western World
This required course for all 10th graders studies the history of Western ideas and events. It begins with an historical study and analysis of the Judeo-Christian tradition and ends with a study of 20th-century European events and philosophical trends. The course consistently deliberates on the connections between philosophical thought and the historical context that both informs and influences the Western tradition.

Foundations of Western Civilization (International Program)
This course prepares students for succeeding in upper-level history courses. The curriculum connects to topics covered in Literature and Composition. Through the study of Western civilization, students continue to develop their reading, writing, and speaking skills and begin to apply their background knowledge to historical events, moral debates, and geo-political issues. This course is integrated with our mainstream History 10 class.

History 11: American History
CRMS’s American History course requires students to evaluate events of the past and expand their bases of factual knowledge. Students will encounter the perplexities inherent in the study of history by being introduced to different interpretations of such ideas as slavery, the Civil War, settlement of the West, the World Wars, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights Movement. Round-table discussion is the milieu of this course, which requires faithful and thoughtful reading by each student. Overarching themes will be consistently referred to, such as conquest, race and gender, cultural relativism, affluence, and expansion, as a means to providing a larger cloak of analysis that can then reference specific historical events. The culminating project is a 12- to 14-page research paper that is broken down into four separate assignments throughout the year. The primary goal of the paper is to allow students to make original and compelling contributions to the historical record based upon their sincere and personal interests in the topic of choice. This course is required for all juniors unless given a waiver by the Academic Dean or enrolled in AP U.S. History.

Advanced Placement U.S. History
This course is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students will learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. AP U.S. History will thus develop in students the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format. (Adapted from The College Board Advanced Placement Program.) Taking the advanced placement test is required. This course is open only to juniors.

Senior History Electives
As with senior English electives, these one-semester offerings are based on student and teacher interests; not all are available each year.

RECENT SENIOR HISTORY ELECTIVES HAVE INCLUDED:

Geopolitical Studies
Geopol will examine significant international and domestic geopolitical situations. A geographic approach enables students to clarify their views and participate in complex issues with a sense of power. We study numerous geopolitical issues from the drug wars in Columbia to other foreign policy decisions made by the United States in the past 40 years. Essays and video interviews with terrorists and soldiers reveal insights into the dynamics of “hate” and the origins of conflicts from the Middle East to Africa to America. Domestic issues will include an examination of the racial landscape in America covered in the book Makes Me Wanna Holler. Interviews with gang members and police officers offer profound insights into our views on race as we explore Affirmative Action and local racism. We will look at the distribution of wealth in America and the critical economic and political issues that have resulted from a situation where the top 1% of Americans own more than the bottom 91%. Renowned authors like Hanna Arendt, Yevtushenko, Martin Luther King, Machiavelli, and Camus provide abundant grist for enthusiastic conversations and papers. In Geopolitical Studies, students debate, discuss, speak, and write as they clarify their views about critical issues.

Philosophy & Religion: The Western Tradition
The class often starts with an inquiry into the realm of faith and thought, and continues through the major philosophic periods starting with the ancient Greeks and ending with the ideas, concepts, and problems that are germane to the modern world. Readings that support this inquiry come from primary philosophic literature, novels, short stories, essays, theater pieces, and selected secondary materials.

Philosophy and Religion: The Eastern Tradition
The class often starts with an inquiry into the importance of heterogeneity and diversity of religions and philosophic expression and then goes on to focus on the major religious and philosophic traditions and paths of Eastern peoples: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Islam. The semester ends with a study of modern philosophic issues and problems that belong to both the Eastern and Western worlds. Readings that support this inquiry come from the primary pieces of sacred literature and philosophy that belong to these traditions as well as selected secondary materials.