H441W Advanced Placement World History
This Advanced Placement course explores World History from the 11th century to the present with an emphasis on the major political, religious, social, and cultural connections around the globe. The course requires extensive reading and writing skills and students must be comfortable working with primary and secondary sources. More information about the curriculum is available on the College Board website. Students taking AP World History are required to take the AP exam in May and must be approved for the course. Summer work is required.
H342MA Modern Asian History
As the twenty first century progresses, no country will be more important to know than the People’s Republic of China, and no region plays a bigger role in shaping the world than the Middle East. Themes covered throughout the course of the year include but are not limited to China struggling and succeeding in engaging modernity, China’s relations with its neighbors and issues including Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, the creation of Israel, Palestine, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. The course utilizes primary and secondary sources, documentaries, as well as two books the class reads together.
H342MP Modern Politics and Current Issues
Modern Politics and Current Issues is a highly interactive course that provides students with an appreciation of how government works to develop policies and address the key challenges American faces in the 21st Century. Students will use their understanding of American government, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights as well as the media, political parties, and special interest groups to confront and debate key issues of today. Students will engage in activities to understand the formulation of public policy in America and the struggles associated with reaching consensus through the lens of current issues as well as the campaign for the Presidency and Congressional leadership in 2020.
H342GE Grand Expectations – America in the Age of Civil Rights and Vietnam
This course takes a close look at one of our nation’s most promising and turbulent eras in the 20th Century. Themes include the civil rights movement and the historical forces that shaped the successes and failures of the movement, issues of race in our world today, the Vietnam conflict at home and abroad, American exceptionalism and vulnerability. A research project is required in the winter trimester, and the course emphasizes reading, writing, and communication skills. This course is not offered every year.
H342CW America and the Cold War
This course examines the conflict between the United States and The Soviet Union which was one of the most dominant social forces in the twentieth century. At home Cold War rhetoric and fear helped shape domestic policy and pop culture, and overseas the conflict touched every region of the world and unleashed developments that profoundly shape the global community today. The course emphasizes skills over content, with specific attention paid to developing and defending an argument, research, collaboration, and public speaking.
H342CG 20th Century Global Issues
This course is designed to provide a foundation for understanding the political. Economic, cultural, and physical geography of some non-western countries. Current events form an important part of classroom discussions. The impact of the past upon the present is stressed through an exploration of the roots of current conditions and conflicts. Readings incorporate material on the ideas, warfare, technology, science, philosophy and religion.
H342CP Coloring Our Past
The traditional narrative of Black History in our classrooms is that there was slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and then Obama became president. This ignores countless stories of heroism, horror, resilience, trauma, and strength. Students will look locally to find these vibrant stories and share them publicly to present a fuller picture of our community. In this course, students will direct themselves to the stories that interest them most. They will research to add more detail, color, and connectivity, and choose what skills they want to employ to present it, authentically and publicly. In past years, students have featured their work with organizations, societies, and on social media. They have arranged for a civic ceremony, written articles featured in journals and magazines, designed websites, and planned, coordinated, documented, and produced a major symposium that included eight local schools. This unique course provides history students with a chance to become active participants in uncovering and sharing stories that often go untold.
H445A Archival History
Inspired by the official history of Salisbury School from 1901-1986, A Light in the Cupola, this course will be an opportunity for students to lead the wider community in telling the school’s story from 1987 to the present day. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the storied history of the school and add their voices to something that will be read by students and alumni for years to come. Through archival research and engagement with alumni and past faculty, the students will gain expertise in specific areas of the school’s past and culminate their learning by drafting a manuscript that will become the basis of an updated account of the school’s history. Along the way, students will have opportunities to teach their peers and the community about their findings through a series of talks, programming, and multimedia informational displays. We will aim to see this project completed in advance of the school’s 125th anniversary in 2026.
H600PH Philosophy in History: Making Sense of Life
The state of human existence has puzzled people since the beginning of thought. For thousands of years some of the strongest minds on the planet have grappled with questions such as: What is the purpose of life? What is good? Is there a God? What is true? Philosophy does not stand alone in the academic world. Human events: wars, famines, cycles of prosperity and poverty, technological advances have all swayed the way human’s view life. This class will delve deeply into these subjects and the philosophers who espoused ways of making sense of them. Most importantly we will see how these ideas might affect our daily lives at the personal level.
