- 450 Level: Advanced (ADV)
- History
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Spring
PREREQ: For rising sophomores and juniors, completion of ADV History application and written departmental approval
What are revolutions and what drives them? Are all revolutions essentially about tensions between economic classes? When are they about trying to create a better world and when are they simply excuses for violence? Are they just about one group trying to gain power over others? Why are some revolutions successful while others falter? To what extent have revolutions created the structures and paradigms of our world? Students will grapple with these and other questions and then analyze historical revolutions, which might include the Haitian, French and Russian revolutions. In addition to works of historical and political scholarship, we will also use a variety of other sources — including art and film — to understand the nature of revolutions. Classes will often revolve around seminar discussions, and students should be prepared to evaluate primary sources and sophisticated works of modern scholarship. Each student will also explore a revolution beyond the ones that we discuss as a class. Using the theories of revolution that we have studied and developed, each student will pick a more recent revolution from any part of the world (including ones that are ongoing), conduct in-depth research, compose a paper and present their own conclusions.
- Grade 10
- Grade 11
- Grade 12