This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Register for this Western Civilization course to go deep into 20th century history between 1914 and 1945.
Total classes: 14
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade. Middle school students welcome — adjustments can be made to assignments for younger students.
Suggested credit: One full semester European History or World History. For a full-year credit, sign up for The Dividing of Christendom in the spring.
Description
Two World Wars, between 1914 and 1945, smashed many of the old assumptions about Western Civilization. This course is based on Catholic Historian Christopher Dawson’s text of the same name. It traces the major events during this period, focusing on the causes, course and consequences of World Wars I and II, but also including the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Communist Revolutions in Russia and China. This course pairs well with The Dividing of Christendom.
Outline
Week 1: Introduction and overview of syllabus and assignments
Week Weeks 2-7: The First World War
Week 2: “The Hour of Darkness:” Democracy, Disunity, and Total War
Week 3: “Into the Abyss”
Week 4: “Racing to Deadlock”
Week 5: “A Zero-Sum Game”
Week 6: “Bleeding to Death, as Things Fall Apart”
Week 7: “Last Throw of the Dice”
Weeks 8-14: The Second World War
Week 8: “The Failure of the League of Nations”
Week 9: “The Gathering Storm”
Week 10: “Lightning War”
Week 11: “Turning the Tide”
Week 12: “Closing the Ring”
Week 13: “Victory”
Week 14: “Christendom, and the New World”
Materials and Homework
Course materials: None required.
Homework: Writing is an integral part of demonstrating both the assimilation of knowledge, and the articulation thereof. Therefore, students will be guided through the process of writing a short (3- to 5-page, double-spaced) review of a book of their choice relevant to the subject matter.
NOTE: Middle School students taking this class must instead write a 1- to 2-page book report
NOTE: Parents may contact the professor to excuse their students from the written assignments.
Weekly, optional extra-credit review quizzes based on classroom lectures and discussions.
