Fall 2022 Session 2

October 22 to December 15, 2022

HIST 501 O2B/POLSC 501 O2B: The American Revolution (2)

This course focuses on three topics: political developments in North America and the British empire and the arguments for and against independence, culminating in the Declaration of Independence; the Revolutionary War as a military, social and cultural event in the development of the American nation and state; and the United States under the Articles of Confederation.

Instructor: Eric C. Sands (Berry College)

Schedule: Wednesdays, 8:15 pm to 11:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus & Course Packet

HIST 502 O2B/POLSC 502 O2B: The American Founding (2)

This course is an intensive study of the constitutional convention, the struggle over ratification of the Constitution, and the creation of the Bill of Rights. It will include a close examination of the Federalist Papers and the antifederalist papers.

Instructor: Christopher Burkett (Ashland University)

Schedule: Mondays, 6:15 pm to 9:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus & Course Packet

HIST 503 O2B/POLSC 503 O2B: Sectionalism and Civil War (2)

A study of the sectional conflict beginning with the nullification crisis. The course will not only examine the political, social and economic developments in the period leading to the civil war, but will emphasize the political thought of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, and John C. Calhoun.

Instructor: Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University)

Schedule: Mondays, 8:15 pm to 11:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 505 O2B/POLSC 505 O2B: The Progressive Era (2)

The transition to an industrial economy posed many problems for the United States. This course examines those problems and the responses to them that came to be known as progressivism. The course includes the study of World War I as a manifestation of progressive principles. The course emphasizes the political thought of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and their political expression of progressive principles.

Instructor: Jason Jividen (St. Vincent College)

Schedule: Thursdays, 6:15 pm to 9:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 506 O2B/POLSC 506 O2B: The Rise of Modern America, 1914-1945 (2)

With the exception of the Civil War era, it is difficult to find another thirty-year period in U.S. history during which the nation underwent such dramatic change. In 1914 the United States was no more than a regional power, with a primarily rural demography and a relatively unobtrusive federal government. Thanks to the experience of two world wars, a major cultural conflict (the 1920s), and a disastrous economic crisis the country was transformed into the global economic and military power that it remains to this day. This course will examine the cultural, economic, military, and diplomatic events and trends of the period 1914-1945.

Instructor: David Hadley (National Defense University)

Schedule: Thursdays, 8:15 pm to 11:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 507 O2B/POLSC 507 O2B: Abraham Lincoln (2) 

This course provides an in-depth study of Abraham Lincoln’s political thought and action. Students will study Lincoln’s most important speeches, as well as study various aspects of his political leadership, including his role as the leader of the Republican party and as commander in chief. The course will also provide opportunities for students to analyze Lincoln’s rhetoric and political argumentation.

Instructor: Peter C. Myers (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)

Schedule: Mondays, 8:15 pm to 11:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 510 O2A/POLSC 510 O2A:  Great American Texts-John Steinbeck (2)

Scholars and commentators widely regard John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath as one of the most important works of fiction of the 20th century.  Further, Steinbeck himself felt as though he depicted an underlying truth that explained the causes of the Great Depression of the 1930s.  This course examines The Grapes of Wrath both as literature and in its historical context.

Instructor: Stephen K. Tootle (College of the Sequoias)

Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15 pm to 7:50 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 603 O2A/POLSC 603 O2A: Colonial America (2)

This course focuses on the development of an indigenous political culture in the British colonies. It pays special attention to the development of representative political institutions and how these emerged through the confrontation between colonists and King and proprietors. The course also considers imperial politics through a study of the Albany Plan of Union.

Instructor: Todd Estes (Oakland University)

Schedule: Tuesdays, 6:15 pm to 9:30 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus

HIST 632 O2A/POLSC 632 O2A: The American Presidency I-Washington to Lincoln (2)

Over the past sixty years, the judiciary has vastly increased its role in This course is an examination of the political and development of the office of president from the Founding era through the Civil War. It focuses on how the presidency shaped American political life as the country grew and struggled with rising sectional tensions.

Instructor: Elizabeth Amato (Gardner-Webb University)

Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15 pm to 7:50 pm ET

Course Materials: Syllabus