The Great Depression - then and now?

In 2019, the pandemic crashed the economy creating a great deal of uncertainty about the future.  HOw long would it last?  What would be the long-term consequences?  Would the recovery be V shaped, K shaped or something else?  The crisis didn't hit all parts of society equally; social justice issues already being debated intensified.

How should our leadership respond?  What is the role of the government?  Economic Stimulus?  Calling for sacrifice?  Try something new?  Deficit spending?  Modern Monetary Theory?  Universal Basic Income?

We've had these debates before.  During the Great Depressions Americans debated how to respond to an economic collapse accompanied by other disasters.  The details differ, but many of the big themes remain.  Economic orthodoxy of Keynesian economics? Raise tariffs?  Stay on the gold standard?  Provide economic relief?  

Like now, the crisis changed society and brought existing conditions into the light.  Families were under stress.  Jim Crow segregation presented a real challenge to recovery efforts.

The Great Depression changed American politics, economics, and society.  What lessons can we learn for today?  Take the special topics course, the Great Depression taught by Phillip Payne.

  

World Cinema

Professor Dalton is offering World Cinema next semester as a special topics course.  This will be an interesting look at films beyond Hollywood.

History 417: Culture Wars: The Politics of Memory

Dr. Payne, History Department

Spring 2019

MWF 1:30 to 2:20

The culture wars are back (did they ever go away?)

Are we destroying history?

As a society, what do we decide to honor?  What do we decide to forget?  Who gets to decide? What is the difference between history and commemoration?

What does it mean to be American? 

Who Decides?

We’ll look at the issues that divide America along the lines of region, race, religion, gender, generations, and others.

We’ll place many of the current culture wars topics in historical context.  How did we react to black athletes protesting in the past?  Previous debates over immigration?

What happens when the nation’s demographics change?  Does technology bring us together or split us apart?

We’ll look at previous culture wars – prohibition, Scopes Monkey Trial – and some ongoing hot topics – immigration, urban/rural split, race relations. 

History Offerings

Registering for Spring 2017 courses is just around the corner.  With that in mind, the history department is offering some interesting courses including two new special topics courses.  Chris Dalton is teaching the Way of the Warrior in China and Japan.  Steven Pitt is teaching Piracy in the Americas and the American Revolution.  The piracy course is a new offering and the American Revolution is always timely.  Phillip Payne is offering a course the senior reading seminar on the United States Presidency and, with Dennis Frank, Digital History and Archival Practices.  If you want to learn about how historians practice and adapt to the information revolution, this is the class.

Fall '16 Course Offerings

Next fall semester we're offering some interesting courses of note.  Dr. Schaeper is offering a special topics course in European History, Dictatorships and Democracy.  That is certainly a topic of some relevancy.   Dr. Robbins is offering History 401:  Colonial American History, always a fascinating topic especially during an election year as politicians evoke America's origin story.  Professor Dalton's Modern China class will be interesting, especially given the role China plays on the world stage.

Summer 2016 Courses

This summer we're expanding our online courses.

Summer Session 1 we're offering
Payne, History 207:  Sports in American Society
Payne, History 475:  World War II
Dalton, History 360:  World History to 1450
Dalton, History 361:  World History since 1450

The two world history classes fulfill the Clare College World Views requirement.  History 207 is a survey of the social and cultural history of sports from the colonial times to the recent past.  History 475 covers the Second World War from a variety of perspectives.

Summer Session 2 we're offering
Robbing, History 201:  United States History to 1865
History 201 is the first half of the U.S. history survey and fulfills the Clare College Western World requirement.

Fall 2015 Semester Offerings

If you are in the market for a history class, here is what the department is offering next fall.We still have seats in some of these.  If you want to do an independent study or senior thesis discuss it with a professor.

History 100:  First Year Seminar (Horowitz)

History 101:  Europe to 1815 (Schaeper)

History 200:  Historical Methods and Historiography (Horowitz)

History 201:  United States History to 1865 (Robbins and Payne)

History 206:  Introduction to Public History (Payne)

History 208:  History of American Women (Robbins)

History 360:  World History to 1450 (Dalton)

History 363:  Modern China (Dalton)

History 394:  Pre Modern Japan (Dalton)

History 407:  Twentieth Century United States History to 1945 (Payne)

History 491:  Advanced History Reading Program (Horowitz)

History 495:  Internship in History (Payne)