This course will satisfy the U.S. History requirement but is open to non-juniors. It will be an intensive exploration of the momentous changes that rocked America in the decades after World War II. Topics covered will include suburbanization, the Red Scare, Nuclear Fear, the Beats and the rise of youth culture, the critiques of conformity, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement, the counterculture, rock and roll, changing sexual mores, second-wave feminism, the birth of the gay rights movement, the American Indian Movement, environmentalism, and, in response to all of these challenges, the consolidation of modern conservatism. This period is one of the most dramatic in U.S. history, with radical shifts in political thought and social mores. We will read manifestoes, short stories and memoirs, watch Hollywood films and documentaries, attempting to come at this period from as many angles as possible to try to get a clear view of this fractured time.

With intense battles over deficits, tariffs, the debt limit, regulation, tax rates, and the role of government in the economy, the discipline of Economics is at the heart of political debate. But too few people actually understand the theories underlying the arguments or even what the words people are using mean. This course will attempt to remedy that. We will start with a consideration of the great economists—Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Keynes, etc.—looking at their works both as ways of understanding how economies do work and how they should work. In other words, how should labor be organized and how should its fruits be distributed? Then we will look at the major theories and issues of contemporary economics, helping students understand such things as inflation, interest rates, regulation and deregulation, budget deficits, trade deficits, taxation, the stock market, currency trading, banking, savings rates, etc. The goal of the course is essentially twofold: 1) To consider the philosophical and ethical questions of political economics, and 2) To give students the intellectual tools they need to be economically informed citizens.

Documentary films are a powerful way to inform the public about environmental issues. Because they represent real people, documentaries are powerful rhetorical tools directors and producers use to provoke deep, empathetic responses. Although documentary films with themes of environmental activism date back to the silent film era, the 21st Century has seen a spike in the number of quality films that engage the public in environmental issues. In this class, students will study the documentary film genre, analyze films, and discuss the ethics of creating documentary films.

What is “Infrastructure” anyway?  What is in the bills that Congress is currently debating?  And how does all that relate to our lives in Williamstown?  We reside in a rural area, where vital processes such as power generation and waste removal are largely out of sight. It is easy to forget that even while we are surrounded by nature, huge networks of pipes, power lines, and sewage tunnels that sustain us lie beneath our feet. Where do they begin and end? We will be exploring our waterworks and sewage networks, how our region produces and consumes power, the sustainability of our power, the history behind why certain items are located in specific places, the politics of how our infrastructure is developed, and the question of whether or not Williamstown is prepared to handle our changing climate.

What is a self? Is it possible to have more than one self? What kinds of things can have selves? How are selves related to minds, brains, and bodies? Together we will explore these questions and consider their significance in our own lives and in our interactions with others. Through autobiographical writing, reading, art activities, and hands-on experiments we will critically
engage with different theories of self and analyze how these theories have evolved throughout history. We will think about technology, artificial intelligence, animals, emotions, memories, and identities. Our ultimate goal will be to better understand what makes us who we are and how this understanding informs our thoughts and actions as we move through the world.

How should society be organized to maximize the good life? To ask that question is to open up a series of questions about values and meaning as well as questions about rights, power, and human relationships. This course will approach fundamental questions about how we should live as individuals in a society. It will use as a central text Glenn Tinder’s Political Thinking: The Perennial Questions, which is constructed as a series of questions about human nature and values, the answers to which point to different political theories. The class will require short pieces of daily reading and writing and will be based on student-driven discussion.

This semester, we will explore the question, “What is political power in the United States?” This course will place an emphasis on political participation, both as an individual and as organizations. We will look at examples from the recent past, to determine what makes one successful in politics, and what does not. This course will not focus solely on Political Parties, but will also touch on youth movements, labor unions, grassroots advocacy groups, and more.

A United States History Course is required of all Juniors who have not yet completed a US History course.

How did the United States end up like this? That is the basic question of this course. But also: how do we know what has happened in the past, in this place? And: did it have to happen that way? And finally: why does it matter? Historians Lisa McGirr and Eric Foner have called U.S. history an act of “collective self-discovery,” and that will be our mission. To work together to understand the place where—for better and for worse—we all currently live. Our studies will take us from the first peopling of the land over 10,000 years ago to the current day, with a focus on the United States since its founding in the 18th century. We will also regularly interrupt our chronology to study civic and political institutions in this country today, as well as the role of the historian in recording, studying, shaping, manipulating, publicizing, remembering, memorializing, celebrating, lamenting, telling, and retelling America’s past for America’s present.

This semester, we will explore the question “What political power in the United States?”. This course
will place an emphasis on political participation, both as an individual and as organizations. We will
look at examples from the recent past, to determine what makes one successful in politics, and what
does not. This course will not focus solely on Political Parties, but will also touch on
youth movements, labor unions, grassroots advocacy groups, and more.

To understand where we are, we have to know where we came from, and much of American culture
has European roots. This course will continue the survey of the intellectual and cultural heritage of
Europe that we began in September with the Middle Ages. It will draw from Art, Literature,
Philosophy, Music and Religion to give students a fuller sense of the development of European
ideology and culture. Although it will be a full-year survey, it will be divided into semesters, and
students can take either semester by itself. The Spring will begin with the Scientific Revolution and
will continue up to the present, addressing the French Revolution, industrialization, romanticism,
imperialism, and the main social and political movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

An important part of each student’s junior year is the Junior Thesis and Project. The thesis is an opportunity for independent research, creative expression, and learning how to plan and execute a long-term project. Students pick a topic that interests them and spend much of the year researching and writing an ambitious paper about it. Additionally, students are asked to produce a creative piece to complement their academic work. Thesis topics have included the history and practice of ballet, the work of the controversial director Elia Kazan, the tradition and significance of Japanese tea ceremonies, and the history of the Middle East. Creative projects have ranged from staging original one-act plays to doing dance demonstrations to preparing a special meal for the entire school.