United States History

Mr. Healy

2005-2006

Course Description:

Lakeside’s United States History course is designed to cover the events that occurred in what is now America from the first encounters with Europeans in the 17th century to the constitutional protocols that brought George W. Bush to the presidency.  It also seeks to provide practice in the skills of an historian: careful reading and examination of textual materials, thoughtful listening and the collaborative development of ideas and theories, and the ability to write with power, analysis and insight. 

An addition to these skills is perhaps the more important task of this course: to develop your ability to think critically.  This is an overused phrase in today’s educational world, but in this course, it will mean the continual practice of identifying aspects of thinking (purpose, data, assumptions, conclusions, questions at issue, point of view, concepts and implications) and also the discipline of evaluating those aspects according to standards of excellence (clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance).  Don’t worry if some of these terms don’t make sense right now, they will. Because it is impossible to think about nothing, we will use our study of United States History as the “something” to think about as we learn and practice our thinking. 

Objectives

The objectives of this course are three:

1. To learn the story of this country’s history at a level which makes you, in the words of E.D. Hirsch, “culturally literate”.  That is, so that you know enough about the United States and its development to be able to make connections between it and the world that you are about to inherit.
2. To engage you in a way that will excite and captivate your mind.  Although this may sound hokey, my goal is to get every student to a place where they will want to take another U.S. History course, engage in a meaningful conversation about a historical film that they have seen or (gasp) read another book or novel on American History.
3. Most people’s ideas come into their minds without their having thought about them. They unconsciously pick up what the people around them think.  They unconsciously pick up what is on television or in the movies.  They unconsciously absorb ideas from their teachers.  They are the products of forces they did not choose and they reflect those forces without understanding them. The third objective of this course is to reverse that process, by learning to practice skills that enable one to start to take charge of the ideas that run one’s life.  It is to think consciously and deliberately and skillfully in ways that transform oneself.  It is to begin to remake one’s own mind; to develop a mind that is analogous to the body of a person that is physically fit.  It is like a puppet that discovers the strings and figures out how to gain control of the way they are pulled.

Sound like a lot?  It is. 

We have much to do this year, and not much time together to do it. Your learning outside of class will often overshadow the learning that you do inside class.  Do not wait for me to be present for your learning to occur!  You will be expected to be thoughtful, disciplined historians.  You will be expected to push your study of the subject and you will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning at several points in the year.  You will be expected to think and behave as the young adults that you are, and you will be expected to voice your thoughtful opinion about what kind of learning works best for you.  The challenge will be great, but the support is great as well.  Please use me as much or often as you wish, knowing that I am here to serve your education. 

How to contact me:

Home phone:

425-482-0877 (Please feel free to call me with questions or concerns, however please don’t call after 9 p.m.)

Email:

Than.Healy@lakesideschool.org (I check constantly between 6 am and 4 pm weekdays and only occasionally on weekends)

Isabel Landsberg:

Saint Isabel will know where I am, when I am free and when we can get together to talk when I am not immediately visible.  Please visit her in her sanctuary (Bliss 28) to schedule an appointment with me or else see me in class to set up conferences.