Updated: Fall 2024
HST 303 | Sectionalism & The American Civil War – Dr. Richard Samuelson
This 3-credit course covers the history of the Civil War. The surprising thing about the American
Civil War is not that it happened, but that American statesmen were able to keep it from happening
for so long. From the dispute over the three-fifths clause in the Constitutional Convention, and in
the ratification debates, to debates over foreign and domestic policy from the start of Washington’s
Presidency, North and South squared off in American politics, over a host of public policy questions
that were ultimately connected with slavery. Those disputes did not stop until the matter ceased to
be a question of ballots and became one of bullets. That being the case, this class studies the history
of sectionalism culminating in the American Civil War.
IDS 393-12 | Constitutional Conflicts in the Early American Republic – Dr. Richard Samuelson
This 3-credit course will study the political and constitutional history of the early republic by
exploring the debates and arguments of the era, first between the colonists and the British, and
then among the Americans themselves. It will explore the contested meaning of the American
Revolution, the debates about constitution writing and the meaning of republican government. It
will also explore the controversy over the process of founding a republic, and then carrying new
constitutions into effect, including controversies and debates about internal improvements, the
national bank, expansion, and slavery, among other subjects.
ENG 201 | Great Books in Continental Literature – Dr. Matthew Mehan
This 3-credit course will introduce the student to Great Books of European literature from the
Renaissance to modern times. Some emphasis will be placed on the literature in the context of
general historical and artistic periods and movements: Renaissance humanism, Enlightenment,
Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism. When appropriate, the function and form of
literary works (for instance, the lyric, the novel, the short story) will be discussed. Authors studied
may include Petrarch, Erasmus, Montaigne, Cervantes, Voltaire, Goethe, Rousseau, Flaubert,
Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Camus, Sartre, and Solzhenitsyn. This course fulfills the upper-level
English requirement under the core.
IDS 393-11 | American National Security Studies – Dr. David Azerrad
This 1-credit course provides a general overview of the key concepts and issues in the study of war,
strategy, and national security policy. This course specifically aims to familiarize students with the
analytical tools necessary to continue the study of national security issues beyond this class.
POL 393 | Contemporary American Political Thought – Dr. David Azerrad
This 3-credit course analyzes the main ideological fault lines that divide the Right and Left in
America today and that cut through them as well. The course will cover major issues in
contemporary politics and relate them to foundational concepts in American political thought. The
course will include topics such as nationalism, populism, identity politics, democratic socialism,
neoliberalism, globalization, environmentalism, or so-called woke capitalism.
JRN 393 | Understanding Narrative & Propaganda in American Journalism – Mrs. Mollie Hemingway
This 1-credit course will seek to understand the principles of unbiased, detailed, and ethical
investigative journalism, by which full information is conveyed, and to learn the practical tools of
the trade. The course is designed to educate and prepare the student and would-be investigative
journalist to practice this art of liberty at the heart of a just and thriving free press. The course will
be informed by historical and contemporary readings as well as assignments that will hone
pragmatic skills.
ECO 493 | Contemporary Economic Issues in American Public Policy – Mr. Brian Reardon
This 3-credit course examines the federal institutions that make economic policy in the United
States. It does so looking through the lens of recent public policy debates. The topics we will cover
include economic growth, income inequality, monetary policy, tax policy, trade, health policy, and
financial regulation. The goal is to provide students with a healthy mixture of theory and practice.
IDS 597-02 | Law and Constitution – Dr. Bradley Watson
This 1-credit course focuses on the legal and constitutional thinking that should be at the center of a
legal career in American constitutional jurisprudence. The course will include talks by legal experts
and guest jurists, as well as a behind-the-scenes visit to the Supreme Court. A JD/PhD expert in
constitutional law will oversee the course.