Integrated Humanities: The Modern World

This Integrated Modern Humanities course is a philosophical, historical, and literary study of the development of the Western world from 1450 to the late twentieth century. It begins with an appraisal of the ancient and medieval worlds, and then moves into the primary events that shaped modern Western civilization, including the rise of modern Europe and the nation-state, revolutions in thought and life, conquest and imperialism, ideological and international conflicts, and the postwar world. As students deepen their knowledge of modern civilization, they make connections across the curriculum to create a framework for understanding the past and its influence on the present. Students read primary source documents and selections from great authors of the period, including Milton, Shakespeare, Austen, and Dickens; they also construct timelines, examine maps and artwork, study film, write research papers, and participate in Socratic seminars. Through these studies, students synthesize their reading, writing, and discussion skills to engage with enduring human questions concerning virtue, moral identity, and the consequences of human decisions. Writing includes analytical, informative, and narrative forms, culminating in a major thesis paper that integrates literature and history, while independent reading and Socratic seminars develop the reading, analytical, and writing skills necessary for college and lifelong inquiry.