HST 141 - Introduction to History: Reacting to the Past: Race & Power

1 course unit

This course focuses on major political transitions in history with a specific focus on race. We will use the Reacting to the Past model of LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) to think through historical processes, ideas, and structures. Students will complete three multi-week simulations over the course of the semester. Students will receive a character role at the beginning of each simulation; some of these characters are prominent historical figures, while others are composite characters based on age and social positions of important sectors of a given society. Each character has specific goals to achieve that correspond to a political or social position in the specified country during a time of conflict. Students will rely on primary and secondary sources to guide their actions in each simulation as they strive to achieve their victory objectives. Students will read a range of sources, strengthen their close reading skills, and put their analytical and acting skills into action through discussions, debates, performances, and negotiations. The three simulations are: Red Clay, 1835: Cherokee Removal and the Meaning of Sovereignty, Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence, 1945, and The Collapse of Apartheid and the Dawn of Democracy in South Africa.
Meets general academic requirement HU and DE.