History
The history curriculum at Pacifica Christian begins with a study of the civilizations which have provided the foundation for our Western culture and which have been instrumental in God’s unfolding plan for mankind. The epic poetry of Homer and Virgil and the dramas of Sophocles and Seneca provide the touchstones of Western literature. The history of Western thought is in large part a response to Plato and Aristotle. Herodotus and Thucydides invented the historical narrative. The Roman Republic served as the model and inspiration for American revolutionary patriots. The Church was the custodian of Western civilization during the medieval era. Christianity and the secular response to its claims became one of the primary themes of modern European history.
During the junior year, students will learn the political, economic, social, and religious histories of America from its colonial experience to the present. In the senior year a semester of U.S. government focusing on the philosophies of Locke, Hobbes, Rouseau and the founding documents of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution will be offered. Students will finish their senior year with a seminar Foundations of the 20th Century.
In addition to providing a sense of historical memory and perspective, another of the goals of teaching history is to equip students with the necessary tools for them to become independent learners of history in the years to come. These tools include familiarity with primary sources and the ability to analyze and evaluate critically. Readings from period historians and eyewitness accounts, essay writing and the discussing of ideas and concepts in class are the means of equipping our students with these tools of learning.
Course Descriptions
Graduation requirement: 4 years of high school History
Ancient/Medieval History or
Honors Ancient/Medieval History – Grade 9 (Year Course)
In this course, we will emphasize the important events, major texts and works of art that represent and clearly illustrate what is unique and central to the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions taken separately, then come to grips with the synthesis and opposition to synthesis between these traditions that occurred in antiquity. In addition, students will explore the Byzantine Empire and the spread of Islam as they transition to study of the Dark and Middle Ages. The course is designed to establish the religious, philosophical, and political contexts most crucial to the study of Western history and literature. Students will explore texts from Aristotle, Herodotus, Plato, Tacitus, Thucydides, Augustine, and the Bible.
Modern Europe & The World or AP Modern Europe & The World – Grade 10 (Year Course)
Students will study the major events, people, places, and intellectual trends that are foundational to an understanding of Western civilization as it developed during this time period. This course begins with an overview of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, and continues the study of the Age of Reason, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, romanticism, nationalism, and the 20th century struggle between democracy and totalitarianism. Students will be introduced to examples of the art, literature, and music from this six hundred year time period. Students will explore texts from Aquinas, Machiavelli, Erasmus, Dante, Luther, Calvin, Hobbes, Descartes, Newton, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, Burke, Smith, and Marx.
American History or AP American History – Grade 11 (Year Course)
This course examines the narrative of American history with particular attention to the uniquely American understanding of rights and duties. It asks what it means to be an American. In answering that question, it seeks to provide a better understanding of the meaning of the “self-evident truths” on which this nation was founded. Students will explore political, diplomatic, social, intellectual, and cultural trends of our nations past as they seek literacy and understanding of current domestic and world affairs. Students will explore texts from Bradford, Winthrop, Edwards, Franklin, Paine, Jefferson, Washington, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The U.S. Constitution, Hawthrone, Crevecoeur, Toqueville, Emerson, Thoreau, Douglas, Stowe, Lincoln, Dubois, Turner, Sinclair, T.R. Roosevelt, Wilson, Locke, Hughes, Steinbeck, F.D. Roosevelt, Kennen, Kennedy, Friedan, and King.
American Government or AP American Government – Grade 12 (One Semester)
“Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families.” This 1773 statement, by the American patriot Benjamin Rush, is an apt point of departure for the capstone course of the PCH history sequence. An inquiry into the importance of American liberty and order, this course explores the foundations of republican government. It considers the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and explores the fundamental principles of a free economy. It seeks, in sum, to instill in students the proper spirit of patriotism upon which self-government depends. Building upon the strong introduction to the American founding that juniors receive in the eleventh grade history class, this course delves more deeply into early American political thought. It demonstrates the debt Abraham Lincoln’s statecraft owed to the Founding. Students will explore texts from The Federalist Papers, The Magna Carta, The English Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, The U.S. Constitution, and The Anti-Federalist Papers.
Foundations of the 20th Century – Grade 12 (One Semester)
Foundations of the 20th Century is a seminar style class that explores the events, people, and ideas that shaped the last century. The class will study the Belle Epoque/Victorian/Fin De Siecle period of European History, The Progressive Era, World War I, The Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age, Europe between the Wars, and World War II. Special emphasis will be placed on World War I as the culmination of the 19th century and the foundation of the 20th Century. The students will learn about the political, social, military, artistic, religious, and philosophical factors that not only helped create the last century, but have paved the path for the 21st century.