Below is a comprehensive description of Pacem’s Culture, History, and Peace Studies curriculum.  Courses offered in 2012-2013 are World Perspectives, Europe and the Americas (for ages 14-16), Nonviolence, Conflict, and Change in the 20th Century and Beyond (for ages 16-18), and two electives: Elections, Politics, and Current Events, (for ages 14-18) and Making Sense of Spinoza. (for ages 16-18).

Pacem’s Culture, History, and Peace Studies classes weave social science content and a variety of academic skills together while examining key questions about how human beings live together, locally and globally, today and in history.

In addition to the courses described below, students also do the following:

  • Keep an ongoing world map and timeline with information from their studies in CHPS classes, other classes, and independent studies.
  • Participate in community service and/or activism each year.
  • Continue to develop skills in conflict resolution and compassionate communication, building on these each year with additional training and/or practice.
  • Practice collaborative group decision-making, including participating each year in Pacem’s sociocratic governance system through Student Circle.

14-16 year-old students will alternate between the two years of World Perspectives described below

 

World Perspectives: Europe and the Americas
And World Perspectives: Asia, Africa, and Oceana

This is a two-year course on world history, culture, religion, politics, perspectives, and ideas.  Course content includes indigenous, ancient, historic, and contemporary cultures, with some cultures/periods studied in depth (the focus will not be on 20th and 21st century history, which is primarily addressed later).  The focus in one year will be Europe and the Americas; the focus in the following year will be Asia, Africa, and Oceana.

Themes, topics, and concepts:

  • Culture and how it is transmitted, including beliefs, values, institutions, behaviors, traditions and way of life
  • Cultural attributes and products of some indigenous and ancient world cultures, such as language, literature, music, arts and artifacts, and foods
  • An introduction to cultural concepts such as assimilation, acculturation, diffusion, appropriation
  • The relationship between various peoples and their environments, including both the impact of the physical world on human populations and societies and the impact of human populations on the natural environment
  • The historical experiences of various world cultures and patterns of continuity and change in their core institutions, values, ideals, and traditions
  • Foundational ideas and perspectives of various world cultures, including the development of Western thought
  • Colonialism and imperialism and their affects on a variety of countries and cultures
  • The purposes and characteristics of various governance systems and how different groups and nations attempt, and have attempted historically, to resolve conflicts and seek to establish order and security.
  • Ways in which science and technology have influenced social and cultural change and the ways people interact with the world

Social Science Skills:

  • Use of maps, globes, and other geographic tools
  • Recognition and respect for different points of view
  • The ways in which interpretations of historical events are influenced by individual experiences, sources selected, societal values, and cultural traditions
  • An introduction to the skills needed to locate and analyze primary and secondary sources, and to evaluate the historical accounts made by others, as well as to build and defend interpretations that reconstruct the past
  • The use of knowledge of history to make informed choices and decisions in the present, especially to address critical issues related to global peace, conflict, poverty, disease, human rights, trade, and ecology.

16-18 year-old year students will alternate between the two courses described below: New England Social and Environmental History, and Nonviolence, Conflict, and Change in the 20th Century and Beyond.

 

New England Social and Environmental History:

Major themes in U.S. history, culture, and government will be addressed through a study of Vermont and New England.  This course is a companion class the American Environment and Environmental Science.

Themes, topics, and concepts:

  • A social history of New England to include how people lived during various periods and how their lives changed over time.
  • How individual lives in VT and New England were affected by major events in U.S. history
  • Patterns of continuity and change in core institutions, values, ideals, and traditions in the region and U.S.
  • The causes and consequences of regional and national events and developments
  • Colonialism and imperialism in U.S. history
  • The roots of U.S. social, political and economic systems
  • The foundations of political thought in the U.S. and the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance in the country and in VT
  • The basic ideals and values of a constitutional democracy, the conflicts that exist among these fundamental principles, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
  • The historical and contemporary freedoms and rights of citizens in a democracy, the institutions and practices that support and protect these freedoms and rights, and the historical documents that articulate them
  • The ways in which the physical environment has affected human settlement and social, cultural, and economic development in VT, New England, and the U.S.
  • The ways in which human activities (beginning with native people) have changed the natural environment of New England over time
  • The causes, patterns and effects of human settlement and migration within U.S. history
  • Analysis of changes in the relationship between people, places, and environments in the region, the resulting issues and challenges, and informed decision-making on local and national issues arising from human-environmental relationships
  • The ways in which institutions (such as schools, religious institutions, families, government agencies, and the courts) were formed in regional history, embodied the core social values of those who comprised them, played a variety of roles in society, influenced culture, and changed over time.
  • The role of science and technology in social, cultural, and environmental change in New England and the U.S.

Social Science Skills:

  • More sophisticated use of maps, globes, and other geographic tools
  • Continued work on recognizing and respecting different points of view
  • More sophisticated understanding of the ways in which interpretations of historical events are influenced by individual experiences, sources selected, societal values, and cultural traditions
  • Continued development of the skills needed to locate and analyze primary and secondary sources, and to evaluate the historical accounts made by others, as well as to build and defend interpretations that reconstruct the past
  • How perspectives about the past differ, and how these differences inform contemporary ideas and actions

 

 Nonviolence, Conflict, and Change in the 20th Century and Beyond:

Major themes and events in recent world history will be addressed through a study of conflicts since the beginning of the 20th century and the ways in which people worldwide have used nonviolent strategies to bring social and political change.  This course will also look at the ways in which today’s citizens and activists can make change.

Themes, Topics, and Concepts:

  • Major global historical events of the 20th and 21st centuries
  • The historical, social, economic, and political causes of major conflicts during this period
  • Major social and political changes during this period and their causes and consequences, both in institutions and structures and in ideas, values, and beliefs
  • The ways in which individuals and groups work for social change, including how popular movements worldwide have used nonviolent means to achieve political independence, resist dictators and invaders, and gain civil and human rights
  • Nonviolence as a moral stance and a political tactic, with discussions about the ethics of civil disobedience, the question of a “just war,” when/if the ends justify the means, etc.
  • The concept of “consent of the governed,” its origins, influence, and application
  • Ways in which building and maintaining popular movements can strengthen democracy
  • The evolving functions of structures of power, authority and governance in 20th century and contemporary U.S. society, as well as in other parts of the world
  • Questions surrounding the scope and limits of governmental authority and the protection of individual rights
  • The relationships between individual rights and responsibilities, the needs of social groups, and concepts of a just society
  • Problem-solving and decision-making in relation to current issues and social problems
  • The rights and responsibilities of citizens in identifying societal needs, setting directions for public policies, and working to support both individuals and the common good
  • Issues related to limited resources and the production and distribution of goods and services and how these can lead to conflict
  • Societal issues related to science and technology and their relationship to conflict and change
  • The global spread of ideas in today’s interconnected world and how it leads to change
  • Benefits and problems of global interdependence, and differing perspectives on this for a variety of regions
  • More sophisticated use of knowledge of history to make informed choices and decisions in the present, including addressing critical issues related to peace, conflict, poverty, disease, human rights, trade, and global ecology

Social Science Skills:

  • More sophisticated use of maps, globes, and other geographic tools
  • Continued work on recognizing and respecting different points of view
  • More sophisticated understanding of the ways in which interpretations of historical events are influenced by individual experiences, sources selected, societal values, and cultural traditions
  • Continued development of the skills needed to locate and analyze primary and secondary sources, and to evaluate the historical accounts made by others, as well as to build and defend interpretations that reconstruct the past
  • More sophisticated understanding of how perspectives about the past differ, and how these differences inform contemporary ideas and actions

Electives:

 Elections, Politics, and Current Events (ages 14-18, younger with permission)

2012 is an election year, and perhaps you will run for president!  This fall semester elective will focus on elections, politics, and current events in the U.S.  We will carry out a simulated presidential election, complete with political parties, party platforms, press releases, speeches, and a debate.  In the process, well discuss the major issues in this current presidential campaign.  We’ll also look at the election process, the Electoral College, the role of political parties, campaign finance, and other issues related to electoral politics.  We’ll discuss the basic structure of the federal government, and how it functions in theory and in practice, as needed for an understanding of the national elections.  We’ll also discuss some of the big questions that underlie thoughtful discussions of politics:  Why do people create governments?  What if we had no government?  What should be the role of a federal government?  What responsibilities does a government have to meet the needs of its citizens?  How should a government balance the rights of individuals with the good of the nation?  How should political power be acquired and maintained?  What happens when a government is not meeting the needs of the people?  What does it mean to govern peacefully?  The class will emphasize thoughtful dialogue, reasoned debate, and respect for others’ opinions.   Homework will include keeping up with election-related news.

 

 Making Sense of Spinoza (ages 16-18, younger with permission)

This course will climb an intellectual mountain: Spinoza’s famous Ethics. This book takes on the big questions: the nature of the universe, god and nature; the human mind and human condition; and the potential for freedom and happiness through a deep commitment to rational thought and understanding. So scandalous in its time (because it challenged religious and political dogmas) that few people dared admit they had read it, the Ethics is now considered one of the greatest works of philosophy ever written, and Spinoza is greatly admired for the courage, modesty and integrity with which he lived out his own ideals.
The Ethics is considered a difficult book, but we will make sense of it by taking time to understand its peculiar format (modeled on Euclid’s geometry), by reading the book itself slowly and with care, and by studying Spinoza’s life and times, cultural heritage, and intellectual forebears. Spinoza grew up as a Jew in 17th century Amsterdam. His family, like most others in his small community, had come from Spain and Portugal, fleeing the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition. Spinoza showed great early promise as a Jewish scholar, but his unconventional ideas were so threatening to the community that he was expelled as a young adult. The milieu of the Dutch Golden Age, with its cultural and political creativity and unusual degree of tolerance and innovation, enabled Spinoza to learn with other intellectuals and freethinkers, many of whom were reading the exciting new ideas of Réné Descartes.
We will have fun by working and thinking hard. Come and consider why Spinoza was Albert Einstein’s favorite philosopher. Think about how a book could speak about God on almost every page, and yet be feared as a work of atheism. Learn the difference between Sephardic and Ashkenazic, between rationalist and empiricist, axiom and postulate, substance and attribute, and (Spinoza’s view of) human bondage and human freedom; and make sense of what it might mean to know the world and pursue one’s life “sub specie aeternitatis” — “under a species of eternity.”