History Through Literature
Alternative transcript titles:
Contemporary Western Civilization (History credit)
Modern Historical Literature (English credit)
Class Time: 1:40 - 2:40
Grade Level: 9th - 12th
Instructor: Diane Harvey
Contact Information: diane.m.harvey6@gmail.com
Course Description:
“The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of vantage, from which alone men see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living.” - G.K. Chesterton
When we examine history through the lens of literature, historical facts are brought to life, allowing us to gain a greater understanding of society at that moment in history. It transports the reader back in time so that the past can be experienced rather than just memorized as facts, thus providing the reader with a learning experience that is both enriching and illuminating.
The focus of this course will be the modern era of Western civilization beginning with the age of exploration and overthrow of monarchy through revolution followed by an examination of the impact of the industrial age on society, social class divisions, nationalism, empire building, WWI, the Holocaust, WWII, the rise of communism, and the Cold War era. In our exploration of these time periods, we will examine the major social, economic, and political developments as reflected in the literary canon and consider the impact of history on authors and their stories.
Background information will be provided through assigned reading from a supplemental textbook before delving into the literature reflecting the history of the time period. In addition to the novels listed below, we will be reading short stories, poems, speeches, essays, and excerpts from novels including selections from Dickens, Hugo, Kipling, Yeats, Hemingway, Churchill, Tolstoy, and Remarque.
NOTE: This class can satisfy either an English or history high school credit, but it may not be counted as credit for both. Although reading and homework assignments will be the same for all students, other assessments will differ with English students submitting quarterly papers focused on the literary works and history students taking quarterly exams on the historical content. When registering for the course, please specify whether you will be taking it for English or history credit.
Alternative transcript titles:
Contemporary Western Civilization (History credit)
Modern Historical Literature (English credit)
Tuition: $425
Class Size: Minimum of 10
Course Materials:
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
- A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
- A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 by Joseph Loconte
- The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- World History: Our Human Story, edited by Pearson and Holdren, ISBN: 978-1601531230
* All other materials will be online or provided as handouts.
Teacher Qualifications: Diane Harvey is a former Assistant Professor of Government at George Mason University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science in 1993 and earned her doctorate in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in 1998, specializing in American Government and Political Behavior. While completing her doctorate, she taught numerous undergraduate classes for the university and was a recipient of their Excellence in Teaching Award. Upon completion of her doctorate, she served as assistant professor and internship director in the political science department at George Mason University. She took an "early retirement" from academia to homeschool her four children, but she has returned to the classroom in recent years to teach courses in government, history, and literature to local high school students.