Dark History: True and Terrible History
This ongoing course is for students who want to learn the dark history that is not traditionally taught. Unlock the secrets of history’s darkest corners in our riveting Dark History class. Explore the chilling tales that textbooks leave out
Academy of Wonder: History FNAF Gaming Film Coding
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(976)
Popular
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Do you love history but wonder about the stories that are often left out? These are subjects that are often uncomfortable because they involve murder, lies, rape, terrible government actions, betrayals, and everything in between. I strive to present these true stories from history as accurately as possible, putting a lot of time and research into each class. Trigger warnings will be listed at the beginning of each class to give students time to prepare mentally for what they will be learning about. Class Experience Each week will feature a new historical story, detailed below by date. “If you are protected from dark things then you have no protection of, knowledge of, or understanding of dark things when they show up." — Neil Gaiman This class is not suitable for all students. We will discuss psychological experiments, horrible human beings, terrible events, cannibalism, witches, torture, murder, child abuse, racism, sexism, slavery, and random hauntings. If you or your child find a lesson too dark, you may skip it and request a refund in advance. Weekly Topics Each week brings a new, compelling story from history. Content Warnings I will provide trigger warnings at the beginning of each class to help students prepare for the content. Video Content I use a lot of video content in this class. Each week, I spend 6-7 hours watching and narrowing down videos to ensure they are suitable for the lesson. Class Interaction Some class sections are highly interactive and talkative, while others are quieter. Please message me for recommendations if you have a preference. This course delves into the darker aspects of history, offering students a unique and engaging way to learn about the past. Join us for a journey through some of the most intriguing and unsettling stories that history has to offer. Please make sure to read the parental warnings before enrolling Fall 2024-Spring 2025 December 16 - December 22 The Snowtown Murders December 23 - January 5 NO CLASSES January 6 - January 12 The Holodomor January 13 - January 19 The Sand Creek Massacre January 20 - January 26 Mau Mau Uprising January 27 - February 2 The Aversion Project: Experiments to “Cure” Homosexuality February 3 - February 9 The M.S. St. Louis Tragedy February 10 - February 16 The White Mouse: Nancy Wake (WWII) February 17 - February 23 The Rape of Belgium February 24 - March 2 Second Congo War March 3 - March 9 The Australian Stolen Generations March 10 - March 16 The Bhopal Disaster March 17 - March 23 The Orphan Trains March 24 - March 30 The Ghost Ship Ourang Medan March 31 - April 6 Heaven’s Gate Cult April 7 - April 13 Tuskegee Syphilis Study April 14 - April 20 S-21 prison (Tuol Sleng) April 21 - April 27 Colonia Dignidad April 28 - May 4 The Greenbriar Ghost May 5 - May 11 Alan Turing May 12 - May 18 Solomon Northup May 19 - May 25 The Holmesburg Prison Experiments May 26 - June 1 The Partition of India June 2 - June 8 The Affair of the Poisons June 9 - June 15 GAME DAY Last Day of Classes. Classes will resume in September. There are some summer camps available. **Note classes may be changed at the last minute if I deem the content to be TOO Dark or that there is not enough to create a class from. “Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana
Learning Goals
Students will expand their knowledge of history, even the gruesome aspects of it and have a chance to learn the context in which these stories took place.Engagement for Diverse Learners: This class is tailored for students with various learning styles. Whether you prefer visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning, the diverse content will keep you engaged.
Other Details
Learning Needs
This class is designed for students who have ADHD, ASD, and other learning difficulties. All content is presented verbally and with pictures or videos to reinforce learning as well as conversation. There is no homework or writing.
Parental Guidance
Warning: This class is meant to be dark, and horrible, and scary, and disturbing. History is often actually all of those things.
This class is NOT for everyone.
You should be a fan of scary stories, movies, or shows to take this class.
I may use violent or graphic videos. There may be swearing, brief nudity, or dead bodies.
There will 100% be stories that are scary or disturbing.
There will be stories about people who have died.
There will be stories about people who have been killed.
There will be stories about the people doing the killing.
There are stories where people are assaulted, sometimes sexually.
Religion is often involved in history and terrible things that happened and that will be discussed when appropriate.
Many of the stories will be psychologically horrifying more than "Boo" horrifying.
Stories may have: religious references, cannibalism, experiments, child death, diseases, plagues, serial killers, assaults, lgbtq or racial focus, and more.
Please check the main description page to see if you want your child attending specific classes.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
I use many sources for this class and research. In the past year alone I have done over 800 hours of history based research and actually discovered that 2 historical ideas were actually not true based on primary source documentation. In addition, I have been doing research and writing for over 25 years including interviewing Pulitzer and Nobel prize winners, and writing detailed articles about their work. I spend between 6-10 hours a week on every history class I run. I watch news programs, documentaries, read diary entries, read historical accounts, look at academic writings. While this class uses a lot of video documentation I also narrow that down to try to take complex issues and make them digestible and understandable in a short amount of time.
Joined March, 2020
4.9
976reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 teachers have a Graduate degree
Master's Degree in Education from University of Phoenix
Master's Degree in Education from Moreland University
Nicole Pauling:
I have a very diverse background but have always been interested in and moved by the plights of marginalized groups and have worked and volunteered extensively within those communities for the past 30+ years. My degrees are in Psychology, Criminology, Sociology, Philosophy, and Women's studies and all of those things do show up in this class. I have been involved with journalism since I was in the 7th grade and have written for 7 newspapers.
Some expertise areas that are utilized in this class are:
25 years of research skills.
Sociology and psychology degrees to understand individual behavior, development, and cultural phenomena.
SART responder (Sexual Assault Response Training-I did hospital visits to ensure that criminal evidence was properly documented in rape cases). I also photographed victims of domestic violence and documented injuries for court cases. Additionally, I manned the phone banks for emergency calls and did outreach work and trainings on college campuses.
I have taught classes on consent and safety.
I have my Common Sense Media teacher certification for teaching students Internet Safety.
I have raised 19 foster children and have extensive training. Many of my children are from traditionally marginalized groups.
I ran a group home.
I ran a sexual assault shelter.
I have written about diversity for over 25 years.
I have run, organized, and fundraised for diversity issues for over 22 years.
I am currently on the board of a local hospital to ensure equal access to medical treatment for minority groups and that research studies actively work to include under represented minorities.
I am a member of the Black Collegiates and have received rewards for my work. Yes, I am white I am a firm believer that black lives matter and both spoke and protested last year.
I have my Master's Degree in Education.
I have training in issues of indigenous peoples and have also worked to help create a history book detailing the discrimination and outright destruction of indigenous culture.
Les Pauling: I love helping students learn how to connect with one another and live their best lives.
I have lived an adventurous life. I love to kayak, scuba dive, wreck dive, white water raft, and really do anything that just brings joy and fun into life. I balloon twist as a side gig, moonlight at festivals as "The Bad Advice Fairy," and generally think I'm funny.
I am a counselor by trade with a Master's Degree in Community Counseling and High School Guidance counseling and a bachelor's in psychology. I got my initial training as a guidance counselor and then went into 1:1 therapeutic work in schools and homes. I also have over a decade working with youth who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Some things I love to do are teach students logical thinking, decision making, goal setting, and life skills.
Brooke Nelson:
I hold a doctorate in Religion from Claremont Graduate University and a Master of Arts in History from the University of California, Irvine. I taught for over 12 years at the university level, predominantly at large research focused institutions. In addition to serving as a lead author on OpenStax’s most recent World History to 1500 textbook, I published award winning peer-reviewed publications on gender in the Roman world. I enjoy working with students who have an interest in the humanities who are looking for a “guide on the side” to help them find new ways to explore educational questions.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$18
weekly1x per week
50 min
Completed by 737 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
3-18 learners per class
