In this weekly class, we examine a different current event topic each and examine its historical origins. I employ a student-centered approach, where I act as a facilitator asking questions and prompting discussions in order to promote critical thinking. Research projects and class participation will be encouraged, but not required.  

Each week students will be encouraged to bring an article and topic to discuss for the following week's session. Students will be encouraged to look past the headlines. The first four weeks will include the following topics: 

Presidential elections/inaugurations. 

The new president gets sworn in on January 20, but do we know why that date was chosen? We examine the legal and historical origins of US Presidential elections and inaugurations. From the weird inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower (he was lassoed by a cowboy during the swearing-in ceremony) to a surprisingly uncivil election of 1800, we will examine the presidential transfer of power.

Pandemics and Public Health

What has the US done in prior pandemics to keep us all safe? What legal authority does the government have during a pandemic? We examine prior public health crises to discover the origins of government authority to issue mandates such as vaccines, wearing masks, and quarantines. The class will discuss prior public health emergencies, such as the smallpox outbreak of 1905, and the US Supreme Court decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts. In Jacobson, the Supreme Court ruled "a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members," allowing local authorities to mandate small-pox vaccination and fine those who refused.

Protests

The ability to protest is a right enshrined in our US Constitution. The class will discuss the right to protest by examining infuential protests like the Boston Tea Party, the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade, and various civil rights protests. We will look at how the courts have applied the First Amendment to actions such as wearing armbands, marching, and civil disobedience.

Immigration

The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century, and from the 1880s to 1920. Immigrants coming to America seeking greater economic opportunity or seeking to escape persecution is a rich part of US history. We will examine early immigration, including the Pilgrims in the early 1600s, European immigration in the early 19th Century,