The 6 Degrees of Separation is a social theory that all people are connected by 6 or less people, and the trick is figuring out who those people are. But what if we applied this type of thinking to historical events or cultural phenomena? 

This class is part history activity and part social class. Students should not expect to learn something but rather exercise their historical knowledge. 

Each class will have students grappling with two seemingly unrelated historical events/cultural phenomena and finding the connection between them. Students will use all of their background knowledge, discussion, as well as internet research and clever questioning, to find the 6 (or less) degrees that separate our topics. 

This is a class for students who are already literate in history, or are willing to learn on the go. This is a class about inquiry, discovery, and perhaps even debate! Students may be surprised about how much they know about the world that they didn't even realize. 

Each class will look like this:
I will present two historical events and/or cultural phenomena. I will present slides with some quick info about each.
Students will volunteer information that they know about these topics. Students will speculate as to what the connections may be. 
Together, we may do some internet research to further clarify connections and create a narrative. We may grapple with historical "what-if" questions, like, what if the American Civil War had never happened? What if Christopher Columbus didn't set sail for India?
By the end, we will endeavor to have a list of 6 degrees of separation that connect the historical events and/or cultural phenomena. 

The scope of this class will change weekly. Students are more than welcome to suggest ideas of topics to try and connect. Students should have a general knowledge of major world events in history, but do not need to know anything in particular as the nature of this class will be ever changing and enriched by the historical and cultural knowledge that students bring to the class. 

Here is an example:

How did the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lead to the international serialization of Japanese manga? 
1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, starting WWI
2. Germany suffers under strict sanctions, leading to internal tensions. 
3. Hitler is elected and creates the axis powers, including Japan and Italy
4. The United States drops nuclear bombs on Japan to end World War II
5. The United States occupies Japan, bringing their culture and leaving with some Japanese culture
6. Manga is serialized in format similar to American comic books, making it desirable to a western market

The exciting thing about this class is that this list could look very different depending on the group of learners and the knowledge they bring to the class. The 6 degrees are not fixed and can be logically challenged and debated. 

Students should have a basic knowledge of world history before taking this class. This class is ideal for the type of learner who may go on deep dives into specific time periods or historical events, rathe than a learner who is new to the study of history. 

New in 2022, students will have access to a Meme Studio through Antimatter to make memes about our 6 Degrees.