History
Learning history at Lawrence sometimes means going to trial
with the best evidence you can find to defend or prosecute Napoleon, the
U.S.S.R, or President Truman. Among the methods we use to teach history is a
simulation-a trial to determine which nation, the U.S. or the U.S.S.R, most
endangered world peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis, or a mock 1787 Constitutional
Convention at which "delegates" argue over whether the president or Congress
should have the power to declare war.
Simulations are one way we breathe life into primary
sources, which we rely on frequently in our classes, so that exploring history means
understanding how people reacted to their circumstances or dared to reshape
them. Reading about the horrors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima is one thing; using
primary-source documents to defend or criticize President Truman's decision to
drop the A-bombs means taking a hard look at the evidence and developing your
case-and then, perhaps, being called on to defend the opposite position. Like
any 
practicing historian, you will be called on to hone your analytical writing
skills as you commit your arguments to paper.
Beginning
with the
NGP's Graveyard Project, you will learn that history is not a
spectator sport at Lawrence. Using a variety of techniques and activities to
encourage you to be an active learner, we emphasize depth over breadth and
strive to broaden our own horizons by the content we choose for classes.
Whatever the method and subject, however, we press you to ask questions,
research primary sources, formulate a position, and then support your
conclusions with the evidence. Whether you win or lose the argument over the
South's right to secede or Israel's right to build settlements in the West Bank,
you win by learning how to think like an historian.
Courses
