New York Uncovered: Field Trips to New York Historical Sites
[Monday, Tuesday, Thursday—class will meet for 2 hours; Wednesday—class will meet for 6 hours to travel to New York historical sites. There is an additional fee to cover travel and admission expenses for this course.]
New York City is steeped in American History. One of the earliest colonial ports and the first modern city, New York is an ideal city to actively explore American History. Come discover the history of the New York area and the nation through experiential, hands-on visits to historical sites around Manhattan. This course will concentrate on events and sites representing four different periods of US history: Colonial, Gilded Age, Harlem Renaissance, and World War II. We will discuss the historical context of each of the four areas of study. Following pre-visit internet research and reading about topic areas, the course would culminate in a weekly field trip to the following sites: Federal Hall and the South Street Seaport, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, a tour of Harlem (Apollo, Schumberg Center, Langston Hughes House, etc.) and the Intrepid. The fourth day of class would involve a written reflection from each student on the overall visit and what was learned.
Instructor: Marcus Chioffi
Marcus Chioffi’s lifelong passion for travel continues to foster his curiosity about places and people. His enjoyment of travel has taken him to 42 U.S. states and 8 foreign countries, including Brazil and India. Mr. Chioffi has taught in the Middle School at Brunswick since 2000. He holds a MA in American History from Fordham University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Vermont. Along with his major in Political Science he has a double minor in History and Human Geography.
History and Film
History is constantly being replayed and rewritten by Hollywood. However, the outcome is usually not done very well. Is the problem with Hollywood? Historians? The nature of film? The answer to all of these questions is yes. This course will look at how history is portrayed in film as well as the challenges that come from depicting historical events on film. We will discuss constraints of the medium and limitations on filmmakers as well as the nature of historical events. The class will analyze two films together as a class. Then the course will culminate with each student’s analysis of a film of their choice through research of historical events and evaluation of the historical accuracy of a given film.
Instructor: Marcus Chioffi
Marcus Chioffi’s lifelong passion for travel continues to foster his curiosity about places and people. His enjoyment of travel has taken him to 42 U.S. states and 8 foreign countries, including Brazil and India. Mr. Chioffi has taught in the Middle School at Brunswick since 2000. He holds a MA in American History from Fordham University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Vermont. Along with his major in Political Science he has a double minor in History and Human Geography.
Salem Witchcraft: Laboratory and Legacy
In an outbreak of hysteria lasting less than a year, the town of Salem, Massachusetts witnessed the execution of twenty-two people (and one dog) and the imprisonment of hundreds of others, all charged with practicing witchcraft. To what extent can historians explain these bizarre events of 1692? Were people exacting revenge on neighbors who had cheated them? Were they purging their community of undesirable elements? Were the accusing girls subconsciously punishing their mothers? Or were they all suffering from having ingested hallucinogenic bread mold? Students will use the outbreak of witchcraft in Salem as a laboratory in which to test various types of historical explanations, including economic, psychological, even biological interpretations of the events of that time. Readings will include fictional accounts as well as primary sources, including plays, films, and trial documents, and students will conduct their own research using such sources. By getting to know the actors, plot, and setting of one historical event very well, students will refine their own views about the substance of historical interpretation, and, additionally, the nature of “witch hunts.” The course features a field trip to Salem, from Thursday to Saturday, on the last weekend of the summer session.
Instructor: Stephen Duennebier
Stephen Duennebier has completed graduate study in the fields of anthropology, psychology, and American history. As a 29-year veteran of the Brunswick faculty, past Upper School Head, and History Department Chair, he has taught courses ranging from social psychology to media studies to AP United States History. While his primary teaching duties currently revolve around AP Psychology, the range and depth of his experience makes him the ideal tour guide to both colonial Salem and the unconscious mind.
Couples, Groups, Crowds, and Mobs: The Psychology of Interpersonal Influence
We are not only “who” we are but “where” we are; the college interview setting, to some extent, makes us a different person than the lacrosse field. The impact of the social context will be examined through the “classic” studies in social psychology, from Milgram’s Electroshock Experiment to Zimbardo’s Prison simulation. Through films, discussions, class experiments and field studies, we will look at social settings from the very small (marriage), to midrange (Jonestown) to the very large and chaotic (Woodstock). In each instance, we will see how we are molded by our social surroundings.
Instructor: Stephen Duennebier
Stephen Duennebier has completed graduate study in the fields of anthropology, psychology, and American history. As a 29-year veteran of the Brunswick faculty, past Upper School Head, and History Department Chair, he has taught courses ranging from social psychology to media studies to AP United States History. While his primary teaching duties currently revolve around AP Psychology, the range and depth of his experience makes him the ideal tour guide to both colonial Salem and the unconscious mind.
Politics and Sports in American History
If you are interested in history, politics and sports, this is the course for you. In this course, we will seek to answer several questions pertaining to the influence politics had in the development of sports in 20th century America. Some of the questions we will consider are: How were the Olympic games used in the Cold War era as a proxy war between the US and Soviet Union? In what ways did this conflict affect the development of sports in America? What effect did segregation and desegregation have on both the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball? How did urbanization lead to the creation of football, basketball, and hockey as we know them today? We will read related primary and secondary materials daily, which will include biographies. We will also watch movies and documentaries with sports themes to further advance our understanding of the subject. Students will be evaluated by their level of participation in discussions, their knowledge of the assigned readings, and their scores on quizzes, papers and presentations.
Instructor: Jimmy Manyuru
Jimmy Manyuru has held a teaching assistant’s position at Brunswick School for the past two years and will be joining the School’s History Department in a full time capacity this fall. He holds a BA in Political Science from Middlebury College and recently obtained his MAT from Manhattanville College. As captain of the Middlebury College rugby team, Mr. Manyuru led the team to victory in the 2007 US National Championships. Passionate about politics, sports and history, Mr. Manyuru pushes all his students to success by encouraging them to work and play hard.
Walls—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: a Look at the Complex Nature of Walls Throughout the History of the World
Throughout history, walls have played an integral role in shaping various political, economic and social structures. Arguably the most famous wall in history, The Great Wall of China, is said by some to have turned the Huns advances to the west and led to an eventual sacking of Rome. Others, such as Hadrian’s Wall, the Berlin Wall, the Maginot Line and the Wailing Wall all played important roles during their time and some even affect our current political milieu. Economically, where would we be if the Dutch had never built a wall on the southern tip of Manhattan to protect their budding settlement from the British? Things might not be that different, but think about all that the name Wall Street represents, especially in this past year. And what about the wall currently being built along our border with Mexico?
Along with discussing this idea of humanity’s love/hate relationship with walls, this course will enhance the student’s ability to understand the various cultural effects of the world’s walls—critical reading, expository writing, oral presentations, and debate skills will be honed throughout the course. Readings will come from primary source documents, books and scholarly papers.
Instructor: Tommy Mulvoy
From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Mulvoy worked in various capacities at Brunswick School. He taught Upper School history, coached cross-country, hockey and lacrosse, advised at every grade level and worked in the Resource Room as the assistant to the director. While teaching at Brunswick, Mr. Mulvoy earned a master's degree in Social Studies from Manhattanville College. He completed his undergraduate work at Boston College and is a graduate of Brunswick. Last June, Mr. Mulvoy took a sabbatical and traveled the world for six months. His primary research on some of the more famous walls in history will be incorporated into the course. Mr. Mulvoy returned to the United States in late December and now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.