This cross-departmental investigation would connect the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Market Revolution, and the Enlightenment, under one umbrella, demonstrating an integrated model for learning. We hope to combine concepts from Enlightenment economic theory with the historical perspectives of the Enlightenment from Europe and the British American colonies/early United States. To do this, we aim to look at the concepts of truth and equality from three perspectives:
- Western Civilization since 1600, with Kathleen Beliveau instructing, will focus on how the Enlightenment concepts regarding truth and equality developed and were used by various European leaders and intelligentsia and how they remain relevant to us today.
- Macroeconomics, with James Harrington instructing, will focus on the Enlightenment economic ideas of Adam Smith and commercial, financial, colonial, and early industrial interests and how those ideas blend with other Enlightenment concepts regarding truth and equality.
- US History to Reconstruction, with Stephanie Roper instructing, will focus on how the Enlightenment concepts regarding truth and equality led to the American Revolution and are espoused in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Deliverable: Although we are in the preliminary stages of planning, our goal is to have class presentations, most likely in the form of Powerpoints with recorded audios, from each of the three classes involved. These will not only come together for the April 8 th event, but will also serve to help future instruction of these topics. An example can be seen with the Powerpoint from the Macroeconomics class being supplemental reading/listening for future Western Civilization and American history classes.
Part II: My Human Geography class is going to choose one of the following topics for a presentation. They can focus on either language of truth and equality and how those words have different interpretations in different areas of the world, or on the fights for and expansion of those ideals in an age of globalization. In either case, they will address the words “Truth” and “Equality” and delve into what they mean for people in various cultures around the world today. These will be posted for the April 8th event, with my plan to have the class show their findings on a digital map. The class will analyze what these differences mean from a geographical perspective. In a similar vein with the Geography class, I will assign my US History since Reconstruction classes to look at how the concepts of “Truth” and “Equality” have evolved since the 1870s. With this deliverable for the April 8th event, the class will most likely have a presentation that includes a digital timeline, showing the changes with those two words over time, focusing on specific events in American history, especially on the Civil Rights era. There will be two different presentations, one for each of the two classes.
