DESCRIPTIONS HISTORY & ECONOMICS

A Cultural History of Warfare

HSEC 1013

Wednesday

Dates: 9/20 to 11/8 (8 weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitator: David Williams, Diamond Facilitator

Location: Online

Class Limit: 40 participants

Sponsoring Site: South

We have always had periodic wars; before recorded history they were usually small affairs, affecting only those killed and maimed and perhaps resulting in a transfer of territory. Since then, they might also affect governments, maps, languages, and allegiances… and our cultures. We will read and discuss Margaret MacMillan’s 2020 book “War: How Conflict Shaped Us.” She is the author of “Paris 1919”, along with other books, and is a leading historian as well as a brilliant writer. The book—beautifully illustrated-explores how war has shaped our cultural history and our views of the past and may shape our future. When and how did wars start? Does human nature doom us to fight one another? Is war ever within our control? We will discuss all these questions—and more—in this online class.

Andrew Jackson: He Could Be Loved and He Could be Hated, But He Couldn’t be Ignored

HSEC 1021

Thursday

Dates: 10/19 to 11/9 (4 weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitator: Thomas Kleinschmidt

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: West

Andrew Jackson was a larger-than-life character during his lifetime. His legacy was a dominant factor in US politics for 25 years after his death. The established politicians tried to keep him from the presidency, but as with many things in his life, he could not be kept from something he set his mind to.

Jackson was a frontier leader, a military hero and the seventh US President. He was an advocate of a strong United States and greatly increased the presidential powers during his time in office. Jackson founded the Democratic Party and provided its direction for the next generation.

Jackson was also a slave owner and a strong supporter of the slave system. In his military career and as president he advocated and was successful in relocating the Native American tribes in the southeast United States, at a cost of thousands of lives. As a military leader, Jackson tended to disregard instructions and created difficulties for his superiors.

The focus of this class will be on how Jackson fit into the period he lived in and how he changed the country.

Cars and How They Shaped American Culture, 1890s to 1970s

HSEC 1003

Tuesday

Dates: 9/19 to 11/7 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitators: Glenn Gravlee/Paul Simon, Master Facilitators

Location: 1st Universalist

Class Limit: 40 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

As the Gilded Age fizzled, the Automotive Age slowly emerged, then exploded. Permanent changes to our culture and lifestyle evolved over several decades. This course will sample from various elements of the cars themselves, the people who invented and advanced them, the roads they traveled, roadside culture, and the ways cars influenced everyday life. Cars impacted where we lived, how we purchased food and clothing, and types of buildings. Without them, we would not have had billboards or Burma Shave signs. They influenced not just the music and movies we enjoyed, but also how and where we enjoyed them.

Denver History Through Resident Storytelling

HSEC 1020

Thursday

Dates: 10/19 to 11/9 (4 weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitator: Rowena Alegria

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: On Campus

In this course, we will view four films produced by the Denver Office of Storytelling, which preserves and shares the history and culture of the city primarily by creating films in the voices of residents. Through story, the office strives to inform decision-making at City Hall and to uplift community voices for conversation and engagement, particularly around issues of social justice. Since 2019, DOST has created more than 400 stories – from daring drag queens to the first Black fire chief, from Native educators to wheelchair activists, and so much more. Together, we will watch the following films and discuss the history and themes in each: “Chicanas: Nurturers and Warriors,” about what it means to be born in this country, with strong Mexican and Indigenous roots, and a life dedicated to social justice; “A Thousand Paper Cranes,” about how Denver’s Japanese American community emerged from internment; “30 Years Later,” about the role Denver activists played in getting the Americans With Disabilities Act passed; and “Five Points, A Denver Legacy,” about the history of the historically Black neighborhood.