The History Program
at The Ohio State University Newark Campus
Topical Seminars
Each quarter the History Program offers a one-credit-hour seminar to provide students the opportunity to explore special topics of interest. The seminars are listed under Humanities 294. Topics have included a study of Tecumseh, an overview of museum administration, and a study of the war against terrorism. Current seminars are described below.
HUMANITIES 294 - Winter 2007
Interested in learning more about the 1960s? The History Department is offering a one-credit hour course that will meet on three consecutive Tuesday evenings and will explore such topics as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Great Society. All students will be graded on a credit/no-credit basis, unless other arrangements are made with the instructor in advance. Contact Dr. Mitch Lerner (lerner.26@osu.edu) for more information.
Humanities 294--Spring 2008: Lynching in America
(Dr. William Coil)
Recent national news stories have brought the
horrific history of lynching out of the past and into the present. In Jena,
Louisiana white teenagers hanged a noose from a tree. Did they act with
malice, with a clear racist intent to intimidate black students? Or were
they ignorant teens, unaware that a noose is a charged symbol of brutal
white supremacy? This class will explore the history of lynching from the
late 19th century through the mid 20th century. The awful irony of lynching
is that this form of racial violence spiked just as America became a world
power, claiming its status as the world's greatest democracy gave Americans
the right to fight for freedom throughout the world. Yet as Americans tried
to free the world in two global wars and a decades long Cold War, they
countenanced the lynching of African Americans. From the late 19th century
to the mid-20th century whites lynched on average one African American every
week. The American Century, the golden age of American prosperity and power
in the world, was built on racial violence at home.
Course Requirements:
This course is graded S/U, and the requirements are to attend all of the sessions, read a book, and write a four-page paper.