Michael Burchett
Assistant Professor of History
Mission Statement
The over-arching goal of all of my history courses is to provide the desire and tools for each student to become lifelong history learners by equipping them with the ability to read history, critically acquire historical knowledge through a variety of mediums, and defend historical arguments orally and in writing.
Obtain Information. Read in content, movies (textbook, primary and secondary sources)
R
ead
emember
Possess a basic knowledge of significant issues, events, ideas and individuals in time frame.
R
Analyze sources of history (primary and secondary) from many mediums
R
eason
espond with Writing & Rehtoric
Argue various points of view orally and in writing
R
Professor's Note to Learners
I have long believed history to be the critical capstone that ties all of the other academic disciplines together. Art, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Economics, Mathematics, Science and every other facet of learning and life did not happen in a vacuum three seconds ago; they happened in the past. Who? What? Where? When? Why? History is the key to unlocking these essential questions and the gateway into all other fields of inquiry. I believe it is fair to say that a person’s overall intellect is judged more frequently by historical knowledge than any other discipline because the threads of ALL other disciplines frequently and inevitably return to their origins in the past.
History is the story of humanity; it is our story. It is impossible to understand the present world in which we live without a grasp of how it came to be the way it is. It is no coincidence that, though the Renaissance was a resurgence in every field of knowledge, it largely developed because Europe explored other lands and then looked at its own auditoriums, temples, shrines and theaters from the past and began to wonder: Who? What? When? Where? Why? The monuments and legacies left by the Romans, Greeks, and Byzantines from the past had whetted the appetite in the present for the critical ingredients of all learning: awe, wonder, and curiosity. Of course to understand this you would have to know a little about the Renaissance and to understand the Renaissance you would have to possess a piece of the great capstone of learning: HISTORY!!!
SS205
United States History I
1492 – 1877
3 credits
This course is an examination of the most significant events, ideas, issues, institutions, and personalities, as well as the political, social, and economic developments, in U.S. History from Industrialization to the present. The course includes a special emphasis on how the changes and continuities of the past continue to impact the present.
SS201
Western Civilization I
Ancient Age through Medieval Age
3 credits
A study of Western Civilization from the Ancient Age through the Medieval Age with a focus on the development of societies, ideas, politics, and people
SS206
United States History II
1877 - Present
3 credits
This course is an examination of the most significant events, ideas, issues, institutions, and personalities, as well as the political, social, and economic developments, in U.S. History I from European Exploration to Reconstruction. The course includes a special emphasis on how the changes and continuities of the past continue to impact the present.
SS202
Western Civilization II
Modern and Postmodern Age
3 credits
A study of Western Civilization through the Modern and Postmodern Age that focuses on the development of societies, ideas, politics, and people.