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Department

History and Social Science

The History and Social Science Department strives to provide students with an understanding of past events and the differing viewpoints of those who participated in them. We seek to encourage the development among our students of certain historical skills: intelligent questioning, gathering and interpreting data, analyzing concepts, recognizing the significance of historic occurrences, understanding cause and effect, and synthesizing information to produce one’s own interpretation of the past. As a natural consequence of encouraging the development of these skills, we teach students to express their ideas with clarity and vigor in both class discussion and in their writing. Ultimately, we hope that the study of history will become for them a life-long process and provide them with an awareness of complexity and ambiguity as they confront ethical choices in their own lives and seek to unravel meaning in the world around them.

African American History I (F)

Open to Fifth and Sixth Formers who have completed or are currently enrolled in U.S. history. In this course, we will examine major topics and themes in African American history from the African origins of humanity to the rise of the movement to abolish slavery in the nineteenth century. Topics include West Africa’s medieval empires, the rise of the transatlantic slave trade, the Middle Passage, slave societies in North America, African Americans in the American Revolution, slavery and the U.S. Constitution, the domestic slave trade, slave revolts, Frederick Douglass, Martin Delany, Harriet Tubman, and the growth of Black institutional life in the antebellum North. African American History I is the first course in a three-part, year-long survey of the African American past; though recommended, completion of African American History II and III is not required.
African American History II (W)

Open to Fifth and Sixth Formers who have completed or are currently enrolled in U.S. history. In this course, we will examine major topics and themes in African American history from the coming of the Civil War to World War II. Topics include Reconstruction, Redemption, the rise of Jim Crow, the politics of uplift and respectability, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Marcus Garvey, Hubert Henry Harrison, the Great Migration, jazz, blues, gospel, black soldiers in the Great War, the Harlem Renaissance, and African American responses to the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II. African American History II is the second course in a three-part, year-long survey of the African American past; though recommended, completion of African American History I and III is not required.
African American History III (S)

Open to Fifth and Sixth Formers who have completed or are currently enrolled in U.S. history. In this course, we will examine major topics and themes in African American history from World War II to the present. Topics include the growth and transformation of the civil rights movement, the legal battle for civil rights, the opportunities and challenges of black life in the urban North and West, the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, A. Philip Randolph, Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, black nationalism, black power, the Black Arts Movement, black feminism, backlash politics, hip hop, the carceral state, the election of Barack Obama and Black Lives Matter. African American History III is the third and final course in a three-part, year-long survey of the African American past; though recommended, completion of African American History I and II is not required.
Asian American History (F)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. U.S. history required, or could be taken concurrently. This course will explore and analyze the history of Asian immigrant groups and their American-born descendants in the United States from 1850 to the present, beginning with the first wave of Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century through the Stop AAPI Hate campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic. Themes of immigration, assimilation, imperialism, discrimination and racism, legal and civil rights, generational trauma, ethnic and cultural pride, joy, and identity, diplomatic relations and conflict, racial triangulation and the “model minority” myth, and more, will be interrogated. One of the highlighted objectives of this course is to contextualize and illuminate Asian and Asian American experiences for students who are curious or eager to understand and engage with race in the United States through this lens. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions, write essays, and conduct basic research.
Capitalism: A Global History (S)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. Prerequisite: Modern Global History; can be taken alongside US History. No prior knowledge of economics is required. In the early 21st century, capitalism's global reach is truly unprecedented. How did we get here? This course examines the development of capitalism from its theoretical beginnings to its most contentious political and cultural conflicts with other economic and social ideologies. This course starts with economic history and engages with the political, cultural, and social forces that have come to define it. Students will read original thinkers, such as Adam Smith and Karl Marx, and grasp the development of capitalism in its global manifestations from a variety of academic and popular sources to access the most encompassing range of materials available.
Court & Constitution: Ind. Liberty and the Law (W)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. This course examines the role of the Constitution and the Supreme Court in American life with respect to individual liberty. The focus in the fall is on individual rights in the development of federal jurisprudence and constitutional interpretation from the framing of the Constitution to the work of the contemporary Court. This study includes the origins and development of judicial review, the nationalization of the Bill of Rights and the “incorporation controversy,” and the development of substantive due process adjudication with respect to individual liberty. The term ends with a public mock court simulation of either a recent Court decision or a hypothetical case. This exhibition includes written briefs, oral arguments, and written opinions. The readings for this class include excerpts from relevant monographs, legal briefs, Court opinions, and documents related to the syllabus.

Students are expected to possess a survey knowledge of US History, a passion for debate, and an ability to compose clear analytical essays. By the end of the term, it is hoped that they will be more purposeful and persuasive in their ability to engage in textual analysis of legal briefs and opinions, summarize and assess historical/constitutional concepts and themes, and recognize that the Court’s work is best understood as an interrelated thematic whole. The mock court is a capstone opportunity for students to display a mastery of these skills.
Foundations of Global History (Y)

Taught jointly by the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department and the History and Social Sciences Department, this course surveys the histories and cultures that have shaped world civilizations and supports students in gaining the requisite skills, intercultural knowledge, and experience for success in the humanities. Global in scope, the course surveys peoples and histories of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Mediterranean and a plurality of religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous religions. The course develops students’ skills for note-taking, critical inquiry, academic dialogue, scholarly research, and analytical writing. Assessments are designed to help students discover, interpret, evaluate, synthesize, and cite scholarly sources to prepare students for the requirements of Upper School courses in history and religious studies.
History Through Genres (S)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. U.S. history required, or could be taken concurrently. Memoirs, music, historical fiction, documentaries, and feature-length films are all valuable literary and film genres through which we can learn about history, illuminating both the historical content they contain and also the context in which they were created. This course will zoom in on touchpoints in 20th-century U.S. history through the critical examination of a variety of genres in conjunction with historical texts. Example units could include but are not limited to: indigenous representation in film and television from traditional Westerns to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Reservation Dogs, Japanese American internment as depicted through memoirs and photographs, Cold War anxieties and paranoia as depicted in popular literature and films like James Bond and Dr. Strangelove, and the Vietnam War through historical fiction, documentary, and protest music. Discussions will center around questions of perspective, authorship, authenticity and affect, creating a rich conversation about the ways in which we learn about history, consume history, and create historical narratives, memory, and legacy.
International Relations (W)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. What is the WTO? What is an ICBM? Why is the Korean peninsula still divided? Is globalization a good thing? What is the ICC? Where is Latvia, and why should Americans care? This course examines major issues in international relations today, including regional conflicts throughout the world, and various trends in global affairs, including trade, migration, and globalization. Students learn about the international challenges facing both the United States and the world at large. The starting point of the course is a look at differing theories of International Relations and how US foreign policy is made. Students then conduct extensive research to prepare for role-plays, simulations, and debates on a variety of topics like: Sino-American relations, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations, and humanitarian intervention. Most readings are articles from the archives of Foreign Affairs magazine, and other readings include articles from journals such as Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Current History, The American Interest, and The Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions series. Students are expected to be able to conduct research independently and engage classmates in spirited but appropriate and effective discussion and debate. Students should be able to write well-organized and comprehensive essays that consider solutions to difficult questions as well as reflect an understanding and appreciation of the complexity of international relations and different points of view.
Microeconomics (F)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of microeconomics. The course begins with a study of the basic forces that determine an equilibrium in a market economy. Next, it introduces a framework to analyze how consumers and producers make their decisions. We then look at the role of competition and the impact of market structures on firms' behavior. At the end of the course, we will use microeconomic theory to analyze some of the more advanced topics, such as international trade, behavioral economics, game theory, and equity versus efficiency trade-offs in economic policy. Though this course is not designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination, students are welcome to take the exam if they wish. They will, however, need to do substantial extra reading during school vacations in advance of the exam.
Microeconomics (S)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of microeconomics. The course begins with a study of the basic forces that determine an equilibrium in a market economy. Next, it introduces a framework to analyze how consumers and producers make their decisions. We then look at the role of competition and the impact of market structures on firms' behavior. At the end of the course, we will use microeconomic theory to analyze some of the more advanced topics, such as international trade, behavioral economics, game theory, and equity versus efficiency trade-offs in economic policy. Though this course is not designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination, students are welcome to take the exam if they wish. They will, however, need to do substantial extra reading during school vacations in advance of the exam.
Microeconomics (W)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of microeconomics. The course begins with a study of the basic forces that determine an equilibrium in a market economy. Next, it introduces a framework to analyze how consumers and producers make their decisions. We then look at the role of competition and the impact of market structures on firms' behavior. At the end of the course, we will use microeconomic theory to analyze some of the more advanced topics, such as international trade, behavioral economics, game theory, and equity versus efficiency trade-offs in economic policy. Though this course is not designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination, students are welcome to take the exam if they wish. They will, however, need to do substantial extra reading during school vacations in advance of the exam.
Modern Global History (Y)

Open to Fifth and Fourth Formers and required of all students in the Upper School. Modern Global History is a year-long course that carries the human story forward from the year 1200 to the present. The course examines the role played by Western and non-Western societies in the development of the modern world and focuses in particular on the cross-cultural interchange between the world’s societies during the past millennia. Because of the broad time span it covers, Modern Global History fills an important role in the larger school curriculum by enabling students to place knowledge acquired in other courses in its proper chronological context, as well as providing the historical context to understand our contemporary society.

In Modern Global History skill-building is foundational to the mission of the course. Students will further gain the tools to be critical readers, analytical writers, and thoughtful contributors during discussions. Students will enhance their ability for writing strong arguments with an effective thesis and strong topic sentences. Note-taking and organizing information independently are emphasized, and students should be prepared to gain an enhanced capacity for abstract reasoning beyond that expected in the Lower School. In addition, among the many other skills taught in Modern Global History, an important array include: an understanding of point of view and the ability to make judgments concerning relative reliability when using primary sources, the ability to use these primary sources in document-based essay questions, the ability to handle multiple-choice questions of a type generally used on standardized national exams, and the ability to engage in spirited but civil class discussions. As they continue to hone their critical thinking and essay-writing skills, students will also undertake a research project sometime during the year. Their instructors lead them through all phases of the process including: identifying an appropriate historical question as a topic, orientation to the library, finding and discriminating among sources (whether accessed in person or online), developing an argument based upon this research, understanding of what plagiarism is and how it can be avoided, and formatting proper footnotes and bibliography according to the University of Chicago style.

Though this course is not explicitly designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination in World History: Modern, they are welcome to take the exam if they wish. They will, however, need to do extra reading during school vacations in advance of the exam.
Political Polarization (F)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. Prerequisite: Modern Global History; can be taken alongside U.S. History. Paying close attention to the U.S. presidential election in the fall of 2024, this course will examine the long history of political polarization in the United States. “America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide,” claimed the Pew Research Center in March 2021. This course seeks to examine why this dynamic exists in our present day. We will also ask how and why American politics became so polarized. And what can be done to stem the tide? This course will trace the last half century of United States history and culture to understand the present political moment and the roots of the current era of tribalism and partisan hostility. We will consider the role of traditional media outlets, as well as social media, in creating this divide, and consider the ways polarization serves as kindling for violence. This course also has an important comparative aspect, and we will look to examples around the globe for ways polarization exists in other states. We will also contend with the question of whether polarization is always a negative, as well as create practical proposals to eliminate this polarization in modern society. Students taking this course will be encouraged to speak about current events with notable depth, and an interest in politics will add to the lively spirit of this course.
Racism, Genocide, and Politics of the Past (W)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. Prerequisite: Modern Global History; can be taken alongside U.S. History. This course examines the nature of racism and genocide by exploring in detail the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and of the Atlantic Slave Trade and slavery in the Americas. This course will also examine several examples of historical reparations, including the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, as well as monuments, memorials, and museums and the politics involved in their creation, maintenance, and destruction. Students will contend with the many ideas and decisions regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, memorials to victims of the Holocaust in Europe, and Confederate monuments in the United States. Students will grapple with theories and examples regarding historical memory, reparative justice, national myth-making, and public commemorations, as well as the enduring ways these processes, programs, and sites have been and remain contested. Remembering and forgetting are intertwined in the fabric of the human experience. How do communities memorialize their histories? How should they? Who owns the past? Whose past is lauded and whose marginalized? Touching on material from nearly every continent, this course offers a global perspective and seeks to understand the fruitful ways national comparisons can enrich our understanding of the ways the past is remembered.
Revolutions (W)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. What is a revolution? What makes revolutions distinct from the ebbs and flows of historical change? What motivates people to risk their lives or engage in violence to shift social and political circumstances? How do you measure the “success” of a revolution? These are some of the essential questions students will engage with in this course, which will expand beyond the American Revolution taught in U.S. History courses and explore a sampling of international revolutions from the 18th through 20th centuries. These could include but are not limited to the Haitian Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Communist Revolution, the Vietnamese August Revolution, the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa, the Iranian Revolution, and various Latin American and European Revolutions. The course will begin by studying historians’ and social and political scientists’ work on revolutions and then diving into various examples of revolutions to analyze and interrogate our essential questions. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions, write essays, and conduct basic research.
Sport and Society Since 1945 (S)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. Students in this course will use sports as a lens for exploring and understanding recent history. We will consider how the growth and development of sport, as well as the notoriety and power of specific athletes, has influenced and reflected broader trends in history like decolonization and globalization as well as themes like race, gender, politics, and economics. Questions of inquiry might include:

How did some Africans use soccer to develop national independence movements?

How do the lives of Bill Russell and Muhammad Ali help us understand Black Power?

How did Billie Jean King personify the broader fight for gender equality and gay rights?

Is hosting the Olympics or World Cup a good decision for a city or country?

How did Michael Jordan and Nike embody the challenges and opportunities of globalization?

What is sportswashing?

Students will also be given opportunities to pursue areas of their own interest through individual research. This course will draw on a variety of sources from historians, journalists, and documentary filmmakers rather than a single text.
The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (F)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers. This course will examine the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Our study will begin with Lenin and the Bolsheviks and progress through the revolutionary period and the emergence of Stalinism. We will follow Stalin's leadership through the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and the emergence of the Cold War in its aftermath. From there, we will focus on the Soviet role in Eastern Europe and elsewhere as well as the decline and stagnation of the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Finally, we will conclude with Gorbachev's failed reforms and the ultimate collapse of the empire in 1991.
United States History (Y)

Open to Sixth and Fifth Formers who have completed Modern Global History and required of all students in the Upper School, United States History is a survey course that begins with the pre-Revolutionary War Period and continues through the post-Cold War Era. While recognizing the different cultures that have contributed to the American experience, this course emphasizes the values we all share in common: democratic participation in government, freedom of expression and basic civil liberties, the rule of law, and the relationship between liberty and equality. In addition, students also explore the changing role the United States has played in the world.

Enrollment in U.S. History assumes that students will have a thorough grounding in the foundational skills for historical inquiry taught in Foundations of Global History and Modern Global History, including researching and writing a major research paper. During the year, students will continue to develop as analytical writers, critical readers, and inquiring discussants in pursuit of an understanding that history may be interpreted in many and varied ways.

Though this course is not designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination, students are welcome to take the exam if they wish. They should, however, prepare during school vacations in advance of the exam.

View the Course Catalog

Our Faculty

Ryan Spring

History and Social Science Department Head

978-448-7411

rspring@groton.org
Bio
Ryan Spring joined the Groton faculty in 2013. His experience in independent boarding schools began as a student at Phillips Academy, Andover. After Andover, he completed his undergraduate studies at Bates College, earning a BA in American Cultural Studies and Russian History. Ryan later earned an MA in history at the George Washington University.

Since arriving on the Circle, Ryan has taught U.S. History, World and the West, and a series of electives on 20th-century Russia. He has also led a Third Form girls’ dormitory and coached girls’ varsity soccer and thirds basketball. The girls’ soccer team won the NEPSAC Class B championship in 2014 and reached the semifinals in 2013 and 2015. In 2014. Ryan was awarded the Jonathan Choate Award for Excellence in Teaching and Coaching.

Before working at Groton, Ryan spent fifteen years teaching, coaching, and advising at Blair Academy, in Blairstown, NJ. He lives on campus with his wife, Stacey, a doctoral student in political science at Boston University and also a member of Groton’s History Department, and their two children, Owen and Eleanor (Elly).
Renee Bai

Chinese, History and Social Science

978-448-7794

rbai@groton.org
Bio
Originally from China, Renee holds a B.A. in economics from Gordon College in Massachusetts. She worked in asset management as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder before joining the Groton faculty in 2015. Renee teaches Chinese as well as economics, and works with the Stagecraft crew in theater. She also serves as a dorm affiliate in the Second Form girls’ dormitory.

Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Renee is a firm believer in this “heart” power and is passionate to pass it down to her students. Having worked as an interpreter/translator/tutor with people in various fields, from professors to politicians to pro athletes, Renee brings real-world applications to linguistic and cultural studies. She is also an active community organizer. In her spare time, she has hosted over one hundred multicultural events in the Greater Boston area and beyond.

Renee considers herself a traveler, storyteller, gourmand, and accidental poet. She lives in Groton, MA and is constantly perfecting her scallion pancake recipe for advisory dinners.
Honor Clements

hclements@groton.org
Harold Francis

Assistant Director of Athletics

978-448-7247

hfrancis@groton.org
Bio
Harold Francis, head basketball coach, assistant athletic director, and teacher, joined Groton in 2013, after teaching and serving as an assistant coach at Buckingham Brown and Nichols in Cambridge, MA for six years, where he became familiar with the level of play within the ISL. Before that, Coach Francis spent three years as head coach at Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester, MA, where he led the school to three consecutive playoff appearances and was named Massachusetts Charter School Athletic Organization Basketball Coach of the Year.

Originally from Queens, New York, Coach Francis played football and basketball at the Taft School, then went on to play football at Hobart College. He has worked at numerous basketball camps throughout the country, including the Coach K Duke Basketball Camp and Hoop Mountain. He earned a master's in sports leadership from Northeastern University. Besides being assistant athletic director and coaching basketball, he also coaches football, teaches a section of Sacred Texts, and lives on campus with his wife, Sarah, and dog, Brooklyn.
Desmond Goodwin

dgoodwin@groton.org
Midori Ishizuka

History

978-448-7470

mishizuka@groton.org
Bio
Midori Ishizuka joined Groton’s History Department after four years at Phillips Academy Andover, where she taught a wide array of classes in history and economics, coached an undefeated girls tennis Varsity B team, co-advised the Asian Society, was assistant coach for girls squash, and led a boys dorm. Ms. Ishizuka takes special interest in incorporating film and music into her classes; at Groton she teaches Modern Global History and U.S. History, while also coaching girls varsity squash and leading a dorm.

Midori was born in New York City but grew up in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and trained at Bollettieri Tennis Academy, now IMG Academy, before attending Andover and then college in Southern California. Before teaching, Midori was an account executive at a New York advertising agency.

She enjoys tennis, skiing, and reality television.
John Lyons

Director of New Faculty Development, John Hay Whitney Chair of History and Public Affairs

978-448-7428

jlyons@groton.org
Bio
John Lyons arrived at Groton in 1995 and was chair of the History Department from 2006 to 2012. Following his undergraduate years at Middlebury College, John pursued an MA at Georgetown University. He completed two years as a history instructor at Northfield Mt. Hermon before spending the next ten years at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, DE, chairing the history department during his last five years there.

After assuming many roles at St. Andrew’s, including head varsity football coach, varsity baseball assistant, dorm head, and residential dean, John and his family headed to Groton. In 1996, he was awarded Groton's John Hay Whitney Chair in History and Public Affairs, and in June 2000, Lyons received the Henry and Wendy Breck Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2012 received the Jonathan Choate '60 Faculty Award for excellence in teaching and coaching. His professional development activities include a year as a visiting scholar in history at Middlebury College, three William Robertson Coe Fellowships in American History at Stanford University, and summer colloquiums with the Gilder-Lehrman Institute for American History, the Liberty Fund, the Center for the American Idea, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

John holds the Charles C. Alexander Endowed Varsity Football Coach position and coaches boys JV ice hockey. At various times he has directed Groton's Teaching Intern program, moderated Groton's Model UN group, and served as a member of the Curriculum and Studies committees as well as a dorm head. His wife of 29 years, Hannah, is a clinical nurse specialist in oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital; they have two daughters, Rachel, a 2008 St. Mark's graduate, and Molly ’12. Rounding out the Lyons clan is a black Lab, George.
Eric Spierer

978-448-7716

espierer@groton.org
Bio
Eric Spierer teaches world history and United States history. He graduated with distinction from the Columbia University - London School of Economics dual MA/MSc program in international and world history, and he was the joint recipient of the Richard Hofstadter Prize for Best Dissertation. Eric earned his bachelor's degree at Wesleyan University, where he was a history major and a varsity rower. Prior to graduate school, Eric was a paralegal at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City and taught history at The Derryfield School, his alma mater, in Manchester, New Hampshire. At Groton, Eric coaches basketball and rowing, is the director of Jewish Student Life, and runs a dorm with his wife, Jessica.
Azmar Williams

History

978-448-7310

awilliams@groton.org
Bio
Azmar Williams teaches Foundations of Global History and Modern Global History and runs an Upper School boys dorm. A PhD candidate in the History Department at Harvard University—where he earned his MA in U.S. History—Mr. Williams is currently preparing to defend his dissertation. His teaching and research interests have been in post-emancipation U.S. history, focusing on African American history and intellectual history. Mr. Williams holds a BA in history and African American studies from Yale University. A North Carolina native, he attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics—the nation’s first public boarding high school focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.