History is the backbone for the study of the Humanities, an approach that combines literature and history into an integrated program. At Trinity, students read quality literature pieces that connect to the eras being studied in their history classes. This connectivity allows students a more complete picture of the culture, values, and key events of the time period.
As students look to the past, they are encouraged to analyze history and make informed judgments in order to gain wisdom so that, as the expression goes, “we are not doomed to repeat it.” As we endeavor to instill virtue and wisdom in our students, history provides the perfect backdrop for questions and critical analysis. Students who desire to be shapers of culture need to explore the mores and values of cultures and historical figures that have gone before them.
History classrooms at Trinity are typically set up in semi-circles to encourage dialogue and debate. As students struggle with the big ideas of history, they are challenged in friendly environments by peers and teachers.
Lastly, students are encouraged to sift all history lessons through the filter of God’s story. By examining the motivations and actions of people in the past, students are intentionally drawn into the larger narrative of Scripture and their own place in the story of God and His people.
Western Civilization through 1550 (Grade 9)
In this two-semester course, students are exposed to the history of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome along with European civilizations of the Middle Ages. Students evaluate how events in one period of history have led to new interpretations of prior historical events, then apply the analytical skills of cause and effect to different historical events and eras, and finally, use historical evidence to craft persuasive arguments interpreting the past. *Honors course available
Text: Western Civilization, Jackson Spielvogel
European History (Grade 10)
In this year-long course, students study the historical, philosophical, and literary issues in Western Civilization from 1450 to the end of the 20th century. A distinctive feature of this class is the evaluation of the intellectual, cultural, political, diplomatic, social and economic themes within historical time periods. Students are exposed to primary source readings such as manuscripts, letters, documents and other forms of prose. Didactic instruction, along with Socratic dialogue, beckons our European history students into lively discussion founded on critical thinking. *AP course available
Text: Sources of the West, Volume 1 and 2; AP text: A History of Western Society Since 1300, Bedford
U.S. History (Grade 11)
Trinity’s juniors dive into the study of United States history from colonization to present era. Our knowledgeable instructors weave the historical, philosophical, social and literary issues in American history into a year-long course that provokes meaningful dialogue and debate. As in all history classes, students in U.S. History are encouraged to examine our nation’s past with a fair yet critical eye in order to gain wisdom that will positively influence our nation’s future. *AP course available
Text: The Americans, McDougal-Littell
Senior Humanities (Grade 12)
Goethe, the renowned German thinker and writer, once remarked, “He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.” In this highly philosophical course, attempts will be made to draw on three thousand years of ideas by chronologically visiting and analyzing significant turning points in the narrative of the West to better understand the world in which we currently play a part. Focus is placed on major philosophical and theological ideas, events, and works that have shaped the course of human existence. *Honors available
Texts: Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity.
Smith, James K. A. Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church.
Van, Doren C. L. A History of Knowledge: Past, Present, and Future.