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Learning about 9/11 in Prohibition to Pop History Class with Chuck Amidon

Where were you when the Twin Towers fell? What do you remember about that day?

If you’re the seniors in Chuck Amidon’s Prohibition to Pop: 20th Century American History course, then you weren’t even alive. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, students shared their parents’ memories of that history-altering day, kicking off the 2021-2022 school year and a unit of study about the Iraq War. 

Later in the unit, students will explore America’s polarized view of the war, analyzing the nation’s response to two country songs: Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” and the Dixie Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice,” through class discussions and writing assignments.

Using literature, film, music, and art, the Shipley high school history elective course, which is open to juniors and seniors, asks students to interrogate and analyze the forces and impact of the shifting and dynamic culture defining the inter-war period, and America’s rise to superpower status after 1945. 

Topics in the course include Prohibition, nationalism, jazz, ethnic and socioeconomic tensions, the Great Depression, World War II, American policy in the Cold War, perspectives on the Vietnam War, the rise of consumer culture, the rise of the FBI and CIA, the civil rights revolution, women’s roles and rights, and America in the 21st century. Students produce and present short papers, as well as major research projects during the course of the year.

Explore Shipley's Upper School academic program and how students learn the critical thinking skills they need to be independent thinkers and informed global citizens.
 
 
 
 
 
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.