In our book club meetings, John De Gree gives an overview of the main topics of the book and explains which type of open-ended questions can be discussed based on the readings. He critiques the author's work and provides insight into his own opinions.  De Gree then shows which other resources in The Dolphin Society can help the teacher lead discussions in the content area. Use our book club recordings as a quick overview of history, to brush up on your history education, and to learn how you could use the Socratic Discussion to teach different time periods. 

WESTERN CIVILIZATION, ​A BRIEF HISTORY 
by Marvin Perry, 2021/2022



​Discussion #1
The Ancient Near East, The First Civilizations, The Hebrews: A New View of God and the Individual, The Greeks: From Myth to Reason
Discussion #2
Rome: From City-State to World Empire, Early Christianity: A World Religion

​Discussion #3
​7.  The Middle Ages: The Christian Centuries 500-1400, The Rise of Europe, Fusion of Classical, Christian, and Germanic Traditions, The Flowering and Dissolution of Medieval Civilizations 
​


​Discussion #4
Chapters 8-10: Modernity From the Renaissance
to the Enlightenment, 1350-1789, Renaissance, Reformation, National States, Overseas Expansion, Commercial Revolution, The Scientific Revolution, the Age of Enlightenment


​Discussion # 5
Chapters 11-14: The Modern West: Progress and 
Breakdown, 1789-1914, The French Revolution, The Industrial Revolution, Thought and Culture in the Early 19th Century, Liberalism, Nationalism, Revolution, Counterrevolution, Unification


Discussion #6
Chapters 15-17: The Modern West: Progress and 
Breakdown, 1789-1914, Thought and Culture,
Modernization, Nationalism, Imperialism, New 
Views of Nature, Human Nature, and the
​Arts

Discussion #7
Western Civilization in Crisis: World Wars and Totalitarianism 1914-1945
Chapter 18: World War I: The West in Despair
Chapter 19: An Era of Totalitarianism

Discussion #8
20: World War II: Western Civilization in the Balance
21: Europe After World War II: Recovery and Realignment: 1945-1989
22: The Troubled Present

A PATRIOT'S HISTORY ​OF THE UNITED STATES
by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, 2020/2021

​1. Discussion #1
Introduction
1. The City on the Hill, 1492-1707
2. Colonial Adolescence, 1707-1763
3. Colonies No More, 1763-1783

​Discussion #2
4. A Nation of Law, 1776-1789
5. Small Republic, Big Shoulders, 1789-1789

Discussion #3
6. The Promise and Perils of Jackson's America, 1815-1836
7. Red Foxes and Bear Flags, 1836-48
8. The House Dividing, 1848-60
9. The Crisis of the Union, 1860-65
​10. Ideals and Realities of Reconstruction, 1865-76

​Discussion #4
11. Lighting Out for the Territories, 1861-1890
12. Sinews of Democracy, 1876-1896

Discussion #5
​
13. Building Best, Building   Greatly, 1896-1912
14. War, Wilson, and   Internationalism, 1912-1920
15. The Roaring Twenties and   the Great Crash, 1920-1932
16. Enlarging the Public Sector,   1932-1940


​
Discussion #6
17: Democracy's Finest Hour, 1941-1945
18. America's "Happy Days," 1946-1959

Discussion #7
19. The Age of Upheaval, 1960-1974

Discussion #8
20. Retreat and Resurrection, 1974-1988
21. The Moral Crossroads, 1989-2000
22. Decline and Restoration: The Twenty-First Century