THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES
SS 307

In the current era of 24/7 news cycles when news stories are too often reduced to a series of simplified sound bites, we often lose sight of how what has happened before can help us make sense of what is happening now. During our spring semester, these three historians, each of whom is both an experienced researcher and a dedicated teacher, will focus on three historical issues that have impacted California, past, present and in the future.

Tuesday, February 27
Dangers and Opportunity on the Southern California Coast
Alex Jacoby, "Humanities Research Associate, UC Irvine", Ph.D. University of California, Irvine
Southern California’s recreational beaches are loved by millions. During the late 19th and early 20th century, a motley group of Angelenos transformed a desolate and foreboding stretch of coast into a famous destination for leisure. As forces of development and erosion now threaten these landscapes, understanding the shaping of the region’s shoreline offers important lessons for the future.


Thursday, March 22
Saving the Golden Shore: Peter Douglas and the California Coastal Commission

California’s 1100-mile coast is world-renowned for its beauty, beaches, real estate values, and public access. The protections accorded our shoreline did not just happen; they are due almost entirely to citizen activists and the state’s Coastal Commission, regarded by some authorities as the most powerful land use regulatory agency in the United States. Peter Douglas’s role as executive director of that agency was instrumental in saving California’s shore and inspiring a new generation of leaders in coastal conservation.

Presenter: Tom Osborne Ph.D.
Professor of History, University of Irvine


Friday, April 27
Free and Natural Lifestyle in Southern California

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, Southern California became part of the American health belt as tubercular patients traveled west to heal themselves. This health tourism combined with the “folklore of climatology,” which sold Americans on the balmy weather, made the region a hotbed for the modern development of a lifestyle of free and natural living. Dr. Schank will discuss
how these new ways of living as well as new styles of architecture and a host of alternative health experiments changed California.

Presenter: Sarah Schrank,
Professor of History, California State University, Long Beach


Dates/Times:
Tuesday, February 27
1:00 – 3:00 PM

Thursday, March 22
10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

Friday, April 27
1:00 – 3:00 PM (Note, this time is changed from what is listed under the course description in the Spring catalog.)

Developers: Peggy Peggy Maradudin and Jonathan Weil

Facilitators:
Al Fuller 949-854-8809
Alisz1@cox.net

Peggy Maradudin 949-720-1026
maradudin@cs.com