Students in the Francis Lieber Undergraduate Forum are encouraged to take these classes to support their growth as an academic cohort.
Lieber Forum students will receive a $200 stipend for each Foundations class taken to be used for additional reading and other educational materials beyond the required course texts. Lieber Forum students enrolled in these classes should contact Christopher Tollefsen, ctollefs@mailbox.sc.edu, to discuss the stipend for educational materials.
Professors teaching Foundations courses will receive a stipend for activities related to the class such as visiting speaker, a meal with students or a local trip. Faculty interested in designating a future class as a Foundations class should also email Professor Tollefsen.
Spring 2026 Foundations of Civic Education and Public Discourse Classes
SCHC 360, “How to Think in an Age of Political Polarization”
Agnes Bolinska, Department of the Philosophy
Schedule: TR @ 11:40 a.m.
We live in a polarized political climate in which it is difficult to talk to people who hold different views from our own. This class will teach students how to think about and discuss polarizing ethical issues constructively, enabling free and open dialogue aimed at determining what to believe rather than winning an argument.
In the first half, we will consider why we are polarized and develop tools for thinking about the problem of polarization. Then, in the second half, we will examine selected polarizing issues. Questions that the course will address include: Is it wrong to invite problematic speakers to campus? Are affirmative action policies in college admissions fair? Should we take down historical monuments of racist leaders? Students will learn how to articulate and examine why they hold particular positions on these issues. They will practice interpreting arguments charitably and communicating with those who disagree with them constructively and respectfully.
HIST 370, “Origins of Capitalism: From the Middle Ages to Today’s Global Economy”
Colin Wilder, Department of History
Schedule: MWF @ 10:50 a.m.
This course is an introduction to the history of capitalism and business, primarily in European and American history. Students learn about how, when and why capitalism emerged as the dominant socio-economic system in Europe and later America over the past millennium. We begin by learning about the foundations of capitalism in trading networks in northern Europe and Italy in the late Middle Ages. The next unit of the course focuses on the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in England, sometimes regarded as capitalism’s country of origin. Here we study both domestic changes in agriculture and craft production, as well as overseas commercial projects in plantation systems and mercantilism.
We study in turn the nature and causes of the Industrial Revolution across Europe and North America, as well as major debates and ideas about industrialization and economic development. This will also include key business history themes like the rise of the firm, enterprise structures, entrepreneurship, joint stock companies, and sales strategies. Finally, we consider globalization, the growth of international institutions like Bretton Woods and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the 20th and 21st centuries, and the most recent major developments in capitalism such as internet commerce in the 21st century. At key moments in the course narrative, we read the three most influential thinkers in the history of capitalism, namely Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. This course will be of interest to students studying economics, business, political science, law, international relations, and American and European history.