The History Wars: The 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory

The History Wars: The 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory

Richard Bell
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM (PT)
Price: $90.00
19 slots available
Join/Renew

By now, it seems everyone has an opinion about The 1619 Project and critical race theory (CRT). Their claims have each been disputed by some historians and defended by others. They have been attacked by many conservatives and promoted by many liberals. Legislators in many states have even passed laws to ban them from school curriculums. 

In this four-part course, we’ll talk candidly about what The 1619 Project and CRT actually say — and what they don’t. We will engage with the debates among leading scholars as to their claims and to their merits and get as close as we can to the subjects — like the American Revolution, the Constitution, Abraham Lincoln, and Reconstruction — around which so many of these debates have swirled.

Faculty Bio

Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize.

This is an Encore Course

  • Encore courses are popular courses that were recorded a previous term.
  • All pre-recorded class videos and course materials will be available to enjoy from Jan. 16–March 31 in the Member Dashboard. Learn more.
  • You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Member Praise for Richard Bell

What a wonderful class and brilliant instructor! I loved Rick’s style of presentation = intense and dramatic. I’m so impressed with my fellow OLLIians = smart, informed, engaged. Everything worked for me.

​​Amazing content. Amazing delivery.

After the first ten minutes of the first class, I turned to my husband, who had also signed up for the class, and said, "He is terrific!"

Faculty Q&A