230582 American History I (S) (WiSe 2006/2007)

This is the first part of a two-semester course sequence. This semester, we will trace the history of what is now the United States from the earliest known human inhabitants through the age of European exploration, settlement, colonization and eventual independence from Britain. We will then see how the "American experiment" developed through expansion and industrialization and how it came to meet its most severe test in the Civil War. We will focus on topics in American history that are relevant for understanding the present: the interactions among Native Americans, Europeans and Africans; the development of republican and democratic ideals (here, not the present-day parties but the ideological concepts with lower case d and r); the role of religion; the growth of capitalism; the role of war; the rise of sectionalism. The underlying theme will be the formation of the United States: forces of union and disunion and the struggle for national self-understanding. There will be an examination (3LP) - (or, if preferred, a midterm and final) and the possibility to write a research paper for those who require this option. Students will also collaborate in preparing outlines and review materials for the exam.

Recommended text: The Penguin History of the USA by Hugh Brogan (1999).
Please do NOT buy this textbook until after the first day of class!